Career Change Advice: The 10,000-Hour Rule (TheLadders.com)

According to this article on TheLadders.com: "It takes 10,000 hours of dedicated effort to become an expert performer in any field."

Dan Coughlin from The Coughlin Company attributes the conclusion above to the best-selling books “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell and “Talent is Overrated” by Geoff Colvin as well as the new hit TV comedy series, Modern Family. Dan writes about his personal experiences as a consultant for 12 years and he says: "From these sources as well as my own 12 years of consulting work, I have found that the key to great performance can be summarized in three words: thought-filled practice. That comprises executing a simulation of the actual performance while consciously observing the outcome." Dan outlines the following "six steps of thought-filled practice:"

• Select a role for which you have passion and strengths.
• Identify the five critical aspects of that role.
• Create simulations of the actual performance that let you focus on improving one or more of the role's critical aspects.
• Gain relevant, timely feedback on the simulated performance from a skilled observer .
• Consider the feedback and make adjustments.
• Repeat steps three to five for 10,000 hours.

Does this also work for physicians who are seeking to change to a non-clinical career? Yes and No. One of the key challenges faced by physicians is this: Many physicians don't know enough about the types of career opportunities that exist out there. So, how can they apply these steps if they're not familiar with certain industries? Are you able to leverage your experience to be competitive in a new industry? Do you know how to present yourself on paper so that people will want to call you for an interview?

To read the article on TheLadders.com, click here.