Yo estoy cortando un arbol.

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

~ Abraham Lincoln

 

I'm still in Internal Medicine.  Still working on the same team.  But starting this past Tuesday I've been tag-teaming with a different resident.  I've had 5 weeks with the first and will have 2 weeks with the second.  And it does Not take a brain surgeon to notice the differences in their approach to work.  I used to work with Binaya, and he quoted Abraham Lincoln to me once claiming the quote as his motto.  (See quote above).  Now I work with Milton who works more along the lines of HeeeyyyLookThere'sATree!  Let'sGoChopItDown!  ReadySetGo!!!!

 

I'm kind of torn between which approach I prefer.  I see the wisdom behind Binaya's approach.  It's much more thorough and complete. Whereas Milton allows much more to slip through the cracks and I feel the need to repeatedly remind him of things.  But...working with Binaya, he would spend four hours sharpening the axe after which.....the axe was still rather dull somehow.  Plus, in the meantime I would go and chop the tree down anyways. So by the time he was done sharpening his axe there was no longer a tree to chop down.  Whereas working with Milton, I'm expected to work much more autonomously.  Do my work and then report back and then make sure of the follow through myself.  It's a much more efficient use of teamwork.  Everyone works, everyone chops and at the same time in so doing we are making sure that all of our axes stay sharp.

 

I suppose...though I see the wisdom in Binaya's approach I'm leaning more towards Milton's approach.  I just breathe better when things are efficient.  And I don't mind working.  But if I'm doing someone else's work while they're sitting by nursing a dull axe....I start to work begrudingly.  And I don't like that.

 

Hasta!