How do you find a good mentor? In an interview at AAO 2015 in Las Vegas, 2015 EnergEYES Award recipient Michael W. Brennan, MD shared his tips for finding one and talked about some of those who most influenced his own career.
Dr. Brennan came to medicine later than some – he entered private practice in his 40s after a military career – but the Academy's international envoy has accomplished a lot during his time in ophthalmology. He’s led the Academy’s secretariat for state affairs, served as Academy president in 2009, chaired the task force that helped respond to the 2010 Haiti earthquake and co-founded the Leadership Development Program.
Dr. Brennan has worked to develop YOs around the world. In April 2015, he received the prestigious Jose Rizal International Medal for his work to help the Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology establish its own leadership development program.
In 2015, Dr. Brennan also traveled to South Africa and Niger to assist with a new leadership development program launched by the African Ophthalmology Council and the International Council of Ophthalmology.
Like many leaders, Dr. Brennan’s career has benefited from mentors. He cited past EnergEYES award recipients H. Dunbar Hoskins, MD, and Bruce Spivey, MD, as “two of my principle mentors.” Marilyn Miller, MD, also helped inspire Dr. Brennan’s interest in international ophthalmology, he said.
So how do you find a good mentor? Dr. Brennan shared five keys.
#1: Observe.
“I just watch people and say, ‘I want to be like that guy or that lady,’” Dr. Brennan said.
#2: Take initiative.
“Keep your eyes open and seek opportunities,” he said. “Don’t be shy. Introduce yourself.”
#3: Don’t force it.
“Treat the relationship with respect,” Dr. Brennan said. “Most of the time, if the mentor feels the same relationship, things will happen naturally. It’s one of those things that can’t be forced.”
#4: Learn from many people.
Some mentors may also be more helpful in certain areas than others. Dr. Brennan said that’s OK.
“You can have a mentor for your clinical activities, you can have a mentor for your professional activities, you can have a social mentor, you can have a golf mentor, if you’re lucky.”
#5: Never stop learning.
As if having careers in the military and medicine weren’t enough, Dr. Brennan continues to explore. While his work in ophthalmology continues, he may soon be looking for an astronaut mentor. Dr. Brennan said he’s on the list for Virgin Galactic and could fly as soon as 2017.