Most competencies that will help you in your life, like communication skills, negotiating, and resolving conflict, can be learned—and the key is to break them down into bite size skills. How do we begin? In this episode, I sit down with Adaira Landry, MD, MEd, and Resa Lewiss, MD, to learn about microskills.
“When it comes to navigating the workplace, our professional lives, our personal lives… you have this very large goal, right? Like, ‘I want to be better at taking care of myself.’ But how do you do that? And there are small skills that you can take to move in that direction.”
Adaira and Resa’s new book, "MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact," is a guide to identifying and refining these often-overlooked tools. Both authors have backgrounds in medicine and mentorship, and they describe the project as the “how-to” book they wish they had while navigating their own careers.
As Adaira explains, “I had gone to seminars that said, ‘This is how a network is important for you.’ But I never really felt like anyone sat me down and said, ‘This is how you would build a network, nurture a network, and help the people in your network.’”
From networking, procrastination minimization, communication, and workplace conflict resolution, Resa and Adaira provide actionable guidance on building your personal tools for success. As Resa says, “We believe that every big project, big goal, big task items… can actually be broken down into small, concrete, fundamental building blocks.” Using this perspective can aid in taking the first steps toward growth.
Listen to the full episode to learn more about Resa and Adaira’s writing process, how to assess your starting point, and train your microskills.
Here are the details of our conversation:
[00:01:46] Navigating life’s challenges through mentorship
[00:05:29] Getting started on your career journey
[00:09:50] Breaking down microskills
[00:12:01] Most difficult microskills
[00:16:45] Acquiring healthy communication habits
[00:17:55] How to raise issues in the workplace and beyond
[00:24:59] Timeline to train a microskill
[00:28:53] The book writing process
About Adaira and Resa:
ADAIRA LANDRY, MD, MEd, is an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School who studied and trained at University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; New York University; and Harvard with almost a decade of experience mentoring students and early-career professionals. She is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and award winning mentor. She co-founded Writing in Color, a nonprofit that teaches the craft of writing.
RESA E LEWISS MD is a professor of emergency medicine, TEDMED speaker, TimesUp Healthcare founder, designer, entrepreneur, and award winning educator, mentor, and point-of-care ultrasound specialist. She studied at Brown University, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the NIH Howard Hughes Research Scholars Program, Harvard Emergency Medicine, and Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Roosevelt. She hosts the Visible Voices Podcast, amplifying content in the healthcare, equity, and current trends spaces.
They have written for CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Nature, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Science, Slate, STAT News, Teen Vogue, VOGUE, and USA Today. They have been quoted and featured in the Guardian, the HuffPost, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.
Links:
Follow Adaira on X/Twitter and Instagram (@AdairaLandryMD)
Connect with Adaira on LinkedIn (Adaira Landry, MD MEd)
Visit Adaira's website at www.adairalandryMD.com
Follow Resa on X/Twitter and Instagram (@ResaELewiss)
Connect with Resa on LinkedIn (Resa E Lewiss MD)
Visit Resa's website at www.resalewissmd.com
Adaira’s Nonprofit: WritingInColor.org
Resa’s Podcast: The Visible Voices
