by Diane W. Shannon | Jan 28, 2022 | Burnout, Coaching, Thriving
Picture a motorboat out in the harbor. Imagine that you jump in, turn the key, and start gunning the motor. Its engine is going full force, it’s working hard and churning water like crazy. Yet it’s going nowhere. No forward movement at all. Why? It’s still connected... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Nov 16, 2021 | Burnout, Identity, Thriving
To a super-achiever, the world can look like a series of tasks to check off, finish lines to cross, mountains to surmount. Seeing the universe through this lens has real benefits: being a go-getter and motivated to excel is highly rewarded in our society. It’s no... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Aug 23, 2021 | Burnout, Dealing with COVID-19, Thriving
If elephants are chained to a stake in the ground when young, they will not attempt to dislodge it when older. Their long-held belief that they are captive remains, even when their strength makes freedom possible. It’s their mindset that holds them in place, not their... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Jun 21, 2021 | Burnout, Leadership
I’m not an organizational leader, a member of the C-suite, a department chair, or a VP of anything. I’m a coach who guides physicians as they try to provide exceptional care and actually have a life. But I know a lot about setting goals, executing on priorities, and... 
by Diane W. Shannon | May 14, 2021 | Burnout, Coaching, Thriving
Toward the end of my clinical career, I didn’t feel like I had control over much at all. The patient safety issues loomed large. We used ridiculous workarounds for broken processes. The constant vigilance to provide excellent care in a suboptimal environment was... 
by Diane W. Shannon | Apr 17, 2017 | Burnout, Understanding Burnout
On my last day of clinical practice, I hung my white coat, my name in red embroidery above the pocket, on the back of the office door. Then it dawned on me that I wouldn’t be returning. I carried the coat gingerly across the icy parking lot to my three-year-old silver... 