Jennifer Robin

Associate Faculty and Executive Coach

Jennifer Robin has been coaching physicians and facilitating executive development for more than 20 years. An industrial and organizational (I/O) psychologist, award-winning author, and expert in great workplace cultures, Robin says she enjoys the engagement and practicality physicians bring to their career development.

“Continuous improvement is part of the job for people who are attracted to the field of medicine. Physicians are truly lifelong learners. It's one of the many reasons I enjoy coaching physicians,” says Robin. “They’re very practical. Concepts are important, but at the end of the day, they want to apply the information to create positive outcomes.”

Robin has coauthored three books about building culture and creating great workplaces: “No Excuses: How You Can Turn Any Workplace into a Great One (2013),” “The Great Workplace: How to Build It, How to Keep It, and Why It Matters (2011),” and “A Life in Balance: Finding Meaning in a Chaotic World (2006).” Drawing upon her expertise in these areas, Robin instructs physicians in the Conflict Resolution and Negotiation course in the Physician MBA Program. While most physicians have some working knowledge of negotiating contracts throughout their careers, the takeaways from this course include an understanding of the larger picture—concepts like trust and values, ways to approach difficult situations, and a toolbox of influencing skills.

“Physicians tell me they are increasingly responsible for negotiating their titles as healthcare evolves and leadership trajectories are changing. As they move into leadership roles, physicians also begin negotiating on behalf of their teams as well,” says Robin. “Even though they may have experienced negotiation, negotiating on behalf of a team or project involves different techniques.”

Even though they may have experienced negotiation, negotiating on behalf of a team or project involves different techniques.

Robin is a psychologist—a background she brings into teaching physicians about negotiation and conflict resolution. The underpinnings of negotiation and conflict resolution tie directly to the psychology of perspective-taking; understanding not only what’s important to the physician, but also to the person on the other side of the table.

“We often don’t take into account what’s important to the other person, even though there is a great deal of personal, value-based information available,” says Robin. “I feel strongly that all situations are opportunities to build trust and ensure you’re not only looking at the issues at hand, but also how they enhance your relationship and increase trust going forward.”

All situations are opportunities to build trust and ensure you’re not only looking at the issues at hand, but also how they enhance your relationship and increase trust going forward.

Throughout her years in executive education instruction and physician career coaching, Robin says the content—like many courses in the Physician MBA Program—is best delivered in a collaborative, group-learning setting. Peer learning allows everyone to learn from the faculty as well as a diverse group of physicians.

“I hope to share insights physicians find useful, but I’m not doing my job well if they learn more from me than they do from each other. This course involves a lot of discussion, reflection, and responses to cases and situations, asking questions and suggesting alternate solutions. Surveying the knowledge in the room is part of our job as educators,” says Robin. “When it comes to coaching, I wear a different hat. Certainly, you will gain a lot of business acumen through the Physician MBA Program, but for many, career coaching becomes a personalized pathway to develop aspects of themselves that allow them to maximize their business acumen. That’s a valuable takeaway from this program."