Advocating for our patients: Speaking up and being heard.

Does the following scenario sound familiar? A multidisciplinary team meeting between cardiac surgeons, interventional and non-invasive cardiologists convened for important decisions to be made about patient management. Many confident individuals in one room, several with loud and gregarious personalities. In such formidable situations, have you ever struggled to speak up? Having recently undertaken a personality assessment as part of the British Cardiovascular Society Emerging Leaders Programme, I have learnt that my personality style is very different from most colleagues on the same programme. Most are dominant, task-oriented personalities. This specific persona is not natural to me, but during my training, I have adapted and learnt new skills. These skills allow me to …