Everything about this site is new

So, I came on today to finally post and wonder of wonders, in the month and a half since I last posted things have changed.  In fact, I am not sure if what I am now typing will actually publish and be viewable by anyone, as everything about this site is new.  But, just in case here are a few june thoughts that have been on my mind lately.
First -- have moved into lovely new office space.  While the natural light is wonderful, what is even better is being in the same building with team members and others with whom I work.  It is interesting how energizing it is to hear people talking, laughing, collaborating, pondering and sharing.  I missed it much.
Second -- am learning a lot about several areas that are part of our department.  For example, we are in the process of completing a strategic plan for our health literacy efforts.  It is a vast and impressive area and we do great things for our employees and members of our community and the fabulous thing is we have the opportunity to do even more and make sure we are measuring impact.  Made a presentation to the board of directors on our efforts this past week and have gotten a number of very kind notes of appreciation on the comprehensive nature of what we are doing as well as a few requests to have the presentation shared in their workplaces.
Third -- the government continues to give us new and exciting gifts when it comes to community benefit.  We are in the process of piloting the best method to fulfill our obligation (as all non-profit hospitals have) to undertake a community health needs assessment.  We are giving ourselves plenty of time to learn and make mistakes and course correct and we are reaching out to collaborate with other hospitals.  The team that is undertaking this work is doing a great job and I applaud them.
Fourth -- if anyone is interested in being in our next set of make medicine better commercials, please make your desires known.  It is fun to have someone else put make up on you (yep, even if you are a guy) and applaud your efforts as your share how we make medicine better. 
Fifth -- all other duties as assigned continue to grow and grow and grow for each of us, but you all continue to meet the requirements with professionalism and good nature and for that I am eternally grateful.
Sixth -- planning for our spring all staff meeting is going to happen. Several have stepped forward to assist and we promise a grand time will be had by all -- even if we don't know the date when that grand time will occur.
Seventh -- I am still hoping that you will share ideas with me on how our department can be made better.  As I tell everyone when we go to lunch or breakfast, without ideas we run the risks of continuing to do what we have always done, which might be fine, but which won't make us better.  So, shoot me an e-mail with your ideas or if you are bold, feel free to share them in this venue.
Happy spring.
J

The Lost February

So, does it count when you fail to do a post in the shortest month of the year?  Does the fact that we have been busily preparing for a move get me off the hook for not posting in February?  How about the new C & M newsletter where I share a few thoughts?  Does it make up for my lack of a February post?  In thinking about "What happened in February?" I realize that it was the same thing that all of us face -- too much to get done, not enough time to get it all done.  Not an excuse, but a reason.  Those things that are not right in front of us (by Blogspot does not send me a reminder or call when I have been absent for more than a few weeks), can sometimes be pushed to the back of the line.
In February, we began reviewing the next evolution of the our brand strategy.  Thanks to great input by our internal branding team, the evolved strategy is one that I think we will all be proud to have represent our organization.  Also, in February there was lots of preparation for a new community benefit board committee.  Our committee is not new, but most of the members are.  Meant making sure that all information that was being shared gave them an appropriate grounding on what community benefit is and how we approach it and how they can help us be even better.  And, lots of work around the Kingshighway campus renewal.  And, then there is the move that takes place this week.  One of the "all other duties as assigned" that is kinda fun has been working on the supergraphics and selecting artwork for certain floors of the building.  We have repurposed, but we have also been able to purchase a few new pieces.  One of my goals is to make sure that artwork is purchased from either Missouri or Illinois artists -- since those are the states we call home.  Did that on the lower level of the Learning Institute and am carrying it forward in the new building some of us will call our work home.
So, February was BUSY and SHORT and got away from me before I realized it.

When Bad Things Happen

It is an unfortunate fact of life that bad things happen.  Not only do they happen to people, but they happen to and at organizations, companies, schools, hospitals, parks, government buildings and the list goes on.  I was struck by the response of an East Coast college this weekend, when a technology supported test-run led to a number of students being erroneously told they had gained that most valued early admission. While the actual number of students impacted was not a huge number, for every student impacted it was a huge deal. The college has responded with an apology for the error and offered students the opportunity to talk with a real person if they so chose.
When bad things happen, it is critical to remember that for the person or persons it is happening to, it is a not an abstract occurrence, but very real. It is important not to use words like 'only, minor, or insignificant' that negate the very real hurt, harm, sadness or unhappiness that those impacted are experiencing. We should try to first put ourselves in the place of the person or persons who are going through the experience, reflect on how we would like to be treated and to the best of our ability, craft our messages accordingly.
A few years ago, my then 15 year old son and I were in an airport kinda people watching when he asked me how it felt to be part of  'just the background' in the lives of people walking by.  His question has stuck with me for the past 8 years, is quite humbling and helps to inform how I approach communications "work."  Having a profound respect for those for whom I am "just background" is important, especially when it comes to having to share why something 'bad' has happened. 

Tag Lines

Isn't it interesting how exhausting finding the right few words to serve as a tag line or positioning statement can be?  Perhaps it is so hard because such statements must be memorable, pithy (an old word), long lasting (meaning cannot be too contemporary or too throwback) and have to be embraced (and sometimes approved) by lots and lots of internal audiences.  I found myself with a little bit of time on my hands and decided to take a trip through the neighborhood of taglines for direct to consumer companies, business to business corporations, non-profit agencies and of course, other health care organizations.  I came away from my journey with two thoughts:
1.  Getting it just right is really, really hard
2.  When it is just right, it "sticks" immediately
While it would probably be inappropriate for me to share the ones that 'stuck' for me immediately, I will share their attributes.  First and foremost, they were simple.  No big, fancy words or 'industry-insider' language that I needed to know.  Second, there was a connection not only with my brain, but with my heart.  The ones that really connected with me, engendered an inaudible "Ahhhh."  Third, they were believeable.  Since I was taking the journey, I only went to companies or organizations that I knew something about.  I must say, I did read some that made me go "Really?"  which means they did not immediately pass the believable test.  Finally, they transcended being just "catchy, right now."  I could see the words being used in the distant past, present and far into the future. 
Because 'words' are an important part of what I do, these kinds of exercises are fun for me.  Unfortunately, this kind of fun is not shared by anyone who lives (or has lived) in my house, so I am glad I have this forum to share my thoughts with others who get a kick out of words!  Happy 2012.
J

Ask, when you want to know

A few weeks ago, we welcomed another marketing and communications team to the 'family.'  While the reasons and rationale for making the reporting relationship change were clear to those making the decision, I never want to assume that reasons and rationale are clear to everyone.  So, instead of assuming, we tried to make sure we shared the reasons in an up close and personal manner with all involved -- giving everyone the opportunity to ask questions.  This process reminded me that we need to make sure that everyone knows the 'question-asking opportunity door' is never closed.  Whether it is a big change, a small change or something that makes you go "I wonder....", please ask.  I commit to answering -- whether the answer is easy for me to give immediately, falls into the bucket of "Let me find out" or into that even more difficult bucket of  "I know, but can't share the information with you at this time."  
As a working leader of what is now a pretty large organization, 'open time' to have an open door policy is sometimes difficult to manage.  I am not whining -- we all work really hard and have a lot of pushes and pulls on our time.  All of us juggle a lot of projects with numerous demands from clients -- me included.  Because of this juggling act, finding the time to ask about things you might be wondering is often difficult to find. And, sometimes getting the answer (when the question is asked of me) might take longer than I hope.  BUT, getting an answer back to you shouldn't take forever.  If it seems like it is taking forever, please re-ask -- especially if the questions was asked via e-mail (pc gremlins invade at times) or face-to-face while in a meeting on another topic (aging brain overload invades at times).  I want you to have the answers you seek.  First, because if you are wondering something, it is quite possible other team members are wondering as well.  And, second because once you have the answer, you don't have to wonder anymore and can use that brain space for other stuff! 
Because it is December 16, this may be my last blogged thought of the 2011, so I want to wish everyone a wonderful season of whatever holiday you celebrate (Festivus anyone?) and a safe and peaceful New Year.  I feel very fortunate to work for BJC which allows me to work with all of you.

11-11-11 Thanks

It was great to have so many join the festivities on the afternoon of 11-11-11.  Pin-Up Bowl proved to be a great reminder of why we all keep our day jobs.  Congratulations to the following staff members who had some pretty incredible scores.  Check the mail in the coming days for a small token of congratulations.
Individual High Score -- Jason Vander Weele with a whooping 136
Individual Low Score -- Patty Johnson with a whooping 55
Highest Team Average -- Patt Christie, Emily Barklage & Bill Bergholtz with a whooping 105.3
Coolest Individual Scores -- Valerie Hoven, Steve Klutho (and me!) with a whooping 111(so fitting for the day).
It seemed that a good time was had by all (whether bowling, eating, talking or observing) who attended and I am hopeful that those who were not able to attend enjoyed Jeans Day. 
J

Getting Ready for Next Steps

Yesterday, our branding consultant participated in a roundtable with Corporate Communications and Marketing staff members who accepted the open invitiation to come and spend an hour and a half  discussing the branding strategy we have been executing since late 2009 (time flies).  We talked about the good, the challenging and the opportunities that are still there to tell our story more effectively, more consistently and more impactfully (I like threes). 
This session was important because sometimes when you are very close to something, you can't always be objective when doing an evaluation.  For most parents (unless you are the author and subject of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother -- actually am reading and loving that book), being truly objective about your offspring is difficult.  In that same way, I confess to sometimes being a bit like an overprotective parent when it comes to our branding strategy.  Also, when you are very close to something, you tend to think that everyone is paying as much attention to all the nuances as you, when really the  focus is generally on the big things. Certainly, there are things I know we should change to make our branding staregy even more valuable, but as we all know, change is hard. So instead, I think of our strategy as evolving and being ever more improved. Monday's session was chock full of very good input that will help that evolution become reality.  There are some 'big' things I know will remain the same -- things that have helped to distance us from others and helped the message to resonate.  Of course, I can't say just WHAT those things are since this is social media and therefore a site that can be read by anybody.  But, there are a number of changes we will make based on the input from team members and others.
One of the things I really enjoyed about yesterday's session was the willingness of everyone there to be open and constructively critical, bringing expertise from their specific areas as well as their roles as consumers of information. By sharing their thoughts, they will be helping to shape the next phase of our branding strategy.  I hope it was fun for them and I also hope that they will see their recommendations reflected.  I make this same offer to others on the team who perhaps had conflicts or other obligations that kept them from attending yesterday.  Please shoot me an e-mail and share your thoughts about our branding strategy and how you believe it can be improved.  As professionals and as consumers of information, I am sure you have great ideas to share.
And, it would be wrong of me not to mention a staff member who is getting ready for her next steps.  Today officially marks Kathleen's last day with our team.  I know we all wish her the best and are ever grateful to her for the role she has played in helping to strengthen the BJC brand.  Don't know if she is a reader of this BLOG, but if she is -- "Another hearty round of applause for all you have done."
J