Listen
When you do show up and attend a meeting or event, sit and listen to what others have to say, and when a task comes up with which you think you could be of assistance, step up and volunteer to help. When you are involved in a project or task, or are just listening, always keep an open mind—maybe your agenda is not exactly the same as other members of the organization/committee, but you will learn and gain important experience by being open to the thoughts and opinions of others.
When you step up and offer your assistance, you should make sure you volunteer for something that interests you. In general, to do a good job, the subject matter needs to be of interest to you, and the greater the interest, the more likely you are to be successful at completing the task. It also helps to make sure what you volunteer to do is attainable and realistic.
Organize/Action
After you’ve volunteered and committed yourself to a project, always be a productive member of the group. Do what you say you are going to do, and do it on time. These two simple things, completing your assignment/fulfilling your commitment and doing so on time, will set you apart from the pack. Do not be surprised when the reward for such an accomplishment is a request for you to do more, or take on leadership responsibilities.
Regarding my own personal journey, after I found out who served on the education committee. I started to set down some of the groundwork of networking, showing interest in the committee, and letting committee members know that I was very interested in their group and capable of helping in attaining their goals. Five years after taking these first steps to become involved in the group, I was appointed to serve on the meeting subcommittee of the ACEP education committee. This is the group that sets the curriculum and speakers for the Annual ACEP Scientific Assembly. I had made it! Then, after 8 years on the committee, I was appointed chair and worked hard to bring the meeting to Denver, Colorado, my home town. I pushed hard to reduce the length of many of the 50-minute lectures to 25 minutes, and also added some “rapid-fire” lectures to the curriculum.
Failures
On the path to attaining your goals, you will often encounter failure. It is important to keep in mind that if you never fail, then you probably are not reaching high or far enough. For example, I once wanted my institution to be more integrated at the affiliated University’s campus. I had defined this as my goal. To reach it, when the annual election for the medical school faculty senate came along, I had as many of my faculty colleagues vote for me as secretary, the lowest faculty position available. To my shock, I got elected! The problem was, as the secretary, I was supposed to be present at all of the monthly meetings and actually take notes. Not only did I not know who any of the individuals speaking at these meetings were, but I could only make approximately 50% of the meetings due to scheduling conflicts and other commitments. It is my own shame for not doing my homework and learning the roles and responsibilities of the secretarial position. I had the definition of success as a vague one: I engaged but did not really have an attainable goal. After 3 months, I had to go to the dean and admit I had made a mistake and was not capable of performing the duty of secretary. Although, the dean understood and thanked me for my honesty, this was a humbling experience for me and one that also reflected poorly on my department.
However, we are all human and we do make mistakes. By acknowledging our mistakes and shortcomings, reflecting on why they happened, and learning how to handle and do things differently in the future is all part of the journey to success.
Closure
Did I find all of the time and work I put in over the years to be where I am now worth it to me personally? Was I successful? Yes on both counts! It was one long journey. In addition to the long-term journey, I also choose short ones. For example, I want a successful shift, which I now define as sitting down at least 50% of the time when taking a patient’s history. I also want to be engaged with my patients. Remember, the key to being a successful EP is to set goals, whether they are long-term, short-term, major, or minor. So, reach, define, engage, listen, organize, and attain closure. Expect and be ready for some failures—these are steps on the path to success.