Captain Sheridan (the Example) had his doubter (Garibaldi), Instigator (Kosh), Taskmaster (Ivanova), Connectors (G’Kar and the Doctor, and Cheerleader (Delenn).

Dr. J. was turned on to this article by a childhood chum who lives in the cubicle trenches of the ATL.

The article describes 6 constructive workplace personalities and how each of them adds something to your ability to do your job.

They are:

• The Instigator
• The Cheerleader
• The Doubter
• The Taskmaster
• The Connector
• The Example

Dr. J. reflected on this, and actually discussed it with one of his work wives (a Pharm.D. sidekick) last week. She, he deemed his taskmaster because he has so many balls in the air at one time, that she is the one that makes sure he manages the right ones at the right time.

Now Dr. J. has always seen himself as ‘The Connector,’ primarily because he has been at New Atlantis Ivory Tower Medical Center so long that he feels like he knows everybody, and thus if someone is looking for advice outside of Dr. J.’s scope, he knows the right person to go to and provides that introduction. Dr. J.’s sidekick, however told him that she sees him as ‘The Example’ and ‘The Cheerleader.’ He buys the latter but not necessarily the former.

This made Dr. J. ponder further. Our roles in the workplace can vary based on who we are interacting with at a given time. In order for the workplace to function, each of us can play different roles with different colleagues, though not all of us play each of the six roles.

For example, Dr. J. is both the Instigator and the Doubter with his residents as they are presenting on rounds. As an instigator, he pushes the fellows to lead on rounds, both with the residents and the patients. After all, in a year or three, they will be ‘real doctors.’ Dr. J. also wears the Doubter hat when he is discussing diagnoses and care-plans with the residents and fellows to make them entertain what is not obvious, what might be a better way to care for the patient.

He is a cheerleader with his sidekick, nurse, and most importantly, his patients in order to positively motivate them into action. Being the cheerleader seems to work best in most of his doctor-patient interactions.

The Connector hat is what he wears most often with his peers, as he has elucidated above.

The Example is not how Dr. J. sees himself. If others see him that way, so be it. Dr. J. believes that if you get out of bed everyday with the desire to do your best for your peers, overlords and minions, and especially for your patients, you become an example, but it is the end result of doing the right things at the right times and for the right reasons. That is the one role that is earned over time and not inborn.

Dr. J.