As one of the most successful programs offered by the Heersink School of Medicine Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Transforming Success® has helped us shape the lives of over 100 women faculty members since 2016.
The Transforming Success® program addresses a unique aspect of leadership development that is often missing from leadership curricula. The program equips participants with the self-awareness and self-management tools that provide the foundation of good leadership.
This curriculum-based coaching program is facilitated by Lisa Graham, Ph.D., and Julie McDonald, Ph.D., of McDonald Graham LLC. You may read more about the program here.
It includes:
- Interactive group coaching sessions facilitated by Drs. Graham and McDonald.
- Real-time practice integrating research-based tools designed to overcome common challenges for emerging leaders.
- An introduction to a mindset and framework for increasing cognitive capacity and enabling participants to reach their full potential.
- The opportunity to identify barriers to personal growth, troubleshoot and develop strategies to overcome professional challenges, and leverage personal strengths to transform their paths to professional success.
Read what some of our past participants have to say in the Q&A below. Simply click a name in the accordion to read their answers.
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Krupa Patel, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Pediatric Ophthalmology and StrabismusQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: Julie & Lisa of McDonald Graham gave me tools to help deal with internal/external conflict at work and in many different realms of my life. Being a female in medicine can bring many different difficulties, and it was especially helpful to be among such a diverse group of forward-thinking physicians all looking for solutions together. They all helped me untangle deep rooted hindering beliefs and learn how to identify/utilize my strengths to grow as a professional, leader, and as a person.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Everyone! I strongly believe that people of all levels: trainees, early/mid-career physicians, or leaders in any profession will find some aspect of this course at the least thought-provoking.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: To obtain a perfect work-life balance is a myth. There will come a time where the pendulum will swing towards life and other times towards work. To achieve your balance you really have to understand what aspects of your life gives you your truest sense of fulfillment and then strive for that. When we can’t seem to keep up or come close to obtaining a balance, the role of daily gratitude practice can be very important to solidify what we do have and what truly drives our happiness.
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Marcela Frazier, OD, MPH, FAAO
Associate Professor
Department of OphthalmologyQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: Participating in Transforming Success really changed the paradigm I use to ‘evaluate’ myself. It equipped me with tools to analyze how I view productivity and success in all the important elements of my life. As opposed to just viewing success as measured by promotions or power, rather, it gave me a framework of self-awareness and self-management with very practical strategies to continuously use in each aspect that is important to filling fulfilled and productive in each aspect of my life. Such as feeling a sense of purpose, making a difference in the life of my patients and coworkers, and raising a good family.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Anyone could benefit from this program, no matter what stage of their career they are in.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: ‘Work-life’ balance is a myth! Going through this program, I have learned to identify my strengths and to choose the elements that are essential to my life, increasing my motivation to pursue the goals I set for myself, without comparing to others. The framework of a ‘growing’ mindset and other ideas that I learned during this excellent workshop have changed my perspective.
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Carmen Tong, DO
Assistant Professor
Pediatric UrologyQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: The biggest thing I learned is that there are invisible barriers (i.e. inherent beliefs) that lead to my behaviors and attitudes about work, personal time and the meaning of success. Understanding these beliefs within me helped me break through the obstacles that I've created in order to have a more content life.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Anyone! I hope they will open the course to men as well. Everyone can benefit from this course.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: The notion of "balance" is a myth. It will always be a compromise. However, there are things that everyone can do to make their work-life situation flow better. One big thing is understanding your own character strengths and applying them to use your time more efficiently.
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Melanie Morris, M.D, FACS, FASCRS
Professor
Vice Chair, Perioperative Services at UAB
Chief of General Surgery, Birmingham VA Medical CenterQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: Transforming Success is the single best leadership development program I have ever participated in. Lisa Graham and Julie McDonald are engaging experts who not only help participants identify their weaknesses in leadership, but they give you practical, easy-to-apply strategies and tools to work on them. The small group coaching format over several weeks allows the participants to digest the material and work on the strategies in between sessions. It is a life-changing experience that I wish everyone had the opportunity to benefit from.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Everyone can benefit from Transforming Success. I think participants who are 2-10 years into their academic practice or leadership role would benefit the most.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: Stay true to your priorities, values, desires and goals. We do not all have the same definition of success, and that is okay! We often are side-tracked by opportunities that do not align with our goals or do not fit with our unique gifts. If we try to focus our unique gifts in areas that point us toward our definition of success then we can find peace and fulfillment along the way.
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Claretha Lyas, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Division of NephrologyQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: My key takeaway was to honor my bandwidth and to allow others to do the same. I should not feel bad about myself when I reach the limits of my bandwidth.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Anyone can benefit from this program because the program helps you better understand yourself, how to be a more effective leader, and how to have a good relationship with your colleagues.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: They offered great advice from the program about work-life balance. We have to find time to do things that bring us joy, give us energy, and make us feel refreshed. When we engage in activities that refresh us, then we can be more productive and creative at work.
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Lyne Racette, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual SciencesQ: What was your key takeaway from participating in Transforming Success?
A: Tightly woven within each of the Transforming Success modules is the role of authenticity as a foundational principle of effective leadership. We are all “humans at work” and aligning our core values with our professional goals is critical to achieve success and experience fulfillment.
Q: Who could benefit by enrolling in the program?
A: Transforming Success has something to offer to everyone. Lisa and Julie are incredible at creating a safe environment where participants can explore invisible barriers, personal bandwidth, and personal power. An important feature of this program is that it harnesses the power of existing strengths to allow participants to grow and flourish.
Q: Do you have any advice for people seeking work-life balance?
A: Striving to achieve work-life balance can be stressful because of the emphasis on the “time” spent in different areas of our lives. The Life Elements Blend model proposed in the Transforming Success program shifts the focus away from time and places it instead on life elements that generate satisfaction. These elements can then be used to guide the selection of activities that promote satisfaction both at work and in life.
This year, the program will begin in September and end in mid-November—with each 2-hour class being offered in the morning (10 am-12 pm) and afternoon (12:30 pm-2:30 pm) sessions.
- September 8
- September 22
- October 6
- October 20
- November 3
- November 17
If you’re interested in participating, please let us know by completing this form. In addition, please let your department chair know you’ve expressed interest. Chairs will be able to nominate participants beginning in April 2022. If accepted, nominees’ tuition will be covered.