Yesterday, 9/25/09, we had a department meeting, which, as always, struck to my head the importance of communication and human interactions in all work places. On the surface, it seems my job involves mainly patients’ medical data. I wish things were that simple.

The reality is over 50% of my time and energy go to making-people-happy.  I have to deal with people of two groups: internally, I have to work with department manager, project managers, clinic practice manager, clinic supervisor, team members, colleagues, USOncology research specialists in Houston, and doctors; externally, headache comes from federal auditors, pharmaceutical auditors, company auditors, our practice auditors, and monitors.

Dealing with them and making them happy dominate a large part of my daily engagement. If you think everything will turn out all right as long as you focus on doing the right thing, you are only partially right. What is right to you may be not what is right to the company. That is, there is no standard right-or-wrong. If you think project managers are there to answer your questions regarding your projects, you are too much a simple-minded person. Lovely as a baby. It takes some experiences to figure out who to ask what. 

Instead of telling the truth to the auditors and monitors, you need to know what truth and which part of the truth to tell, that is, you only reveal the part that is needed to be told and to get by, no more no less. Very touchy and sensitive and diplomatic.

You try to be part of the team to avoid too much back-biting, yet you do not want to compromise your personality integrity. Forever a challenge to me as I am too far above small talks and never waste time on things of less value. Very often I prefer to stay marginalized just to save my precious time and keep my integrity, the last island of me.

This is why I always emphasize to my children the superior oral and written communication skills and good human relations at work are very crucial to job success.