Beyond Wishing

If you could have anything you wanted during this holiday season, what would it be?  You don't have to answer, but I realize this is a much harder question than appears.  For example, should one be global and ask for world peace?  If not careful with the words, we could have world peace 'break out' now, only to have wars return in a week.  How about an end to poverty, unemployment, illness, racism, sexism, etc? Better education? Better airlines? Warmer weather? Cooler weather?  More fun at work? It becomes pretty obvious that what we might wish for has a lot to do with how we view things -- and sometimes that view is influenced by what is going on at the moment.   
More fun at work? This thought has consumed me for the past few weeks.  If I could have anything work-related, during this holiday season, it would be for more fun at work.  Why?  Because for me, the times that I view work as fun are the times when I truly feel I am clicking on all cylinders, making great progress, appropriately connecting with co-workers and getting things done!  When those attributes are a part of my day, work does not feel like work, but like fun.  It then does not matter how many evening meetings are part of the work day or how many times I have to reschedule a hair appointment to complete an assignment -- because it seems like fun.  It is when those attributes are missing that work seems like, well work.  And, even worse, it is when work feels like a chore.
Some have heard me say that I believe work needs to be enjoyable most of the time because it is where we spend the majority of our waking hours. When work is not enjoyable, other parts of your life can suffer.  Have you ever had a really bad day at work impact the really great concert you had been looking forward to attending for months?  While I am somewhat pollyanic, I do realize that not every working day can be sunshine and lollipops -- then it wouldn't be called work.  But I do believe that the really good days have to outweigh the really bad days in order to ensure we are all working at the right place at the right time. 
So, my work-related holiday wish, is that we can find the fun in work.  Sometimes that fun is formal (like our recent scavenger hunt).  However, for the fun to be sustainable and to be of benefit to our co-workers (and yes, they can tell when work is not fun for us) and our organization (so that we are doing our best work), that fun needs to be more ingrained in our regular work days.  Rather than just wish, I would love to have suggestions/recommendations on how this can be accomplished in the part of the organization that I lead.  I encourage you to share those suggestions either in this forum or by e-mailing me directly.  Can't wait to hear from you.
J

Developing New Teams

Recently, the members of our Communications, Marketing, Community Affairs, and Health Literacy teams took a journey to learn more about each other. While cloaked in disguise as a Scavenger Hunt, the real goal was to get to know team members that we don't work with on a day to day basis just a little better. It was one of the most oft-repeated goals from our last 1/2 day retreat and as we discussed how to make this happen in my Direct Report staff meetings, we decided that we could learn and have fun at the same time. And, judging by the photos (which are attached), there was definitely fun and by the comments I continue to receive there was definitely sharing and learning that took place within the teams and in the larger group as we gathered pre and post hunt.

While there were some good-natured challenges to some of the clues and locations, I did find that all of the participants seemed to appreciate the opportunity to do something that was a bit off the beaten path. Sometimes when we are developing new teams (and new teams get developed all the time -- just think of when a long-time staffer leaves or a newbie joins -- voila you have a new team), it is important to keep in mind that we don't all respond to things in the same way. For instance, I am very much a "big-picture, go-with-the-flow-kinda gal"who tends to talk a little too fast and is generally rushing on to the next big thing. This is sometimes a challenge for those who are wired to "need-details-to-know-what-is-desired." This was evident with the Scavenger Hunt. Barbara got a number of calls asking for 'more information' and she counseled that all would be made clear in due time. After our pre-Scavenger Hunt lunch, I observed those who got the clues, gathered their team and headed up and out. I observed those who gathered their team, found a corner and then mapped out each and every step. I observed those who gathered their team, headed to their parking lot and then talked strategy in the car. Not one of these methods was all right or all wrong. But, they were fun to observe.

I am glad that it was an enjoyable afternoon and I do hope that you will take even more time to get to know some of your new team members. I believe it will only make our overall team stronger.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving.
J

To a Land Far Away

In September, I joined 171 others on an RCGA (St. Louis' Chamber of Commerce) sponsored trip to China. It was a place that I have always wanted to go, but have never wanted to try to figure out on my own and the cost was always prohibitive. Because the Chinese government wants to encourage tourism and business development, they offered the 9 day trip (with airfare from LA, all hotels, meals, exhibits and tours at the four cities we would visit in China) for the very reasonable price of $1990.00. So, I scheduled ETO, raided my savings and signed up. And, am I ever glad I did. From climbing the Great Wall to visiting the Forbidden City to standing in Tianamen Square, it was a once in a lifetime experience. At Olympic Village, I saw the Bird's Nest that was so much more impressive in person than on television. Shanghai is like 12 New Yorks -- skyscrapers and colorful lights abound. Went to the World Expo in Beijing and was taken with the imagination that was so evident in many of the buildings.
What probably stuck with me most is how China is such a collaboration of cultures -- the new and the old, the developed and the undeveloped, the modern and the traditional often sit side by side. It is a visible depiction of the ying and the yang that is so much a part of their lives. We (we traveled in groups of 25 to 30) were honored to have lunch in the home of a family and learned much about what is different and what is the same within our cultures. The one child rule, non-western toilets, and land ownership are very different. A fierce belief in the power of education, hopes and dreams for the future, and the power of positive thinking are similar.
I would be less than truthful if I said I did not think about work and our department while I was there (heck, with technology I was never totally disconnected). I thought of how to incorporate a bit of ying and yang which is really all about balance. How do I help our department better balance the ever increasing demands for our services (it happens when you are good) with our capacity to deliver those services in a satisfying way? What things can we stop doing to make room for new things or to allow us to breathe a little easier and incorporate some time for thinking? I had a work-related meeting with a BJC Medical Group doc a couple of weeks ago and he shared that most of us don't have the ability to really relax -- to really turn off the stimulation and just be in a quiet place. The doctor shared that turning off for just ten minutes a day would do wonders for our health and our work productivity. In China, that is incorporated into their daily activities and no one has ever questioned the productivity of the Chinese. My other favorite observation in China -- in early evening on many street corners and in many parks you find singles and couples engaged in impromptu dancing. For those of you who know me well, you can imagine how envious I was. Maybe that is something that can be imported here.

A Special Trip

Some of you are aware that I just returned from China last week. While that was a great experience, it is not the special trip that is the subject of this post. Instead, the title refers to my trip to the Barnes-Jewish Hospital pharmacy late Saturday morning to pick up a prescription for Flint (my first and only husband). I was dressed in my usual Saturday morning attire of a baseball cap and walking duds since I had just completed my walking trek of the Forest Park bike trail (funny, how I still call it that even though there is a dedicated path for walkers/runners) and was looking none too wonderful. I planned to just rush in, get the prescription and rush back out -- hoping I would not run into anyone I knew. As I walked through the revolving doors I was met by the most awesome of sounds which I realized was the singing of warm-up scales. I continued walking and saw approximately 30 people (their backs to me and dressed almost as fancy as I was) singing in the lobby of the Center for Advanced Medicine. I walked a little slower because the beautiful sound (again, this was just scales) compelled me to listen. The sound wafted up to the third floor and everyone I passed had a hint of a smile on their faces. The staff working behind the pharmacy counter also seemed a bit more joyful (don't get me wrong, they are always helpful and professional, but there seemed to be something extra there on Saturday). I learned from one of the nurses who had accompanied a patient from outside of St. Louis to the pharmacy, that the group rehearsing was the St. Louis Symphony Chorus and they were going to perform on Sunday for patients and their families. The out-of-town patient shared how special he thought it was that the hospital would be so thoughtful as to have such an amazing group come in and entertain. Said he had heard Barnes-Jewish was special, but this was more than he expected.
I applaud the person or persons who came up with the idea of having the chorus come to sing and am so glad I was running an errand at just the right time. It was so neat to see patients, families and staff peering over the balcony to get a glimpse of those who were making such beautiful music -- even just in rehearsal. And, as I relunctantly left the building on Saturday, the words of "more than expected" uttered by the out of town patient echoed as music to my ears. "More than expected" is an apt reflection of what occurs when you take the world's best medicine and make it better.

Input

How many ways are there to find out what people are really thinking, feeling, hoping, wanting? Especially when it comes to work -- the place where we spend most of our waking hours, the promise of a door being always open, welcoming calls or e-mails, and/or encouraging input is often shared easily, but not always as easy to execute. This week I was in Orlando speaking at a conference and had some downtime to think about the things I set out to do this year with respect to work and getting more input and acting on that input. Am pleased that we were able to have our All Employee Meeting earlier in the year and that we are acting on some of the input received -- though not as quickly as hoped for in all cases. However, I also had an epiphany while I was gone, that I have been thinking of input too narrowly and much too one way. So, I want to share some input with the teams that make up our department.
To the newest members of the department I offer the following. I marvel at the passion and energy displayed by the School Outreach and Development team in sharing their knowledge and expertise with students and educators. The mission driven Community Health team continues to meet the needs of internal and external clients helping to bring meaning to BJC's commitment to wellness. The OASIS team has reached more and more senior adults with innovative programs that not only engage, but that also allows these seasoned citizens to give back. From recognizing employees as health heroes to developing and executing healthy food choice pilots in our cafeterias to defining health literacy, the Health Literacy team has lead the way and those inside and outside of BJC have taken notice. I am so pleased to have welcomed these divisions into the family.
Expanding BJC's reach to underserved communities with welcomed and value-added services such as the thriving Healthy Mind Body Spirit initiative and the mobile health partnership with the Urban League, the Community Affairs teams continues to help bring our community benefit mission to life. And speaking of Community Benefit, the one-woman team (with a lot of collaborative help) responsible for collecting and verifying BJC's community benefit data does a great job of finding the numbers that has allowed us to annually report higher numbers.
When demand for your services grows and grows, it means you must be doing something right and this is what has occurred for the Creative Services team. They have produced outstanding design and graphic work for clients across BJC. Tackling the migration of all of BJC's websites to an outside vendor, while assisting clients with their web service needs has kept the Interactive Services team busy this year and they have met the challenges with professionalism and grace under pressure. Providing strategic guidance and outstanding support to clients has kept the Marketing team busy and like others, demand for their services has continued to grow. The Media Services team approaches their assignments with a client-centered approach that is appreciated and yields a product that is valued by the primary, secondary and tertiary clients. Twice a month, the BJC Today team delivers the one product (other than our paychecks) that unites all of us as BJC employees. The newspaper does a great job reflecting what is going on across our organization and is a 'good read.' And to the Communications team members who provide stratetic guidance, oversight and ideas on how we can all be better, I marvel at your talent and dedication.
I hope you all know that the work you do each and every day is appreciated and valued. It is through you that so much of the story of BJC gets told. So please accept this input as my heartfelt thanks. I also encourage you to get to know more about the work done by your colleagues. You will be as impressed as I am.

When you forget

It's one of those things that you can be certain will happen with the passage of time -- Forgetting. I am sure that there are some of you reading this that are wondering "When is June going to get back to me with __________?" If it has been "more than a minute" (a phrase I picked up from one of my kids that has become a new fave), it is quite possible that I have forgotten. I define "more than a minute" as more than three days since the question or request came in. Be assured that if it has been more than a minute, you should feel very comfortable sending me another message inquiring as to whether or not I have looked at, read, reviewed, thought about or otherwise had any contact with your request. One of the other reasons I recommend this plan of action is that I am sometimes tormented by pc gremlins and not everything that is sent to me gets to me in a timely manner. You may think tormented is a strong word, but given our dependence on technology (and particularly those extensions of our fingers called the keyboard) not receiving e-mails truly does feel like torment!
Unfortunately, I can't lay all of my forgetting at the feet of the pc gremlins (do gremlins have feet?). Forgetting also comes with not only advancing age, but the fact that we all are juggling lots and lots of balls in the air. While this juggling is one of the things that makes life fun, it is also bound to lead to forgetting something. For example, I realize in my work day juggling, I have not had one on one lunch with any of the new staff members who have joined our group. I will be rectifying that soon. I also realize in my work day juggling that I owe a brief description on opportunities for staff to work on different projects. Again, it's on the way. Finally, I realize in my work day juggling that I have failed to reserve a car when I take the youngest daughter back to college next week. Okay, so that is not really related to work, but it is something that I need to not forget.
At a former place of employment, went to a seminar about a concept called Mindsweeping. It's where you take time each day to list all the stuff that is on your mind in no particular order. You then refer to that list a few times each day and cross off the things that you have done. It actually works and perhaps it is a tool that might be helpful once again. Of course, if I were writing that list at this very moment, the first thing I would write is Today is Friday the 13th -- which I almost forgot.

A New Look

So, as I was preparing to update this BLOG, I was invited to try out a new design and look. Now, that opportunity was probably always there, but I had never noticed it as it was somewhat hidden among a number of options that had become just part of the background space for me. However, when the invitation was front and center (albeit as a pop-up) I was intrigued. Those of you who know me, are aware that all things technological are not my strong suit. But, I must admit I had fun trying different colors and styles (kinda like that other favorite past time of mine -- power shopping) and seeing what seemed like me. You can see the result and the way I would describe the new design is relatively simple, hopefully easy on the eye and kind of timeless.
It's the same way I view effective communications. There is such elegance in simplicity. Most of us learned a lot of really big words when we were in school -- most of which we don't ever use (or in my opinion even need to use). When it comes to getting your point across, the simpler the words used, the better -- especially when talking. Imagine having to have a dictionary (oops, my age is showing as now we can just download an app) available when having a conversation with a friend or co-worker? I mean really, how often have you used the words, "nescience, enigmatic or primordial" in a recent conversation? Looking up the meaning to the big word that was just used would interfere with that all important eye contact and might lead to drifting as you got involved in looking up the meanings of other words that came to mind or were offered as perhaps being of interest to you given the word you just looked up -- obviously in the app world.
Don't get me wrong, I know that it was important to know those big words at one time. But the purpose was actually to set us apart rather than bring us together (can you say ACT, SAT Verbal Sections?). Good communication does just the opposite -- it unites us and brings clarity and understanding. And, thus the simpler the better.
It's Friday at 5:11 p.m., I have run out of work steam and am wishing weekends were indesinent! Couldn't resist.
J

Looking for New Reads

So, I just completed a book I found in my son's room as I was heading out of town and desperate for something other than work stuff to read on the plane. Was a book titled Disgrace written in the late 1990s by a South African born author, J M Coetzee. I often troll my now adult or semi-adult children's rooms for books when I don't have time to get to the bookstore or library. While required reading is no joy when it is required, the required books are generally really good when you are not required to write a paper after reading them. While I think I enjoyed Disgrace (it made me think, made me uncomfortable, and kept my interest), I am not sure it would roll off my tongue right away if someone asked me to recommend a book to them.
Which brings me to my question: Do you have a 'filter' for books you will recommend? For instance, I would recommend that everyone on our team read The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Who Moved My Cheese? They are light, organizational-understanding type books that are somewhat humorous, but also quite insightful. I would also recommend those books to my three kids -- think it would help them as they prepare to enter the work world. Of course, I doubt that they would read them at this juncture of their lives (19, 22 and 26 and all still in some form or another of school). I have recommended them to my husband, but not to my mother. I have not recommended it to either of the women I walk with in the morning -- even though we sometimes talk books -- but different kinds of books.
Of course, on my shelves at work, I have all the 'right' business/organizational reads -- Built to Last, The 8th Habit, Health Care Trends, Every Business is a Growth Business. Would I recommend them to most people? Not so much.
A book I would recommend and have recommended to everyone is The Giver -- but you must have hankies (boy, am I old or what) handy. I learned so much from that story about what really matters and what is just memorex. Another is the book I read right before Disgrace, which is Game Change about the 2008 presidential campaign. Amazed at how much information people are willing to share 'off the record' and how colorful the language of all politicians. Back to the filters -- mine are generally based on what I know about the person or persons to whom I am recommending a book; if they are squeamish about language or situations; and if I think I will ever see or talk with them again. What filters do you use? And, what books would you recommend to me or other co-workers? I really am looking for a few more good reads this summer and want to save my kids' rooms for when I am absolutely desperate.

What do polls tell us?

In the most recent poll on www.makemedicinebetter.org, visitors are asked how satisfied they are with their hospital. Unfortunately, the choice with the highest number of 'votes' is "Very Dissatisfied." Trying to be optimistic, I added the two "Very Satisfieds" and "Somewhat Satisfieds" together, but still did not beat the "Very Dissatisfied" and "Somewhat Dissatisfied" totals -- which I am sure Angela C. would tell me is the only way to make the comparison statiscally valid. So, after being disheartened, I decided it was necessary to do what we say this site is intended to help us do -- Learn how to make medicine better.
So, I started to do a mindsweep of some of the things that dissatisfy me when I go to any hospital whether as a patient (fortunately few and far between and only at BJC facilities) or as a visitor (to lots of hospitals, since I obviously have not done a good enough job convincing my friends that the only place to go for care is a BJC facility). And, the number one dissatisfier for me is that I truly don't want to be there. If I am a patient, I don't want to be sick. If I am a visitor, I don't want my loved one to be sick. So, I start off with the glass less than half full.
Coming in a close second, is the lack of control I have over my environs and my environment. Generally, as a patient someone else is deciding what I wear (which for those of you who know me, know that matters a lot), when I eat (again, for those who know me....) and when I sleep. As a visitor, the environment makes me uncomfortable -- should I whisper, can I bring in my loved ones favorite food, is my visit too short, too long, should I leave the room when the nurse comes in, when the doctor comes in, when the dinner tray comes in? Again, feeling totally out of control.
At third is the lack of privacy. Again, lots of people get to come in and our of "my" room whether the door is closed or not.
Now, I admit that the last time I was a hospital patient was many years ago, but I have been a visitor and while some of these things have changed (for instance you can now bring your own jammies and at some hospitals order your food when you want it), a lot of what dissatisfies me is out of the hospital's control. But, what is within our control or perceived control, we should try to address. Poll results are a snapshot and can given us an indication of potential ways to spend our time and energy to, in the case of BJC, make medicine better.

Value

For a few days, potential visitors were not able to access this site. It was very distressing as I had just posted on April 30 and could not believe that technology, rather than my lack of a fresh post, was keeping people from reading a few of my thoughts. Well, the problem was fixed and access to the site restored. However, I noticed on my pc that when I got to the site, the post that was showing was one from the spring of 2009. Now, I know I don't post as frequently as I had planned, but even I am not that bad.
So, here is a new post -- just slightly more than a couple of weeks since my last one. I am sitting in the office having just completed reading the latest issue of BJC Today. I always learn something that I did not know and am frequently left with that gooey heart feeling which is how I think pride feels. This issue evoked a lot of heart gooey-ness. I also caught up on a bunch of e-mails, hard mail and other 'stuff of work' that left me with a swelled heart. From BJC receiving a new honor (I can't tell you what it is now, but you will learn soon) to being interviewed about why we developed makemedicinebetter to being asked "What does BJC think about ..............", it is clear that we work for an organization that is well thought of by many in the public. It is important to realize that "organizations" don't create good will -- employees of organizations do! It is the employees of BJC who are 100% responsible for the positive reputation we have. I remember when I worked for a publicly-traded company, there was a lot of emphasis on the importance of "the numbers." What I would share is that "numbers don't make themselves, employees make the numbers." And, employees who know (notice I didn't say "believe") they are valued make great numbers.
I hope you know that you are valued. Without your hard work and dedication, BJC Today would have a lot of blank pages and the phone calls and e-mails asking "What does BJC think about ....." would cease.

A NonTypical Work Week

Started with a 7:00 a.m. presentation on Monday morning to a committee of the Board of Directors followed by a 1:00 p.m. presentation that same day to another committee of the Board. Don't know about you, but when I have to make big presentations, I tend to be a bit anxious and it makes me want to do lots of things to take my mind off the upcoming presentation. So, what I did was to read some of the evaluations from our department's Friday retreat. Overall, most staff members felt the time was value added, but you know how we are -- I zeroed in on those "other" comments, that were not so favorable. Not because I am a glutton for punishment, but because I think it is one of the best ways to get better. Don't get me wrong, there are some "other" comments that I know I can't do anything about (or even learn anything from that would lead to improvement). However, there is no reason to ask for evaluations if you are not going to do anything about the feedback. I look forward to contemplating and then acting on many of the things that were shared.
So, back to the work week. On Wednesday, participated in the culminating actitvity of a local university's MBA class Capstone Project -- BJC was the topic of the semester long class. I, along with several colleagues, listened to presentations from 8 teams with recommendations on what BJC should do with respect to a certain area. I wondered if the members of the team were also anxious -- especially since the BJC CEO was among the panelists listening and evaluating the presentations.
The last two days of the week found me at the Media Services Studio as the next round of branding commercials were shot We truly have a lot of talent at BJC and I look forward to seeing the finished product. These kinds of non-typical work weeks only work because of a great team that continues to get the work done when I am underground. So, a really big thank you to everyone for doing what they do so well!

The Lost March

Okay, so it finally happened that I let a month go by without doing a post. I am so ashamed and disappointed in myself that I almost decided to cease and desist (some of you thought I probably had made that decision) all postings. Really, it is not that I don't want to post, it is just that all kinds of things keep interupting my best laid plans. For example, my computer has decided to "freeze" for absolutely no reason at all for 10 to 15 minutes at a time all day today. It is beyond annoying. And then there was a crazed travel schedule in March -- albeit most of it was for fun, but it still took a toll on my ability to post. So, I am asking for forgiveness and hoping if any of the readers of this BLOG are still out there, to give me another chance.
During my hiatus, several significant things happened.
1. We introduced the next phase of the branding strategy with print ads and new television ads. If you have seen them, let me know what you think -- especially about the ads people are calling the "Beep, beeps."
2. Our president went to visit The president.
3. Visits to makemedicinebetter continued to rise and have now exceeded 20,000.
4. Spring sprung.
5. Health care reform passed.
6. My youngest child turned 19 (thus one of my absences in March, as I headed to Miami to visit her).
7. Staying with the personal, I ski'd for the first time ever (actually loved it).
8. Several of our departments made the move to the BJC Learning Institute.
9. SLCH & BJH went tobacco free and BJC announced corporate locations would also become tobacco free. (Remember there is tobacco cessation support provided to any and all employees).
10. And, BJC continued investing in employees, facilities and services to the community (which is not a new thing, but given the economy is still significant).
Thanks again for giving me another chance and my goal is to definitely do better in the future -- hard to do worse. (And, if anyone knows what the Label for this post means, you will win a prize).
J

The twos that can make all the difference

So last week, Flint and I drove to Atlanta for our last Parents' Weekend for our graduating son. I was catching up on all the articles that I try to keep up on, but are impossible during the work week (and listening to cool music from Flint's ipod and his satellite radio). All was lovely and well as we traveled east then south, until we got to Chattanooga and then it happened --- SNOW. Now, it was only those very light flurries that we used to not even notice in St. Louis (until some news editor decided they could get a lot more viewers by making the weather the news) and that should not have caused any travel delays. And, I give the good people of Tennessee credit -- we were able to drive pretty much the speed limit all along the interstates. Even when we entered Georgia things were fine, fine that is until we made it to the Atlanta City Limits right around 4:30. We were pretty shocked at how light traffic was heading in our direction (not so for the traffic heading out of the City, which was pretty typical for rush hour in a city). Then came the call -- all activities scheduled for Friday and Saturday of Parents' Weekend were cancelled due to weather. Weather? What weather? There was less than 2 inches of snow that accumulated and there was no ice! However, we were determined not to be disappointed and figured we would just grab our kid and go out for a nice dinner on Friday night. We were in for a rude awakening. Almost every restaurant had closed at 2:00 because of the snow storm! We ended up eating at a Zaxby's that was "only going to be open for another 30 minutes and we are out of a lot of our usual menu items." It was then that I realized how 2 can make all the difference. In St. Louis, we don't get to worried about 1, 2 or 3 inches of snow, but let us get to 4 inches (which is 2 times 2) and we declare a blizzard. We talk about things being twice as hard or twice as nice. We think of twins as twice the work (and twice the blessing). We ask for just another couple of minutes and then we are ready to do whatever someone is asking us to do next. We talk about doubling down, double trouble and double the fun (all in the two family).
Sometimes I get frustrated that a work project is taking twice as long as I thought it would. Not because I am not focused on it, but because I am sometimes waiting for others to provide input or give me a piece of what I need to complete the project. It is then that the twos really become a source of frustration -- even more than not finding an open restaurant because of two inches of snow. I try (but don't always succeed) to be patient, understanding that while my project is of utmost importance to me, others have other priorities that are of utmost importance to them. It probably really isn't practical to expect that all projects will be completed in the time you anticipated, but if they too often take twice as long, something is wrong -- either on the planning end or the execution end. I am working on doing a better job of determining how long it will take to complete a project when I am not in control of all of the project's parts (not being in control is another difficulty that I will write about some day). I think that will help quell some of the frustration I experience. I realize that I put this practice into play following the birth of baby #1. Because she was 2 weeks late (darn those twos) I got really tired of hearing "You haven't had that baby yet." So, when I was having the next baby and the one after that, I added two weeks to the due date the doctor gave me and viola, never had the frustration of the project not being done on time.

Didn't know I was such a wimp

One of the things I have always loved about living in St. Louis is that we really do get to experience four seasons. Well, enough already with this extremely cold weather and no sun!!!! I mean really what is the use of such cold temps if you don't have the mountains to go with them? The new president of Barnes-Jewish Hospital relocated here from San Diego and everyone keeps telling him that we have not had this kind of a long, severe cold snap in years. He just shakes his head and says -- "Sure." I could probably handle the cold, if we could just get more than a nanosecond of sun. Could I be suffering from seasonal affective disorder? Or, am I just a wimp?
On the plus side, the cold has made me a bit more productive as I have retreated to my desk. I have caught up on reading and research projects that were hanging over me like one of those little bubble word clouds over the heads of cartoon characters. It really does feel good to be able to check things off the list (and I learned a lot that will help as several new initiatives get launched).
Speaking of new, I had the pleasure of discovering another great new restaurant this week when I had a one on one staff member luncheon. Truly, these opportunities are becoming one of the favorite parts of my job. I enjoy getting to know the people on the team even better. What they love, their hobbies, their families, what energizes them about working for BJC and their ideas for how we can do what we do even better. I know I must sound like a broken record on this, but my goal is that we are continually providing excellent service to our clients and one of the best ways of getting better is by developing new ideas.
On the flip side of the broken record is my encouragement to engage in a learning & development opportunity. You never know what you will encounter that will be of great benefit. I attended part of a seminar yesterday and a speaker shared something that will stay with me -- Don't let what you want most be compromised by what you want at the moment. There are all kinds of great applications for that bit of advice -- in all of the settings of our life. Of course, when I shared the words with my husband (and got a little teary eyed at how sharing these words with our adult children could be really helpful as they strike out in life), he said -- Hmmn, interesting, but you are such a wimp.

The Gotchas

Many of you are aware that I am somewhat addicted to some less than stellar television shows. From looking at each of the Real Housewives locales (I really am embarrassed by this) to Family Guy (I love the promo that features the youngest kid calling for his mom ad naseum) to Nip/Tuck (can I get away with this because it is kinda about medicine?), I veg out on some pretty bad stuff. However, I am also addicted to the wonderful Mad Men and Meet The Press, Face The Nation and other political television "news shows." Yesterday, as I looked at several of the Sunday morning news shows I had an epiphany on what many of the things I watch have in common. They are all about the "Gotcha." This weekend's political theater "Gotcha" is all about Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and what he said privately that is now public (did he miss Communications & Media Training 101?). The reaction to his comments are pretty black & white (no pun intended). From Republicans, this is the latest "Gotcha." From Democrats, it is "let's move on to more important issues." Lest you think I am being partisan, I remember all too well, the Dems playing Gotcha with the comments of former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott. Time will tell if history repeats itself.
While "Gotcha" makes for interesting fake (even when supposed reality) television series, it is much less helpful in the real world (which is why politics is such a turn off for so many). I believe that we try hard not to play the "Gotcha" game in our department. That doesn't mean that we don't have disagreements -- we do. It means, however that we work through those disagreements respectfully and stay aware of the bigger goal which is to provide excellent service to our clients. None of us can expect all of our work days to be filled with sunshine and lollipops (afterall this is work), but I have always been impressed that when issues arise, we are able to address them in a way that is about getting to resolution rather than playing "Gotcha." The goal of "Gotcha" is always to make someone the loser. We are fortunate that we are about identifying issues, resolving them and celebrating wins!
As we start the New Work Year (as if there is some line of demarcation between the old and the new), I am resolving to more publicly celebrate our department's wins. I will use our Shout Out system more and will make sure the great work you are all doing gets more visibility at the levels above me. Not because you have asked for it, but because you deserve it.