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The question your mentor can't answer (but a coach can)
Published 14 days ago • 5 min read
When Mentorship Isn't Enough: The Coaching Skills Every Healthcare Leader Needs
Hello Reader,
Picture this: You're a ship approaching an iceberg.
Your mentor shouts, "Steer right!"—because that's what worked for them. Your CME courses teach you everything about icebergs and ship mechanics. But a coach? A coach asks you what you see, what matters to you, and helps you discover your own path forward—whether that means steering, stopping, turning around, or abandoning ship entirely.
This week on the podcast, I sat down with Dr. Annie Wildermuth—physician associate, emergency medicine clinician, PhD, and Vice President of Medical Education at AECOM—to explore why coaching has become essential for healthcare professionals navigating increasingly complex careers.
If you've been feeling stuck, stretched thin, or wondering why all the advice you receive never quite fits your situation, this conversation offers a completely different framework for thinking about your professional development.
The "Should" Trap That Keeps Healthcare Professionals Stuck
Annie works primarily with clinicians and leaders, and she notices a pattern: "The word 'should' comes up a lot. People feel like they should have all the answers already."
This perfectionism makes sense. We've been trained extensively. We're expected to know what we're doing. But here's what struck me in our conversation: professional athletes have coaches. CEOs have coaches. Professional speakers have coaches. Yet in medicine, we often view coaching as something you only need when something's wrong.
The shift that Annie encourages is simple but profound: coaching isn't about fixing what's broken. It's about creating space for the growth and reflection that makes you—and everyone around you—better.
Why Only 10% of Advice Actually Works for You
Annie shared something that resonated deeply with me: "When I think about all the advice I've gotten throughout my career—which is quite a bit and I'm grateful for it—I would say only about 10% of it is something workable in my life based on my context."
This is the limitation of mentorship alone. Your mentor gives you advice based on their lived experience, their unique constellation of circumstances, their lens on the world. And while their intentions are good, their path may not be your path.
Coaching bridges that gap. Instead of receiving one person's solution, you gain the skills to generate multiple solutions based on your own expertise, context, and values. You might align with what your mentor suggested—or you might discover an entirely different approach that fits your life better.
The Culture Shift That Changes Everything
One of the most compelling parts of our conversation was Annie's vision for coaching culture in healthcare organizations. She distinguishes between two complementary approaches:
First, organizations should invest in professional coaching for their leaders. This isn't a nice-to-have—it's strategic. Annie encourages leaders to negotiate coaching into their contracts, and she urges organizations to build it in as standard practice.
Second, and perhaps more transformative, is teaching basic coaching skills to everyone in the organization. "The idea is not to turn them into coaches," Annie explains, "but rather build a culture where people are asking questions, offering space for reflection, generating ideas together."
When I work with fellows transitioning into their first attending roles, I see this challenge constantly. They want to be good educators, but they default to telling rather than asking. The shift from "here's what you need to do" to "what are you seeing here?" feels uncomfortable at first—but it changes everything.
What to Do When You're Feeling Stuck
If you're feeling burned out or stuck right now, Annie's advice might surprise you: "So often when we feel stuck, we pile more onto our plate. We try to explore all the things and sign up for all the activities and build our schedule so full to try to figure out a way out."
The antidote? Do the opposite. Take things off your plate. Create space to pause and reflect on what's important to you—not what you think you should be doing, not what others think you should be doing, but what matters to you.
This is where coaching can help. Most coaches, Annie notes, are willing to meet with you for an exploratory conversation before you commit to anything. That conversation alone can provide insight into whether this approach might serve you.
Starting Your Own Coaching Journey
If this conversation has you curious about coaching—whether for yourself or for building a coaching culture in your organization—here are your next steps:
Reflect on where you feel stuck or where advice hasn't quite fit your situation. What areas of your professional or personal life could benefit from having someone focused entirely on your success?
Reach out for exploratory conversations. Annie and her team at First Road Leadership Solutions, as well as teams like ours at Transforming Healthcare Coaching, welcome initial conversations to explore fit.
Consider what coaching skills you could develop in your own leadership. How might shifting from telling to asking change the culture of your team?
The Bottom Line
Coaching isn't a replacement for mentorship or continuing education. It's a distinct tool that helps you clarify where you want to go and discover the best way to get there—based on your expertise, your context, your values.
In a profession where we're trained to have all the answers, coaching offers something radical: permission to explore, space to reflect, and a partnership focused entirely on your growth.
You can find Dr. Annie Wildermuth on LinkedIn and Instagram (@annie_the_PAC), and learn more about her work at First Road Leadership Solutions.
If you're ready to explore how coaching might support your leadership journey, we'd love to talk. Join us in the medTHRIVE Connect community for ongoing conversations about leadership development, or reach out about individual or group coaching.
Here's to finding your path forward—whatever direction that might be.
Just returning from the natural beauty and perfect weather of Sedona, AZ, where we held our team retreat.
team dinner @Merkin Vineyards Hillside Trattoria farm to table restaurant
view from Airport Mesa
Vicki & Lilly with saguaro cacti
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.
Grateful for a trusted group of individuals who are committed to learning and growing together, to finding our authentic voices, and to tap into our intuitive knowledge. Nurture the relationships that ground you, and also don't be afraid to make new ones blossom. Grateful for the deep friendships that have evolved over the past few years.
Stay mindful and keep leading, Lillian Founder & CEO
When it comes to your growth as a healthcare leader right now, what would be most helpful?
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By Transforming Healthcare Coaching® Lillian Liang Emlet, MD MS CHSE CPC ELI-MP, Founder & CEO
Live well. Lead well. Grow Together. Weekly conversations to help you stay human in healthcare. We share practical ideas, podcast pearls, and curated reads that help you grow. Together, we can transform healthcare, one person at a time.®
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