A recent Facebook post (Guide to Becoming an LMC Midwife – link below) about the many aspects to be considered when setting up as a new LMC is a great resource, that I’m sure has been used by many midwives.
There was one element, that for me, that wasn’t covered. One of the most important things about creating an enjoyable and sustainable career, is working with the right people. While that might sound obvious, less obvious can be understanding who the right people actually are, for you.
It could be tempting to think that someone who has been doing the job for a long time, or that you looked up to during your time as a student, might be a good practice partner. Equally you may have heard good things about a particular practice. While these factors are a great starting point, there is more to be considered.
You possibility know someone who went flatting with someone they socialised with, or who they got on with at Uni, only to find that the realities of living with them didn’t work out so well. This is because we all have different drivers, values or things we’d like in our life. Socialising on the one night a week they went out was great, but who knew their new flatmate went out 6 nights a week, and always left their place in a mess!
It’s the same with your work colleagues. Failed work relationships are often less to do with the technical skills of the team members, than as a result of misaligned expectations/needs. The most fun (and most successful) teams I’ve work in had shared values and goals. What would you like/need from a practice partner? What can you offer them?
Once you’ve got clarity around these things, how do you know whether the prospective practice partner/practice is going to be a good fit? The answer is competency-based interviewing. Asking open questions about situations that relate to the things that are important to you, and for them, and probing further into their answers is a great way to get a very strong indication. How they have managed something in the past is good indicator of how they are likely to handle it in the future.
Competency based interviewing is a skill. With practice it can become a very powerful tool to increase your chances of making a great start to your career as a midwife. Investing some time from the outset can save you a lot of time and stress in the long term.
As a business coach, with many years of management experience, I’m happy to help you with the processes associated with finding the right practice partner/practice for you.