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By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
What drives me crazy about politics is that we usually only hear about the views on one side or another. Even though there are gray areas to almost every issue, many people refuse to see an alternative view. And unfortunately, if we’re not careful, we can go through life with limited perspectives just like that. The other day, I was splitting a log that measured about three feet in diameter. I had hit the darn thing about twenty times but hadn’t even cracked it. As a last resort, I turned the log over and saw that there was a huge natural crack spanning almost the entire width of the bottom side of the log. So, I set my sights on that crack. I swung hard and hit it. I swung again and missed. I swung a third time and hit the crack dead center. The log split open and fell apart. It was a very satisfying feeling for a person like me who, by the way, does not resemble Paul Bunyan in the least. I scanned the area to see if anyone had witnessed the feat and who might be as impressed by it as I was. But alas, I was alone in the field. Of course, after cracking open the log, one might say I was “out standing” in my field. The point of relaying my struggles with the log is this: Once I chose to see my problem from another perspective, I found a solution. This is not the first time I’ve been surprised by a new insight. You’d think that by now, I would be more open to considering other options. But I suppose I suffer from a common affliction—my default response is to see things the way I’ve always seen them. When I worked as a director of quality improvement, I referred to this as “solving the same problem over and over.” Another area where I see this tendency is when I work on a crossword puzzle. You see, I don’t have a very large vocabulary. In fact, if you’ve read my articles on a regular basis, you probably noticed that I use the same words over and over but just organize them in different ways. I guess I have never been that magniloquent. See how I did that? Anyway, when I attempt to solve a crossword puzzle, I often misunderstand the clue. For instance, I once had this clue: “Strips in a club.” I assumed the answer had something to do with a woman named Gypsy or Blaze. But the answer was actually “bacon.” It was referring to the “strips” in a club sandwich. I had confused a noun with a verb. But the minute I adjusted my perspective, it was obvious…and a tad bit embarrassing (my apologies to Gypsy and/or Blaze who may have been offended by my initial assumption). To me, unlocking new perspectives is one of the most valuable skills in life. When we get so attached to our familiar world view, we miss the many possibilities that might lie just outside our narrow vision. One of my favorite speakers is DeWitt Jones. He is a former National Geographic photographer who speaks on the topic of seeing things from a new perspective. He uses photography to make this point. As a professional who was always trying to get that perfect shot, he shows his audiences how he frequently thinks he has achieved it only to find that if he changes his location, alters his position, or waits for the light to change, he gets an even better photograph. His visual metaphor is one we can learn from. Have you ever gone into a building and pulled on a door that says, “Push”? Or have you ever gotten off on the wrong floor in a hotel because the normal behavior is to step off the elevator when the door opens? Or has someone ever told you to have a good trip and you automatically say, “You too,” even though they were not going on a trip? These are all examples of habitual thinking that lead to habitual doing. And when we act on habits, we’re no longer paying attention. Wouldn’t be cool if we could go into every situation imagining the possibilities rather than expecting the same old same old? In order to accomplish this, we must recognize our habitual tendencies and look for new realities. When we open our eyes to the possibilities in front of us, we’re no longer on autopilot and thus have more options. The simple procedure for doing this is to see with new eyes. For instance, when we look at a tree, we often see a tree. But if you truly look at a tree, you will see hundreds of colors, shapes, textures, and movements. All of the parts that make up the tree are intricately interwoven into a new experience that we simply label as a tree—but is actually so much more. The same applies to everything we do. If we pause to truly listen to our colleagues, we might gain a new perspective on their perspective. When we look at our reactions to stressful situations, we might see that our thinking is automatic and not necessarily helpful in reducing the stress. And if we get up every morning anticipating the chance that we might experience something new, the day opens up to us. When we truly see, our world opens up. So, when you come to a door, pay attention to whether it says to push or pull. When the elevator door opens, stop and check the floor before bounding off. And before swinging your axe at the log, just turn it over to see if there is an easier way. By doing so, the path becomes more interesting and full of possibilities. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By Tim Hague Sr.
We do our best to set reasonable goals, but part of persevering is being ready when an unexpected opportunity turns up. Take the U-Turn. After we used it in the race, many howled that we’d been poor sports. Not true. It’s a fair part of the game, and it helped us significantly. From time to time life will throw us a bone, a bit of good fortune, an out-of-the-blue chance—and we must be prepared to act on it. Now, life is not a game, and I’m not suggesting that we cause anyone harm, but rather that we take advantage of the good fortune that comes our way. It seems obvious, but we don’t always do this. We feel we don’t deserve or haven’t earned something, or that it’s unfair to receive when someone else hasn’t. Here’s my advice: take the gift and be grateful. I’ll never forget the humiliation I heaped upon myself one evening. Not long after Sheryl and I were married, we were helping to raise funds for the organization we worked for and had gone out for dinner with a couple we’d approached about a funding opportunity. The evening went well—until it came time to pay, and the couple offered to treat us. It should have been no big deal, but since we had invited them, I felt that we should pay. So I resisted the offer, to the point of offense. “What,” said the man, “is my money not good enough for you?” That was a tad harsh, but the truth is I thought I had something to prove; I was insecure about not being in the same financial position as this couple; and a part of me felt I didn’t deserve their generosity. Looking back, I physically cringe at how I must have come across. It was a simple gift, a bit of good fortune, and instead of graciously accepting it I made the moment horribly awkward. Here’s a story you may have heard but that nicely exemplifies the idea: A man trapped in his house by a flood begins to pray to God to save him. After he climbs to the roof, the floodwaters rising all around him, an individual in a boat comes by and offers to take him to higher ground. The man declines, saying that he’s prayed and believes that God will save him. In time, he’s swept away by the flood. Later, in heaven, he’s upset with God and asks why he didn’t save him. God’s reply: “I tried.” Most believe they would never be as naive as the character in this story, and maybe they are right. Yet, time and again we were told that we should never have used that U-Turn. I, on the other hand, am so glad that we jumped in that boat and sailed to higher ground. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Any amount of physical activity — even two minutes — can add up to huge benefits for your immediate and long-term health, according to the new edition of the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Previously, the guidelines stated that unless physical activity lasted 10 minutes or longer, it didn’t count toward a person’s recommended weekly activity goals. But research shows any small amount of activity provides a solid contribution to a person’s health, according to guidelines unveiled at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting. “Physical activity is about finding opportunities to add movement throughout the day as part of a bigger commitment to healthy living,” Adm. Brett Giroir, assistant secretary for health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “Inactivity causes 10 percent of premature mortality in the United States. That means if we can just get 25 percent of inactive people to be active and meet the recommendations, almost 75,000 deaths would be prevented in the United States.” Only 26 percent of men, 19 percent of women, and 20 percent of teenagers currently get their recommended weekly amount of physical activity, according to HHS. The first edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines came out a decade ago, in 2008.The new edition also highlights a broader array of short- and long-term benefits from physical activity, all based on scientific evidence:
Examples of moderate activity include brisk walking, ballroom dancing, water aerobics or pulling weeds, according to the AHA. Vigorous activity can involve running, swimming laps, bicycling fast, aerobic dancing or working a shovel or hoe in the garden. The guidelines now recommend that children aged to 5 be active throughout the day to enhance growth and development — at least three hours a day. Kids aged 6 through 17 are recommended to have at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. Exercise is the best and cheapest prescription in the world, but most people don’t want to fill it. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Laurie Guest
We have never seen anything like this: a total disruption of our world. This pandemic has impacted our daily lives from small things like gathering with friends to the huge alterations to our livelihood and financial stability as a country. After more than two weeks in my self-sequestered status, I have gone from furiously counting toilet paper rolls on hand to thoughtfully strategizing my business model for when this over. And it will be over. We just don’t know when. As a professional speaker, trainer, and author on customer service, I’ve received many questions from clients on how to handle the interruption of income, the inability to open doors, and the insecurity about when and how to reach out to customers. While the course of action will vary depending on your industry, one thing I know to be true? Now is not the time to lift your foot off the accelerator and coast, waiting things out, or brake and stop all activity. My speaking colleague and friend, Bryce Austin, is an avid race car buff. He shared this interesting fact with me: at Road America, there’s a turn called “the kink,” where cars must go through a tight turn at well over 100 mph, in between two concrete walls. Scary stuff. But Bryce says that tight turn can be a game changer in a surprising way. “Winners of races at Road America overcome their fear of ‘the kink’ and keep their gas pedal flat to the floor. It’s a perfect place to pass those that let fear and doubt get the better of them.” We are in the middle of “the kink” right now, and his advice can help all of us not just survive the twists and turns we’re experiencing. It can help us come out at the end of all this in a better position than we are now. So, if you’re ready to leave fear and doubt in your rearview mirror, now is the time to put the gas pedal down. What does that really mean? In my world, it means focusing on internal processes and improving them, writing more, and spending real time sitting and thinking about what the new normal might look like and how I can be a resource to those who need it. For you, it might be using downtime to train your staff on how to improve service levels when the “all clear” comes. When your competition pumps the brakes because of their indecision about how to communicate with customers, that is your chance to accelerate “into the turn.” Smart Communication During Challenging TimesConnecting and communicating with clients and customers is essential during this crisis. But to be effective, your message and method need to be strategic and intentional. Here are two important guidelines: Craft messages that are relevant to your customer A well-crafted email, a social media touch, or a phone call are all options for connecting. However, beware of blasting your message to a list of people who have never been customers. I’ve received dozens of emails from companies telling me how they are handling the virus and offering to be a resource, but many of them have no social capital with me in the first place. I’m just an entry on a database somewhere. I had a speaker I met for the first time at an event last year (someone who would not give me the time of day when face-to-face) offer, via an email blast, to be my trusted coach because he cares about me so much. Total disconnect and a turn-off for sure. I will never do business with him, even when we arrive at better times. Develop messaging that fits the stage of the disruption In the early days of this crisis, the best type of message contained up-to-date closure information and steps being taken to fight the virus, which may result in skeleton crews or limited access to a facility. The next phase is the one we are in as I write this article, what I hope is the “middle” of the crisis. We have been on “stay-at-home” status for several weeks and the true impact of the situation is beginning to take its toll, while anxiety is mounting in many households. Overnight, some people have become at-home teachers. Others face a total loss of income without a safety net. Now, you are planning to contact a group of people not knowing what their story is or how well they are adapting to these challenges. A poor attempt at empathy or a careless choice in sales language can change the professional relationships they have with you in a heartbeat. I encourage you to give your customer the permission to rest, to take a breath, to exhale. Follow that with an offering of support and any free resources that can benefit them without jeopardizing your own financial stability. For example, links to good articles, expert advice from your industry, or suggestions of actions they can take that are relevant to your niche. In the last paragraph, provide reassurances on issues related to money. You could pause their membership or extend their access time. Finally, foreshadow what you hope to offer or do for them when things are better. Refrain from making promises or guarantees, but end with positive, “stay-in-touch” language. When Is the Right Time to “Sell” Again? I’m not sure there is one right answer to this question. Being married to an attorney, I’ve adapted a popular phrase his profession uses: “It depends.” If you work in an industry that is one step away from essential, like hair salons, sit-down restaurants, and work-out facilities, your reactivation to sell mode is going to come quickly. Work now to craft the language of your messaging so you’re not just mimicking what everyone else is saying. Don’t get lost in the crowd. Get creative! Creativity + Humor = Connection, if you serve an industry where that is appropriate. For example, a hair salon might consider posting this message to social media: “Worried that people now know your REAL hair color? We reopen on (insert date). Make an appointment today and we will send you a free paper bag to get you here!” Those of you in industries that are another step away from essential—entertainment venues, travel, and event planning, for example—may have a longer runway to get back. Your sales language may need to be a little more delicate and a little lighter on the humor. A travel advisor might send this message to a loyal customer: “We are so excited to restart your vacation planning when you are ready. As always, I’m here with great ideas for new places to visit and new protocols to help ensure your health and safety.” The short answer to the question of when to start selling again might be: you don’t sell, you serve. The best way to serve a customer is to understand them well enough to know what they need and combine the right words to offer your services in a way that benefits them. Sales 101 is: Find the pain, provide the solution. Put words to your solution and serve it up! I’ve never driven a race car and I really have no idea what kind of bravery it takes to take a tight turn at 100 mph. But I do understand the concept of keeping my head down and focused during times of change. Disruption can have some positive outcomes. The market will shift and with it will come opportunities—at least for those who put the gas pedal down. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Vicki Hess
Do you remember having summers off? I was talking with friends about summer camp and how much fun it was to play at our neighborhood pool and run around with friends. Being off of school gave us that needed break from studying and responsibility. If only we all had the summer off from work! I’m pretty sure that isn’t going to happen for most of us, so I was thinking about the next best thing. What if we changed the way we looked at things to create more Joy at work? These past few months have been full and uncertain. As I talk to clients, I hear more and more about the desire to find joy in work. It seems many people are struggling with increased workloads, ever-changing priorities and a do-more-with-less mentality. A WOW is something that makes you feel satisfied, energized productive. AKA - engaged! This month’s WOW tip is to Spread Appreciation! The cool thing about appreciation is that it’s a WOW for the giver and the receiver. Each time you appreciate someone that you work with, you get to experience the good feeling that comes with saying “thank you.” When you’re on the receiving end and someone appreciates you, then you get to “feel the love” and understand the value of the work that you do. It’s that simple. Start to spread appreciation to your peers, your boss, your family and friends. This WOW is a great way to lighten up and enjoy the people that you spend time with. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.
I had just returned from lunch when I received a call from a stranger. He said, “Roger, I’ve heard about your work as a motivational speaker, and there is a group in Washington D.C. that would greatly benefit from your message.” He proceeded to tell me the audience would consist of 200 injured soldiers who were currently receiving treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. I felt overwhelmed by this tremendous honor to address a room full of heroes, and I eagerly began planning my trip! When I arrived at Walter Reed, a young man who had the responsibility of giving me a tour of the facility, and escorting me to the meeting room greeted me. While being introduced, I looked around at these amazing young men and women and was stunned by the severity of their injuries. During my presentation, I was having difficulty keeping my emotions in check. As a physically challenged person, I know what many in the audience were feeling, and I was so inspired by the courage they demonstrated. Finding Courage Through Adversity One young soldier seated in a wheelchair had captured my attention first with his bright smile, and then I noticed he was missing both arms below the elbow, and his entire right leg. Next to him was a female who I assumed was a staff member. At the conclusion of my program, I learned that this woman was not an employee, but the mother of the soldier. The young man introduced himself, and with the stump of his right arm, gave me a unique high five. Since I used my right hand that has a single finger, we shared a hearty laugh at our high one! During our conversation, I ask him where he found the courage to face this life-changing experience. His answer continues to inspire me today. He said, “I guess a broken spirit is worse than a broken body!” Most of us will never have to endure the type of adversity this soldier has experienced. However, no one goes through life unscathed by challenges. As we navigate the inevitable challenges and setbacks that life brings, it is important to remember that what is inside of you is more powerful than what comes against you. Honoring Our Fallen Heroes This Memorial Day As we observe Memorial Day, let us not allow the true meaning to be overshadowed by the mega-store sales, the BBQs, and the long-awaited three-day weekend. We are very fortunate to enjoy these activities because of the heroic bravery and sacrifice of the men and women in our military. Memorial Day was established for honoring these brave soldiers who paid the ultimate price to ensure our liberty. Let’s not forget to take this weekend as an opportunity to pause, and extend our gratitude for those who died while protecting our great nation! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Amy Dee
Every day you make a multitude of choices that have the potential to create happiness.
In between impulse and action, there is a space called choice. Your happiness horsepower lies in those commonplace decisions. Our prosperous lives create lots of options. When faced with a decision, be mindful. Stop and breath to create a space so that you can ask yourself, “Which choice best serves me?” Short term satisfaction may be pleasing in the moment, but it could steer you off the path to a long-term goal. Conversely, a boring or challenging decision at the time may lead to greater life satisfaction later. Use mindfulness to harness your happiness horsepower. Just breathe to use the power of choice. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kenneth Kaufman
For all of Jeff Bezos’ talk about customer centricity, the disruption Amazon has brought is not based on customer demand, but on Amazon’s supply. Customers did not demand Alexa, Amazon Prime, or 100 million products from one portal. Rather, Amazon supplied innovations that consumers didn’t know they wanted. But once they got a taste of these innovations, consumers flocked to them. The same is true for other consumer-focused giants like Apple and Google. Consumers didn’t demand a phone that doubled as a hand-held computer and digital communicator, or a search engine that returned millions of results in a second. Most of us couldn’t have dreamed of such things. But once the iPhone and Google search were supplied to us, they were so useful that they became necessities. And once Amazon shopping, the iPhone, and Google search proved their worth, the resulting demand migration disrupted the nation’s economy. In the space of just weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed consumer behavior. In most cases, the virus has dramatically increased the speed of adoption of behaviors that were at various stages of taking root: meal delivery rather than eating in a restaurant, grocery delivery rather than wheeling a cart through a store, streaming events rather than attending in-person, online learning a client’s place of business. The effect of supply-side disruption has been unprecedented in the world economy. However, the short-term effect of this disruption on healthcare has been limited. Disruptors like Amazon have not yet caused a major change in any healthcare organization’s core delivery model. Demand-side disruption, on the other hand, could have a much more direct and powerful effect. If, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, a significant number of patients chose to receive healthcare in very different way, that could create the need for rapid and fundamental change in the healthcare delivery and care models, which in turn would create a serious potential strategic problem for healthcare organizations. One of the best examples is telehealth. Despite billions of dollars flowing into telehealth start-ups and product development, and the increased options for telehealth, adoption has been slow. As of 2019, only 20% of hospitals reported having video visits widely available, only 22% of physicianshad used telehealth, and less than 10% of patients had used virtual visits. With the COVID-19 pandemic have come numerous forces moving providers and patients toward telehealth options: lack of capacity for providers to handle people suspected of having the virus or to handle people with other conditions, reluctance of patients to be in a healthcare facility during the pandemic, and increase in payment for telehealth services among government and commercial payers. Forester is predicting more than 900 million telehealth visits will occur in 2020, compared with its original estimate of 36 million. Anecdotal accounts of the rising in telehealth use have been equally startling. “We were seeing approximately 10-20 patients a day on our telehealth platform prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Ken Samet, President and CEO of MedStar Health told us in a recent interview. “Right now, we’re flying past 500 patients a day, and we're on our way to 1,000 patients a day.” Providers, too, may have become more open to telemedicine. Claude Deschamps, MD, President and CEO of the University of Vermont Health Network Medical Group, told us recently, “It has been a big 'a-ha' moment for many providers that they can do a lot of their work via telemedicine.” The question for any organization seeing these kinds of radical changes in consumer demand is whether that change will last beyond the pandemic. When it comes to telemedicine, I believe we have every reason to believe that there will be a permanent change in demand. As the pandemic winds down, a greatly increased number of consumers will have used telemedicine and appreciated its far more convenient access and agreeable experience. And consumers will have appreciated the additional safety they feel by not entering a facility populated with other sick people. Many more clinicians will have conducted virtual visits and found it a viable and effective means of care. And payers and policymakers may permanently lift constraints on telehealth reimbursement. In the case of telehealth, the COVID-19 pandemic may have moved the healthcare industry rapidly into a state that, before the virus, seemed a point in the distance. This kind of rapid disruption could have varying and hard-to-predict consequences. A rapid rise in telehealth demand would have implications for the healthcare workforce and training. It could mean a reduction in the number of facilities and real estate needed. It could have major economic impact if telehealth reimbursement is not commensurate with reimbursement for in-person visits. It would place new demands on hospitals for investment in technology and talent. The rise of telemedicine could have deep implications for the competitive landscape. Healthcare’s long-held state as a cottage industry could change as digital access removes geographic boundaries. Well-known centers of excellence could draw market share from local providers by offering care digitally. Broad-based companies that currently provide many hospitals’ telehealth on a white-label basis could gain visibility as their own national brands of telehealth. Telemedicine is only one example of how a rapid and unprecedented change in consumer behavior caused by the COVID-19 pandemic could speed the disruption of healthcare and many other industries. At a time when organizations are financially weakened by the virus’s economic damage, they could find themselves needing to make major strategic pivots to a future that only a few weeks ago seemed at least somewhat distant. As fast and furious as supply-side disruption has been, demand-side disruption may force even faster strategic thinking and a more furious response at a time when such a response is especially difficult to model and deliver. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
“What if we have to do this next year, too?” My daughter, Grace, asked this question last week after being informed the rest of her school year was canceled. Although having her dad around all the time for the past month is great, she misses her teachers, playing with friends and living her old life. She also feels like every day is just about the same as every other day. She’s far from alone. Numerous professional colleagues, personal friends and family members have referred to the past several weeks as if they were stuck in the movie “Groundhog Day.” In the movie, a cynical, insolent, self-centered weatherman named Phil Connors (played perfectly by Bill Murray), is doomed to repeat the same day of his life. Day after day, week after week, the arrogant reporter awakes in Punxsutawney, Pa. sees the same people and has no way to escape the profound sense of monotony. He feels isolated, lost, hopeless. With so many restrictions on where we can go, who we can see and what we can do, it feels like an appropriate analogy. And yet, while the monotony and misery of reliving the same day at first drives Phil Connors crazy, eventually it fuels him to harness the gifts within each day and become a far better version of himself. The man previously directed every thought, every word and every action to maximize what he could get for himself out of any situation. His life was entirely about him. In time, he recognizes his only real joy is found when investing totally in becoming better… so that he elevate the people around him. On the day he finally breaks the Groundhog Day cycle, Phil strives to enjoy his greatest day yet. A partial list of how he invested himself fully in that day includes:
My friends, at some point we all will look back on what we did during our Groundhog Days. Did we relentlessly stream “Tiger King,” catch up on 22 seasons of “The Simpsons,” and complain about the difficulties of being confined each day? Or. Or did we reach out to those in need, learn something new professionally, read a new book and become a far better version of ourselves? The day we currently live on repeat will eventually fade into the past. Let’s be like Phil Connors and not only expect a great day, but let’s strive to actually create one. This is your day. Live Inspired. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Kristin Baird
While healthcare grapples with the COVID-19 crisis, it’s difficult to focus on anything else. At the same time, it is important that leaders begin thinking about, and preparing for, the inevitable recovery period that will follow. Prior to COVID-19, there was universal concern over burnout across healthcare, particularly among doctors and nurses. Turnover goes hand-in-hand with burnout. Our healthcare professionals have never been as taxed as they are in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Their stress has been compounded by both the volume and acuity of patients as well as concern over shortages of PPE. My fear is that many organizations were dealing with staffing issues prior to the crisis. Today, the workers at the epicenters are suffering from “battle fatigue.” What will the aftermath be? How can we help them recover once the crisis has subsided? The physical and emotional toll is very real. One thing I know for sure, is that when the crisis passes, the doors will still be open and beds will still be filling with patients in need of medical and surgical services unrelated to COVID-19. We’re going to need our team members on board and ready to serve them. The challenge facing leaders is to keep one foot in the present and another in the future. "What's next?" is a question weighing on everyone’s minds today. As more and more news reports tell us there will be no “getting back to normal”. We must ask; what is the new normal? Good question, but no clear answer. The new normal is what we create and based on how we, as leaders, answer these questions:
These are just a few questions to consider. What’s next is up to us. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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