Dr. Adam J. Rubinstein: 5 Things You Should Do To Become a Thought Leader In Your Industry
One of the principles of plastic surgery is “Diagnosis first.” It means you need to understand what is causing a problem before you can try to rectify it. I think it’s a very useful policy. When a problem presents itself, take a step back and try to understand what is really going on. Don’t react reflexively. You’ll always have a better response to problems if you diagnose them first.
Award-winning plastic surgeon, Dr. Adam J. Rubinstein has such a prominent reputation that his skills are sought out by patients from around the world.
Board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. Rubinstein has trained with the world’s eminent surgeons at the forefront of developing techniques for plastic surgery.
He has served as the Chief of Plastic Surgery and the Chief of the Department of Surgery for Jackson North Medical Center, a 382-bed acute care hospital in the Jackson Healthcare System, in Aventura, Florida.
Dr. Rubinstein is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at NOVA Southeastern University, clinical faculty for the Department of Plastic Surgery at Florida International University (FIU) School of Medicine, and clinical faculty for the Cleveland Clinic Plastic Surgery Residency Program in Florida.
He currently serves on the editorial staff of the Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Journal published by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. He holds memberships in many prestigious medical societies and associations, including:
· The American Society of Plastic Surgeons
· The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
· The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery
· The American Society of Bariatric Plastic Surgeons
· The Ralph Millard Jr., M.D. Medical Society & Education Foundation
Dr. Rubinstein, thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I’m a board-certified plastic surgeon from Miami, Florida. I’m privileged in my practice to treat all areas of the face, breasts, and body and help patients from all over the world. And I love what I do!
Can you briefly share with our readers why you are an authority about the topic of thought leadership?
Actually, I believe that everyone can be a thought leader. All it takes is a willingness to consider what the next step will be. You need to have a vision of being able to see how things can be better and the determination to make things better.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
There are so many that come to mind. Many of them are of the same nature. I can think of several patients who came to their consultation timid and insecure. Their personality was held back by insecurity about some element of their appearance. It could be a flabby tummy after having kids, sagging skin in the face that comes with aging, or a nose they never liked. Once the procedure is done and they recover their personality blooms. Without the weight of their insecurity, they blossom into more confident, positive, and outgoing people. That’s really fun to see, and special to be a part of.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I sat down at my desk to answer some messages. Picking up the phone I called the first patient on the list who I had been told had certain questions about her recovery from a tummy tuck. As I began to fill her in, she interrupted me after a minute or two explaining that she was having surgery on her eyes and it had not happened yet. I had embarrassingly mixed-up questions from two patients and not realized my mistake until the patient corrected me. Thankfully, she was very understanding. I am always very careful and attentive when calling patients back.
Ok, thank you Let’s now jump to the main focus of our interview. In a nutshell, how would you define what a “Thought Leader” is? How is a thought leader different than a typical leader? How is a thought leader different than an influencer?
In my mind, a thought leader is a type of leader that has a special vision in their field. Someone who can see the current landscape and have a sense of what is coming in the future. Influencers can guide people towards one current choice over others, but they aren’t always thought leaders. Thought leaders push the Curren envelope to help craft new opportunities for the future.
Can you please talk to our readers a bit about the benefits of becoming a thought leader? Why do you think it is worthwhile to invest resources and energy into this?
Everyone should be forward-thinking. No matter what your area of expertise is, you probably have a good handle on how things work in your field. Learning how to keep an open mind, adapt to change, and discover new opportunities will help anyone achieve great things.
Let’s talk about business opportunities specifically. Can you share a few examples of how thought leadership can help a business grow or create lucrative opportunities?
In my field, I am known as someone who is up to date with current technology. I’m usually one of the first doctors to offer new techniques and treatments. I’m able to do that because I am always scanning the horizon for the next big thing and assessing its value in my practice. I also have good relationships with manufacturers who frequently reach out to me about upcoming technology. That would not happen if I hadn’t been so proactive about new technology in my career.
Okay. Now that we have that behind us, we’d love to hear your thoughts about how to eventually become a thought leader. Can you share 5 strategies that a person should implement to become known as a thought leader in their industry? Please tell us a story or example (ideally from your own experience) for each.
1. Always be open to considering new options
2. Listen to your patients/customers, they can offer great guidance into what is important to them, and therefore, important to you
3. Integrity is key, always remain honest and open
4. Don’t be afraid to have an opinion, but be willing to learn from other people’s opinions
5. Go for broke! Be willing to take bold steps when a good opportunity presents itself.
In your opinion, who is an example of someone who has that has done a fantastic job as a thought leader? Which specific things have impressed you about that person? What lessons can we learn from this person’s approach?
One of my mentors has been Dr. Thomas Biggs. He was one of the doctors who worked on the creation of breast implants. He is a highly respected plastic surgeon who is revered around the world. He has always been a leader in the field. One of his mantras has been, “Youth is the capacity to accept change.” He stays “youthful” in the industry by embracing new technology, learning about it, and using it to his and his patients’ best advantage. I always try to emulate him and do the same
What advice would you give to other leaders to thrive and avoid burnout?
If you’re always willing to accept change and learn new things, burnout should never catch up to you.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
Integrity in medicine is so important. When I hear about something unfortunate happening in my field, there’s often a lapse of judgment, honesty, and/or integrity behind it. If everyone would strive to be as honest as possible at all times, I believe we would see less of those issues.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
One of the principles of plastic surgery is “Diagnosis first.” It means you need to understand what is causing a problem before you can try to rectify it. I think it’s a very useful policy. When a problem presents itself, take a step back and try to understand what is really going on. Don’t react reflexively. You’ll always have a better response to problems if you diagnose them first.
We are blessed that very prominent leaders in business and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world with whom you would like to have lunch or breakfast? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
I’ve been blessed with great mentors and teachers in my field. Outside of medicine, the one person I would like to meet and chat with would be Mark Cuban. I view him as a very real and honest guy who has remained so despite great challenges (and great success) in his career.
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram: @drrubinstein and @plasticsurgerytruths
Snapchat: @drrubinstein
Facebook: @miamiplasticsurgeon
Tiktok: @drrubinstein
Website: www.dr-rubinstein.com
