When Writing Seemed Impossible (Until It Wasn't)
Hello Reader,
I just finished a lovely conversation with Dr. Resa E. Lewiss, emergency medicine physician and co-author of "Microskills: Small Action, Big Impact," and her story hit me right where I live as someone who's mentored countless healthcare professionals.
Seven years into her faculty career, Resa faced a moment that many of us know too well. She wanted to change institutions, but when she called her dream job, they had one question: "Where are your publications?"
Writing wasn't her strength. She'd never identified as a writer. Sound familiar?
Instead of giving up or making excuses, Resa did something that transformed not just her writing ability, but her entire approach to professional growth. She broke down this overwhelming task into what she calls "micro skills."
The Power of Starting Small
Here's what Resa discovered: that daunting goal of "becoming a writer" actually consisted of learnable, manageable steps:
She started reading - specifically about how to write
She learned by editing - joining journal editorial work to see good writing up close
She wrote alongside others - collaborating with more experienced writers
She practiced with small projects - building confidence before bigger challenges
This wasn't about overnight transformation. It was about consistent, intentional skill-building that eventually led to co-authoring a book that's helping healthcare professionals across industries.
The lesson? Most of what overwhelms us can be deconstructed into smaller, actionable pieces.
Your Personal Board of Directors
One concept from our conversation that I can't stop thinking about is Resa's "personal board of directors" - not an official group, but your go-to people for different challenges and growth areas.
Think about it: you probably have someone you call for financial decisions, someone else for career advice, maybe another for personal challenges. Resa suggests making this intentional.
Here's the framework:
- Identify your growth areas and current challenges
- Match them with people who have relevant experience or wisdom
- Nurture these relationships (they're not transactional)
- Leave an "open chair" - always room for new board members
When facing difficult conversations or conflict - which brings me to perhaps the most important leadership insight from our talk.
The Conflict Conversation You're Avoiding
Resa was direct about something I see constantly in healthcare leadership: we avoid difficult conversations, hoping conflicts will resolve themselves.
They won't.
As she put it, "avoiding conflict is not leadership." When leaders consistently sidestep these conversations, team members lose trust in your ability to advocate for them when things get tough.
The micro skill approach to conflict:
- Role-play the conversation with a trusted colleague first
- Choose the right communication medium (maybe it's a phone call, not another email)
- Use the power of the pause before reacting
- Remember: most conflicts can be resolved much faster than we imagine
I've seen 15-minute conversations solve what people spent weeks worrying about.
The Foundation You Can't Skip
What struck me most about Resa's book is that Chapter 1 focuses on self-care - not as an afterthought, but as the foundation everything else builds on.
Healthcare doesn't teach us to take care of ourselves. It doesn't model it or reward it. But if you don't take care of yourself, nobody else will.
This means actually using your sick days when you're sick. It means eating during your shift. It means modeling healthy boundaries around after-hours communication if you're in leadership.
The micro skill here: Start with one small self-care practice you can maintain consistently, rather than overhauling your entire routine.
Where Coaching Fits
One insight that particularly resonated: many of us already engage in informal coaching relationships without calling them that. When a colleague reviews your draft, they're providing writing coaching. When someone helps you prepare for a difficult conversation, that's coaching too.
The difference in other industries? They've normalized formal coaching throughout career progression, not just at the executive level.
If you're negotiating a new position: Consider asking for coaching support as part of your package. Most people don't realize this is negotiable.
The One Thing to Start With
When I asked Resa for the single most important micro skill for leaders, her answer was immediate: psychological safety.
If your team members don't feel safe speaking up, sharing new ideas, or raising concerns without fear of retaliation, everything else becomes harder. You'll have higher turnover, lower morale, and you'll never get the honest feedback you need to create better workplaces.
The micro skill: Pay attention to how you respond when someone brings you a problem or concern. Your reaction in that moment either builds or erodes psychological safety.
Your Next Small Step
Resa's journey from "not a writer" to published author happened through consistent micro skills application. The same approach can work for whatever leadership challenge you're facing.
Pick one area where you feel stuck or overwhelmed. Break it down into smaller, learnable components. Find your people - formal or informal coaches who can help you practice and grow.
Most importantly, remember that you have more agency than you think. These institutions are bigger than we are, but you still have choices about how you show up, how you treat your team, and how you develop your own skills.
What's one micro skill you could focus on this week?
🎧 Listen to the podcast sneak peek episode below and listen to the full episode on YouTube, Apple, Spotify, Podbean, or Amazon Music.
What's inspiring us this week:
Surgeries that go smoothly, a PET scan that is negative after months of chemo, a cardiac cath that is negative, a routine every day shift at work. These small daily miracles that are what my personal friends and families are going through this past week when I texted to check in with them. These things are to be celebrated: the system, the people, and the care being provided. What you do matters, every day.
The Practice: Celebrating Wins
We get more of what we focus on. The practice of gratitude and celebrating the goodness of life is the first step in changing our brains, mindsets, and circumstances for the better.
We exhibited for the first time this past week at the PA Conference for Women in Philadelphia, PA on September 25, 2025! So grateful for all the amazing people we met at the conference and look forward to meeting many more at the MA Conference for Women on December 3, 2025!
Stay mindful and keep leading,
Lillian
Founder & CEO
Want to meet in person?
Let's make that happen!
Check out The Reset in-person retreat in Sedona AZ January 2026, details here:
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