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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.
My wife Wendy is really good at asking questions. She doesn’t ask them in an annoying way like “You did what?” or “Why can’t you put the lid down?” or “Who let the dogs out?” Instead, she asks them in both a thoughtful and interested way. If you watch her in a conversation, you’ll see someone who really knows how to engage others. I think most of us probably don’t ask enough questions. I have no research to back this up, and I suppose I could ask, but like many people, I prefer to appear knowledgable rather than show my ignorance in any particular situation. And yet, when I ask more questions and show a little humility, I tend to connect with others in a more human way. A few weeks ago, I was speaking at a healthcare event on Long Island in New York. I asked the hotel desk clerk to recommend a good sandwich place for lunch. He referred me to a kosher deli. Now, just so you know, I grew up in a small town in the south. As a child, I was not familiar with northern style delis. In fact, I never even had a bagel until I went to college. I remember biting into my first bagel and thinking, “The donuts at this university are horrible.” I guess I was a bit deprived in a hometown where there were no restaurants, no gas stations, and not one traffic light. And I’m pretty certain there wasn’t a kosher deli anywhere near my house. Thus, the opportunity to get a taste of New York was exciting but just a tad bit intimidating to me. I walked into the deli and the owner asked, “What will you have?” Feeling a bit awkward and not wanting to order something that I might regret, I said, “Well, I’m actually from the south and this is the first time I’ve been to a kosher deli. Could you recommend something?” A man at the end of the counter said, “Well, first of all, you need to know that nothing here comes with a side of grits!” We all laughed, and then the owner walked me through the menu and recommended a few of their most popular sandwiches. He then mentioned that he had recently visited the south and really loved the people and the food. We had a lovely conversation and I left with a good feeling, and a delicious pastrami on rye. In hindsight, I wondered if the situation progressed a bit more smoothly because I was willing ask a question rather than pretending to know what I was doing when, in fact, I did not. We’ve all been in those situations where we don’t want to look stupid. Once, a friend of mine was discussing a classic piece of literature he was reading. I had never heard of the book but rather than admit it, I just nodded my head and said “oh, yeah, great book.” In other words, I acted as if I was not only familiar with it but had actually read it. In that situation, I didn’t want to appear stupid and yet I acted like an idiot. Will Rogers once said, “Everybody is ignorant—only on different subjects.” It’s a good concept to remember. Instead of being proud, pretending to know it all, or fearing embarrassment, the act of asking questions can accomplish two things. First, it expands our knowledge. And second, it connects us with others. Let’s briefly consider each of these benefits. I wholeheartedly believe that one of our goals in life should be to expand our thinking and broaden our perspectives. By understanding in new ways, we can prevent our limited knowledge from becoming a barrier to growth. In the mid 1980’s, when I worked in hospice care, I had the privilege of caring for people with AIDS. It was a tragic situation and many of these individuals, mostly young men, had been shunned by society, by their families, and by some healthcare providers. At that time, we didn’t know a lot about the disease so we were all potentially at risk. Yet, we felt a drive and an obligation to care for these unfortunate souls. My teammates and I asked a lot questions of our medical colleagues, the infectious disease experts, and anyone who had information that we did not have. We didn’t get every question answered but the inquiries helped us to gain more knowledge than we had on our own. This knowledge made us more comfortable in an uncertain situation and allowed us to provide care to a group of individuals who had become disenfranchised. Asking questions also helps us to connect with others. When we ask people questions, we show that we’re interested in them. That makes them feel valued. Watch how someone’s behavior changes when you ask them to tell you about their day, their background, or their family. Most people love to share information with someone who is interested. Additionally, if we ask questions about topics we don’t know much about, we not only show our interest, we also show that we’re open to gaining new perspectives. This leads to a better understanding of ourselves and of others. And that, is a very human way of connecting. So, do you need to ask more questions? (See how I did that?) Probably. When we consider those times when we are frustrated, disconnected, and not sure where to turn, perhaps we need to ask a question. Remember: not only will it help expand our thinking and connect us with others, it’s just the kosher thing to do. 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.
As a husband and father, a healthcare professional, and a man living with Parkinson’s, take it from me: we all need to ask for help sometimes. And that’s a good thing. Many a Parkinson’s fighter is drawn to isolation, just as many people suffering other hardships are. I find that, more and more, the most comfortable thing for me is to sit in a quiet space with no stressors that cause me to shake. It’s always a temptation. If that sounds unhealthy, it’s because it is. We all need solitude sometimes, but I’m talking about a detrimental pull to aloneness, an isolation that prevents me from ever being challenged in my disease. I know I’m not the only one to feel this pull; I see it in others with Parkinson’s all the time. We want to feel sheltered, safe, and free of any anxiety that will produce symptoms. However, we need to find community. We need the friendship of individuals who get what we’re going through. Who can not only sympathize with our difficulties but also call us out when we’re slipping into unhealthy places. For me, the important community spaces are my church, my Parkinson’s support group, my exercise group, and U-Turn Parkinson’s. Each provides the human contact that helps me see my life more clearly and respond better to both the world at large and my personal circumstances. In short, these are the places that give me the helping hand I sometimes need. And of course, there’s family. During the race, they were always with me—the words of wisdom from my wife, the support of my three younger children (excluding their concerns that I’d embarrass them), and Tim Jr. I could never have done those amazing, adventurous things without his help. Two moments in particular stand out for me. The first came when I admitted needing his help to get up that snow-covered hill. It was one of the more difficult things I’ve ever had to do, since I’d always thought parents were supposed to support their children, not the other way around. But in swallowing my pride and asking my son for a helping hand, we went further, faster. Anytime I’m afraid to ask for help now, I remember that. The second time was less obvious, but no less significant. It’s funny to look back on it now, but at the time it was no joke when I took the wrong door out of the airport terminal and made us dead last. Tim Jr. was upset—and who could blame him—but he understood and he forgave, which helped us both move on. We all need to learn from our mistakes, but dwelling on them doesn’t do any good. Slowing down to help others, and feeling empathy for them, can put you ahead in the end. Both parties, those giving and receiving help, get a leg up. So yes, there are times when I need a hand. Sometimes I need friends to call on just to make it through the day. I’m so grateful for the gift of family, friendship, and a community that does just that: they help me get by. 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 Joe Flower
Healthcare CFOs must look at the environment in which their system lives: Since 2007 the actual costs for the average middle-class family for many of the basics of life have decreased in real terms, while their actual costs for healthcare have risen 25%, or even more counting co-pays, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses. This long, continuing rise in the costs along with the continuing and increasing unreliability of the healthcare system (“Will it actually be there for me when I need it? Will it bankrupt me?”) create unyielding disruption. Instability: Omens I am no fortune-teller, but here are some things we can see right now that give us a sense of what’s coming...
By Joe Flower
Chief financial officer: tough gig. Seriously. Whether for a payer or a healthcare provider, the CFO’s job is the exact point where the smiling faces on the billboards meet the double entry, the financing, the payer mix, the debt structure. And it all has to work out in the black. It has to do that sustainably, not only this year but next year and five years from now. Best guess? It’s going to get a lot tougher, with shifting revenue streams, market boundaries, new technologies, growing consumer expectations and uncertain politics. Raise your hand if you can tell me the significance of these names: Univac, Control Data, Burroughs, Digital, Honeywell, IBM, NCR. These companies dominated the computer world in 1980. As of 1990, all but IBM were gone, bankrupt, subsumed into some other company, or just out of the computer business. The one that survived, IBM, is the one that said, “Maybe we should at least get a toehold in this new personal computer game, even though it is risky for our main revenue streams.” All the others went “poof.” A number of factors—radical new technologies with vast potential, ramifying customer frustration, shifting user base—are coming together to put healthcare today at exactly the place the computing world was in 1980. A Beautiful System In Danger The U.S. healthcare system is in many ways a beautiful system. We can be proud of our world-leading technology, gorgeous physical plants, and a vigorous sector fairly fountaining the best jobs. In many ways, the system is doing really well at what it is designed to do. But we have to ask: What is it designed to do? The medical care system and the clinicians who work in it are focused on curing people, keeping people healthy, fixing them where they are broken. The healthcare system that now envelops, manages, and pays for all that wonderful work is designed for a different aim. No one person or group designed it this way. It is a complex adaptive system with many interacting parts that developed over the last half century or so. It is, in a sense, self-designed. An economic market that works brings together healthcare consumers with providers who can give them what they need at a price they can afford. The fee-for-service system is working at cross-purposes to the needs of consumers, employers and other buyers. Healthcare costs far too much, is far too wasteful, and still can’t seem to take care of everyone. No system can long survive working so vividly at cross-purposes to the needs of its real customers and buyers. Eventually that mismatch generates unrecoverable instability in the system. The U.S. system has almost exclusively a single financial input: code-driven, incident-focused, insurance-supported, fee-for-service payments. Its other key inputs are not financial but human: the needs of patients, and the commitment and passion of the clinicians and caregivers. The problem expressed in the iron tongue of financials is: How do we close the gap between our customers’ and clinicians’ real needs and the financial engineering of our systems? How do we shift from the current single-input model to new models that will bring us closer to our customers and help us do the job we are here to do? What are the new dynamics? Who are our new partners and allies? No one does this alone. Looking for your next virtual healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us today to make your healthcare event a success! By Amy Dee
My mom’s house sold recently. This was GREAT NEWS. Within moments, I heard my daughter was on her way to the ER because of a minor accident. “Can’t I enjoy five minutes of peace before the next storm hits?” I whined. This summer has been a succession of mini storms. Mom’s serious fall derailed a short vacation. A leisurely transition into our new home became frantic when we needed to move Mom the same week. Delayed flights forced me to sleep overnight in the Atlanta airport. On and on. This morning, I realized that my experiences are life’s natural flow of ups and downs. Both good and bad things happen in everyone’s life. Too often we think happiness relies on the quantity of these trials and successes. Lots of good stuff makes us happy, while lots of bad stuff makes us unhappy. This isn’t true. The sum of happiness doesn’t come from the number of ups and downs. Happiness results in how smoothly we transition through both the painful and the painless moments. Nothing in our life is permanent. Like the weather, everything changes: our moods, emotions, relationships, goals, etc all change. When clouds show up, we don’t curse the sky, believing that the storm will last forever. When the sun shines, we know the clouds are minutes or days away. Good or bad experiences don’t define our lives; they are just small pieces in the big picture of our overall life. Once we recognize the impermanence of our lives, we no longer need to hold on to either the “good” or “bad” moments. We value every moment when we conclude it happened for a reason, and when recognize it won’t last forever. So next time you feel bad, remember, like clouds in the sky these moments will pass. And next time you feel good, appreciate the moment of sunshine, because, ultimately the clouds will drift in. Remember the saying attributed to Vivian Green: Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass… It’s about learning how to dance in the rain. 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.
There is no easy way, and certainly no singular right way, to say a final goodbye to a loved one. Perhaps as close to perfect as I’ve ever heard, though, is the way attorney, diplomat, author and life-enthusiast Bob Goff said goodbye to his dear friend, Carol. Let me explain. Bob Goff is vibrantly alive. He’s also possibly the most loving guy I’ve ever met. That love shines through in all he does, but perhaps it shone most brilliantly in how he treated his neighbor, Carol, as her cancer spread and she neared the end of her life. As Carol became more ill, Bob wanted her to know she wasn’t alone. He wanted to remain in constant contact with her. And he wanted their communication to feel playful, whimsical, even life-giving. So, what did he do? He bought a walkie talkie set. Laughing Like Little Kids Carol had one walkie talkie and Bob the other. They communicated like little kids, talking throughout the day and sometimes even late into the night. As days passed, Carol’s voice softened and her breath became more labored. In one of their evening chats Bob asked if there was anything she’d wanted to do, but hadn’t yet done? There was a long silence on the other end of the walkie talkie, then a little static, and then a labored response from Carol that she had never in her life toilet-papered anyone’s house. Although typically a law-abiding citizen, Bob needed no arm twisting. A few days later, with arms full of toilet paper rolls and wearing disguises, the two snuck out. Carol held Bob’s arm for support, they crossed the street and began toilet-papering their neighbor’s two large trees. It was the middle of the day. As toilet paper came thudding down on another one of their friend’s trees, they laughed like little kids. Carol had the time of her life. It was a generous, unusual, and beautiful -albeit illegal- gift Bob gave his dying neighbor. But it wasn’t his last. For more than a decade, their community had hosted a large neighborhood parade and encouraged everyone to participate, drawing hundreds each year. Years earlier Carol had presided over the parade as queen. She was known by all. But this year, she was far too weak to leave the house, let alone walk in it. Resting in bed, listening to the joyous sounds of the parade as it approached her house, she was surprised when she heard Bob’s voice in the foyer. A nurse guided him back to Carol’s room. Bob brought his two sons, got permission from the nursing staff, and the three Goff boys gingerly bent down, picked up their fragile neighbor, and carried Carol from her bed to the front window of the house. What Carol didn’t know was that the parade wasn’t just passing by her house this year. No, this year the parade was concluding in her front yard. As she sat in a chair, weakened and dying, hundreds of friends walked up the street, then down her walking path, and in various ways thanked Carol for being their neighbor. Some left flowers, others balloons, and many brought cards, but all shared through waves, words and tears that her life meant something to them, that she mattered, and that she wouldn’t be forgotten. Through tears, the former queen of the parade blew kisses to her friends from her living room throne. Just two days later, Carol would take her last breath. How Can We Help Others Realize the Purpose of Life? Making people feel special, worthwhile, appreciated, alive. My friends, we all have the capacity for this kind of impact as we guide friends and family at the end of their lives. But the reason I share this story isn’t about getting ready to die. It’s actually about deciding to start living. Because after all, the purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience. And we shouldn’t just do this on our own. No, we should encourage others to join us. In doing so, we elevate not only our lives, but the lives of those we love. 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 Colette Carlson
The woman in the royal blue jacket sitting in the front row gasped when she heard my next request. “One at a time, please walk to the front of the room, plant your feet, smile, and say both your name and where you work.” Easy, right? Simply stating your name and employer information doesn’t require a lot of thought, even under the most severe duress. Yet apparently, that’s what most of the 86 people in the room were experiencing – severe duress. How do I know? After everyone took their turn, I asked, “Who can remember two or more individuals’ names and companies?” Does it surprise you to note only the few individuals who went first were able to recall anyone else’s information? Why? Everyone else was too focused on their own upcoming delivery to be present and pay attention. If you have anxiety about speaking in front of a group, you’re not alone. But it’s time to get comfortable being uncomfortable because solid speaking skills support your career growth whether you’re presenting on a conference stage, in the boardroom, or one-on-one with a customer. So, here’s seven strategies to support you in gaining confidence while building audience connection:
And memorable people who are connected get tapped for even greater opportunities and rewards. Why not you? 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.
A highlight of my career was becoming friends and playing tennis with best-selling author, the late Dr. Wayne Dyer. My favorite quote of his: “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” These insightful words remind us that we can change our perspective, and it can change our results! Perspective is defined as a particular attitude or a way of thinking about circumstances. Our perspective is the window through which we view our life’s experiences. How to change your mindset and attitudeWhy is a positive perspective so powerful and a must-have for success?
When someone with a negative perspective encounters challenges, they ask, “Why me?” and find problems. A person with a positive perspective faces challenges and asks, “What can I do to overcome this?” and they find solutions. For example, the Kauffman Foundation sponsored a study that found more than half of the companies on the Fortune 500 list launched during a recession or bear market. Think Microsoft and Apple, who saw opportunity amid difficult economic times in the 1970s. The fact is: Our perspective is what determines our prospects for success, regardless of external conditions. How you see tomorrow will determine your motivation today. Change your perspective by: 1. Making it a habit to notice the positive in your lifeWe have all met someone who has the habit of always focusing on the negative. No matter how good something is, they can see the bad. They have trained themselves to find the negative and are really good at it. So, instead, train your brain to be even better at focusing on the positive, and that will shape your perspective. Are there situations that make us angry or sad? Of course. But if we intentionally look for the good in life, we realize there are many things to feel passionate, joyful, and excited about. It’s up to us to decide which things, the positive or the negative, we will focus on. 2. Practicing gratitudeWhen you live life always looking for something wrong or dwelling on what you don’t have, it’s easy to overlook what’s right and forget your blessings. When I am coaching someone, I ask them to share their successes. I often hear, “I succeeded in this, but anyone could do that.” They are minimizing what they have accomplished and are unable to appreciate what they’ve done. My response is, “Perhaps anyone could do that, but not everyone would have the courage.” Your perspective becomes more positive when you are grateful for your abilities and what you have achieved. As you move forward, remember: Life is all about perspective. 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 five months, hospital leaders have been responding to what will likely be the biggest challenge of their careers: managing the operational and financial threats from the COVID-19 pandemic. An already difficult environment is likely to become even more challenging this fall and into 2021. Surges and resurges of infection, ongoing macroeconomic threats, and widespread uncertainty about the stability of regained volumes and revenue are likely to persist for some time to come. Against this backdrop, achieving credit and rating “success” will require significant performance improvement. Given revenue uncertainty and potential volatility, the focus must be on expense containment and careful capital and resource allocation. More than ever before, this will emerge as a rating differentiator. Preparing for these realities starts with critically assessing every aspect of an organization’s toolkit—from financial resources to decision-support infrastructure to management capabilities. This preparation itself will yield clarity, which can be used to guide a more proactive and productive next conversation with rating agencies, investors, and other external constituents. The difference in outcomes from doing this well or doing this poorly will be material. The ability of executive teams to successfully multitask will be a core driver of success. In this context, multitasking refers to the ability to both confront the myriad of new pressures COVID-19 is producing right now and reposition the risk profile of the organization to be prepared for what is coming next. Organizations have no choice but to address these two priorities simultaneously. And their success will heavily influence whether they thrive or struggle in a post-COVID-19 environment. Different leaders and organizations possess a wide range of needed multitasking capabilities, which leave them in relatively better or worse position to succeed in the current and emerging environment. As a result, CEOs and hospital boards should be critically assessing right now where their organization finds itself on this key skill continuum, and how to improve its performance. Enterprise-oriented frameworks that bring analytics and decision-support under a common umbrella are another critical element of improving multitasking. These frameworks—ideally limited to just a few critical needs—can create clarity around resource utilization and risk management, offering senior executives the greatest amount of management leverage. Ultimately, CEOs should be then able to create a “multitasking enterprise,” where downstream activities roll up to a manageable and common number of resource deployment and risk management decisions. As part of this approach, organizations that embrace predictive methodologies can begin to better understand the potential long-term impact of various externalities. At the same time, such methodologies can help identify internal actions to mitigate those external risks. For example, through careful financial planning, organizations might realize the need to move swiftly on securing financing for the next 18 months, or address looming expense problems before they wreak havoc. In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many disciplined, resilient organizations quickly and simultaneously tackled a wide range of unexpected clinical needs. At the same time, these organizations addressed a rapidly deteriorating financial picture and crafted strategies for the post-COVID-19 world. As the external environment grows even more uncertain, hospitals will need to take their multitasking to an even more sophisticated, enterprise-wide level. Moving forward, success will require continuous and coordinated monitoring of the external environment, timely evaluation of the associated implications, and proactive steps to mitigate the many, varied, and unpredictable risks of a world that is more volatile than any we have ever experienced. 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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