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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!
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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! 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.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife Wendy and I were engrossed in a one-on-one game of Canasta. The two of us started playing last year and have even joined a monthly Canasta group in our community. I don’t really have a mind for card playing so these games can test my patience. Add to that a somewhat dicey history of head-to-head competition between Wendy and me, and it’s a perfect set up to destroy my otherwise suave and respectful demeanor. You see, when Wendy and I were first married, we were extremely competitive when it came to playing games. Whether it was backgammon, Trivial Pursuit, or trying to guess the answers before the contestants did on Jeopardy, we went for blood. I remember one incident where a backgammon board was abruptly overturned mid-game because someone was losing. Wendy would deny that she did it. But since she probably won’t read this blog, I feel confident in stating that it absolutely was her. Even though our early years of marriage were marred by our shared and deep-seated need to win, we eventually realized that it was better to experience the fun of a civil game rather than to end one prematurely with hard feelings and broken game pieces. But, once in a while, our repressed competitiveness still bubbles up. The Canasta game a few weeks ago started innocently enough with my winning two hands in a row. I only point out my card-melding prowess because I don’t usually win even one hand, much less two hands in a row. It appeared to me that it was going to be a night of Canasta domination. Then I lost the third hand by almost a thousand points and my lead evaporated. The fourth hand ended before I had laid down a single card which meant I would have a negative score for that hand. So, during the course of two hands, I went from a commanding lead to a score that a mediocre player could have beaten blindfolded. At the realization of what had just happened, and I say this with no pride whatsoever, I let loose a few carefully chosen expletives and slammed my fist down on the table. I guess I hit the surface a bit too hard because the vibration from the impact traveled into the oak grain of the table, across the divider leaf, and into the base of a wine glass. It then shimmied up the stem and shattered the entire glass as if a stick of dynamite had exploded inside it. The broken glass flew through the air while continuing to break apart upon impact with various items around our living room until it ultimately landed on the floor. Wendy simply stood up and walked away. I slowly made my way to the closet, retrieved the vacuum cleaner, and began the arduous task of cleaning up what remained of my…well…whine glass. Whenever I have a strong reaction like this, I am both aware and unaware at the same time. I simultaneously know how ridiculous my response is and yet, like a knee-jerk reflex, I react before my awareness can stop me. The good thing, however, is that as I get older, the gap between my reaction and my awareness is closing. Again, Wendy is not likely to agree with this assessment but as I’ve said, she’ll never see this blog. As I listen to the news these days, I think we could all agree that the world is full of uncertainty. And at the risk of being too simplistic, I believe there are some similarities between my glass-shattering Canasta game and our current environment. The truth is that there are situations happening all around us that we can’t control. The only thing we can control is how we play our cards and how comfortable we are with the results of the game—regardless of the outcome. The key is to become aware of the role our minds play in these kinds of situations. When I felt my Canasta game slipping through my hands, my mind instantly went to work. It told me things like, “You are the worst Canasta player on the planet,” and “You’re such a loser,” and “Why is Wendy so obsessed with beating you?” Our minds love to create chaos even if there is no chaos to begin with. During the game, I had simply lost a couple of hands of cards. No more, no less. Canasta playing is not a critical life skill. And I am not a lesser person because I lost two hands. And most important, a card game is just a card game. It’s not life or death. Similarly, with all that is happening in the world right now, while obviously a different level of importance, our minds tend to react similarly. They tell us things like, “This virus is the worst illness in history” or “The stock market will never recover,” or “I’m going to have to use magazines for toilet paper.” Again, our minds love to create chaos and want to lead us down the path of believing things that may not be true. The reality of the current world situation is that there is a serious virus that’s affecting how we live. We don’t have control over the virus but we have control over how we respond. And most importantly, we do what we can to stay safe and healthy but try to manage our minds so that we don’t create more stress for ourselves. This is what mindfulness is. It’s the ability to be present and to bring our minds back to the reality of the moment. When we can see the true situation, rather than the situation in our heads, we can respond calmly and with wisdom. This is much healthier than sitting in our living rooms wringing our hands in a woe-is-me state of anxiety. Because, when we do that, we miss the opportunity to use our time in a productive and fulfilling way. And if we waste away our time in worry, we never get that time back. As a result of the Coronavirus, many of my speaking engagements have been cancelled, our investments have tanked, our daughter’s wedding will have to be postponed, many of our friends and family are at higher risk due to age, and in my volunteer job as an ambulance driver I could be exposed. And yet, I don’t have control over how any of those things play out. I only have control over how I respond to them. If I choose to respond with clarity, truthfulness, and a sense of calmness, both my life and the lives of those around me will be better. So, as we face the uncertainty of these times, let’s understand that our minds would prefer to elevate the chaos in our lives. With a bit of wisdom, however, we can nip that in the bud and choose to see many situations for they truly are—neither overwhelming joy nor devastating tragedy. They simply are what they are. Now to be clear, I have a lot of work to do to recapture my sense of mindfulness while playing Canasta. But I will start by taking it one hand at a time. I suggest we consider facing the challenges in our own lives the same way and if we do, perhaps we will find it a bit easier to play our cards right—in any situation we may be dealt. 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 Colette Carlson
During an action-packed movie scene, it’s not uncommon to watch a getaway vehicle, being chased by seven squad cars, fly 300 feet off a bridge, land smack dab in the middle of a busy freeway going the wrong way and still make it to safety. Or, perhaps during a thriller an individual awakes to the sound of breaking glass, but rather than call 911, they creep downstairs to investigate sans protection while calling out, “Is anyone there?” If you remained glued to the screen, you have mastered the art of suspending judgment. After all, not letting go of your critical mind and picking apart every scene would ruin the viewing experience. Yet, too many people refuse to leverage this same strategy in their personal and professional life. Take a look at the following three scenarios to recognize your own ability to suspend judgment:
Remember, every thought begins with you. Your thoughts lead to feelings either increasing your anxiety or bringing you calm. Thoughts leads to behaviors. Behaviors that showcase your strong leadership skills or display your lack of leadership. Therefore, rather than react with doubt, frustration, annoyance or criticism, why not suspend judgment and choose to assume everyone is doing their best. And let it rest. Sure, we’ve all been told that assumptions can backfire, yet they also help you avoid inaccurate or unhelpful feelings that do nothing but drive an unnecessary wedge between you and another. For example, if a colleague hasn’t returned your emails as quickly as you desire, here’s an opportunity to suspend judgment. Rather than immediately assume they are disorganized, slow to take action, or avoiding you, assume they’re doing their best. Perhaps they’re simply overwhelmed with their new home-schooling responsibility or a family member or friend has taken ill. Suspending judgment within your own family works wonders, too. Not everyone’s definition of clean is equal, nor how people choose to invest their downtime. Although I personally wear news cancelling headphones and choose to gather my information online, my sweetheart prefers to both start and end his day watching news…loudly. Rather than suggest my way is healthier or more efficient, I allow him to honor his own path. Trust me, it’s not easy, but it’s my mind that dictates how I want to view the situation, and I prefer a joyful relationship over one filled with frustration, misery or negativity. While you’re at it, why not suspend judgment when it comes to your own self? After all, you are learning how to navigate in a world you have never experienced before. You are learning how to be productive, focused and effective in an environment riddled with ambiguity. You’re learning how to lead and be present for others in a new high-tech, high-touch, but “don’t touch” environment. Why not choose to be understanding, empathetic and compassionate rather than critical? Why not choose to assume that right now, everyone is doing their best? In the process, you’ll be exercising the invaluable, connected leadership skills of empathy, understanding and compassion. And who can’t use more of that right now? 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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