I recently spoke to Dr. Adaira Landry and Dr. Resa E. Lewiss, authors of the new book MicroSkills: Small Actions, Big Impact. Adaira is an Assistant Professor at Harvard Medical School and Resa is a Professor at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Adam: Thanks again for taking the time to share your advice. First things first, though, I am sure readers would love to learn more about you. How did you get here? What experiences, failures, setbacks, or challenges have been most instrumental to your growth?

Adaira: I grew up in Rialto, California where the average household income is around $70,000.  While I had a lot of encouragement from my parents, I didn’t know lawyers, engineers, physicians, and politicians. Luckily for me, I was really interested in reading and I studied a lot in my free time. And my parents and siblings were very supportive and taught me what they could. As I progressed through my academic and professional journey I saw the value of mentorship -- first by observing others leverage their connections and finally, as I built my own, I saw how I could do the same. In truth, the earlier part of my journey was quite hard due to limited mentorship. I wish I not only understood the value of mentorship but I knew how to acquire and nurture it. Now, inspired by my own struggles, I spend most of my career teaching early career professionals how to navigate education and work-related spaces.

Resa: I always thought of myself as a Math and Science person and not an English, History, and Writing person. Growing up, I had a few key Language Arts, English, and Latin teachers, who helped build a love for writing and reading and for words and books. However, I did not consider myself a writer- certainly not a good, effective, or facile writer. I started a deliberate writing practice, as an early career academic Emergency Medicine physician. It really happened after I was told I needed to start being a peer reviewer for medical journals- yet I did not know how to become one. And I was told that what I thought was an open job offer was no longer an option since I did not have a track record of writing and publishing. It was clear that the written word was a powerful currency to tell stories and to establish expertise. Initially, I wrote and published in medical journals searchable on PubMed. Over time I began writing for mainstream outlets. This book is a culmination of all the steps to becoming a writer. 

Adam: What do you hope readers take away from your new book?

Adaira: By breaking down their largest goals into small actions, readers will be able to move forward in a way that feels actionable, measurable, and not overwhelming. Our book is designed to be accessible;we don’t want readers guessing what we are thinking. We also make the structure organized intentionally, so the content is discoverable. We give short vignettes that are real and honest accounts from our professional lives, brief explanations as to why a skill is needed, reminders as to why a skill might be hard to integrate, and then critical actions to adopt a skill. We also wanted to keep our process easy to follow so that people understand the framework and can use it to address skills they need later in their careers.

Resa: Most importantly, we hope the content is helpful to all readers, listeners, and audience members. The information is considered evergreen. We hope people see themselves in the writing and this translates to the audience feeling seen in the workplace. We believe the reader will learn and implement new microskills to reinforce already established microskills. Finally, we hope the person, who experiences the material considers it a go-to and flip-to handbook We created a just-in-time learning tool.

Adam: What are your best tips applicable to people early on in their career journeys?

Adaira: Build a team of people around you who you trust. You want this team to have different skills, backgrounds, ages, and stages. This group should not be universally positive towards you -- meaning if they need to give you hard feedback, they will. Stay in contact with these people based on your needs. However, respect their boundaries -- ask if they prefer email, ask how often they want to meet, ask about their skill sets. Remember, you want to give back to your people -- nominate them for opportunities, say thank you, tell them why you value their support. Be specific and be authentic in what you share with them.

Resa: At all times, try to keep your systems clear and simple: Read books, articles, and blogs. Also, build, nurture, and diversify your personal board of directors and network. Listen to podcasts, watch videos, and have walking meetings where you can take in nature. Prioritize helping to create inclusive workplaces for yourself and others. Your legacy begins now. And foremost, try to take fantastic care of your physical, emotional, mental, civic, social, and financial health.

Adam: What are your best tips applicable to mid-career professionals?

Adaira: The prior advice for early professionals still applies. But I’d also like to remind mid-career professionals to focus on building their expertise. Find a topic you want to be really knowledgeable in -- if you don’t know the topic, observe others, have meetings, ask questions to your team about their interests. Expose yourself to what's possible. And remember, that you are free to change your mind later. For instance, I focused my early career on ultrasound, and now that is not my main area of focus. I have grown my expertise in mentorship and writing. After you find that area, consider being even more specific. Ask your supervisors to put you on projects related to that work. Don’t wait for them to assign you. Ask. Then try to write about the topic, you can start easy: blogs, newsletters, threads on social media. Then work your way up to op-eds, research, books. Next, consider giving talks on the topic. Collaborate with others to build a circle of like-minded individuals. Don’t take the ride alone.

Resa: A lot of what I learned in my early career has remained useful and translatable for the mid-career professional. So the tips I offer are much the same: Keep reading and re-read the pieces you consider gems. Stay current on articles in journals and magazines and online resources you value. Listen to podcasts, attend, and watch webinars. Be active and participatory in your learning. Continue to build, nurture, and diversify your personal board of directors. Remember that some of your best mentors are younger than you. Use your voice and agency to create inclusive workplaces. You are still legacy building. And finally, your health: Continue to take fantastic care of your physical, emotional, mental, civic, social, and financial health. Everyone ages and your health requires different attentions at different life stages.

Adam: What are your best tips applicable to senior leaders?

Adaira: Again, all of the prior advice applies no matter your age and stage. However, I want to highlight self-care for the senior leaders. We start the book with a chapter on self-care. We realize there are generational similarities and differences to how self-care is defined and when it should be prioritized. After the arrival of the pandemic many were made aware of their own levels of burnout -- workplaces across industries saw attrition. We don’t want readers to ignore their own risk of burnout and that of their team. For the senior leaders reading the book we hope they recognize the power of self-care for themselves and the team. Today is always a great day to start role modeling self-care: restricting meetings for the team, protecting people’s time off, normalizing the need to call in sick.

Resa: I think of the early to mid-career transition happening at age 30 and the mid to senior leader transition at age 60. MicroSkills remain important, relevant, and useful no matter the stage. Breaking large goals, projects, and habits down into small concrete steps will never grow old. This stage of a career should be a continuation of earlier stages. Creating inclusive workplaces and health remain at the center.

Adam: What do you believe are the defining qualities of an effective leader? How can leaders and aspiring leaders take their leadership skills to the next level?

Adaira: Leadership is seen better than defined. When I think of the times I witnessed great leadership my reflection has always been, “Wow. I would hope that if I were placed in the exact same situation, I would have responded the same way.” Leadership is a behavioral pattern that makes others aspire to behave the same.

Resa: Some of many defining qualities of effective leadership: communication, authenticity, integrity. Always look out for yourself, for teammates and the people whom workplaces marginalize. Some of many ways to take skills to the next level: keep a growth mindset, keep yourself healthy, keep an active engaged personal board of directors.

Adam: What is the single best piece of advice you have ever received?

Adaira: Recognize that you have skills that extend beyond your MD. I was early in my training and expected to just practice clinical medicine. However, a mentor told me that I could do so much more in addition to patient care. That opened my eyes to the idea of being a writer, speaker, co-founder, and consultant.

Resa: Trust your gut.

Adam: Is there anything else you would like to share?

Adaira: Moving forward in the workplace need not feel like self-sacrifice. If it does, and you do not want that feeling; you might be doing the wrong work, on the wrong team, at the wrong company, or in the wrong industry. We hope our book shows you steps to care for yourself. And we want this to be done before you prioritize caring for the team and the work. This isn’t about being selfish. We want your career to be sustainable. And we also want you to know that your growth in the workplace can come from small, actionable, skills that still have a large impact.

Resa: We wrote the book we wish we had when starting out. I went into medicine to help people and this book follows the same mission of helping people have easier, more efficient, and healthier experiences in the workplace.


Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, writer, speaker, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership. Adam is the creator and host of the business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he goes one-on-one with America's most successful people - Fortune 500 CEOs, founders of household name companies, Hall of Fame and Olympic gold medal-winning athletes, political and military leaders - for intimate half-hour conversations each week. A top leadership speaker, Adam draws upon his insights building and leading businesses and interviewing hundreds of America's top leaders as a top keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam has written extensively on leadership and related topics, having authored over 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc. and HuffPost, and has conducted more than 500 one on one interviews with America’s top leaders through his collective media projects. Adam teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders. A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

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