LEADERSHIP INSIGHTS

Imagine sitting at your local park in your lawn chair, relaxed and enjoying a summer breeze as the warm sun lands gently on your cheeks. You turn to see a familiar neighbor boy playing catch nearby and, to encourage you to play, he tosses you the ball. What do you naturally do? You catch the ball. You’ve joined the game. As leaders, we're also wired to catch. We assume responsibility to help, to fix. When someone throws out a concern, we pick up their burden and respond. When an employe...

I love pie! I rarely turn down the chance to enjoy a slice…lemon meringue, peach, apple, pumpkin, pecan, chocolate, cherry, even grape! There’s only one pie I had to develop a taste for – humble pie. Do you have a taste for it as well?

Since April we’ve sailed the seas with two ships of our leadership fleet – Mentorship and Relationship. How’s your sailing going? Who on your crew has now been mentored…and is now mentoring others? What relationships among your “shipmates” have you leaned into to strengthen? We now enter June, a fine month for sunny sky sailing. We conclude our voyage aboard our final leadership vessel – Stewardship.

Last month we toured the first of three “ships” in our leadership fleet – Mentorship. How did you do as you hoisted the sail with that skill? Who did you mentor? How did they grow? How rewarding was it to watch their sail fill?This month’s vessel – Relationship.

Have you ever been sailing? Sailing a boat requires trust in your intuition to steer—paying close attention to changes in the wind, knowing how to adapt and adjust and when to let go of control, relax, and enjoy. And it’s hard to sail a large ship alone; you must rely on your crew’s strengths. Communication is required between the captain and shipmates. Does sailing sound a little bit like leadership? Well then…I invite you to set sail with me over the upcoming months as we explore thre...

Modern medicine preaches the benefits of prevention. We’ve learned how it positively impacts overall health, increases quality of life, and decreases cost of care.What if we were to apply this concept to our staffing pipeline? Too often in the midst of today’s healthcare climate, where steadying today’s staffing levels is—at best—a struggle, considering tomorrow’s needs takes a back seat. While the difficulty is understandable, by postponing the preparations until the time of need, it c...

As readers of this monthly leadership insight, we vary in years of experience, age, and approaches. We bring diverse viewpoints to the definition of good leadership—what WE think it means to be a great leader. I’m challenging all of us to look at leadership from a different perspective. Instead of seeing it through our own eyes, considering what benefit we bring to those we support, let’s get curious: what do those we serve NEED from our leadership?

January marks the beginning of a new walk for me as I now offer this monthly reflection.  I’m attempting to fill the big shoes of one of my most cherished mentors—Jo Anne Preston, who taught me so very much about myself and about what true leadership looks like.  Realistically I know I’ll never fill her shoes, as I’m simply not like her, despite my desire to be.  Instead, I’m working on walking ever steadier in my own shoes.  Over the past 23 years of my own leadership journey, even that ha...

This is my last leadership blog post* as I come to what I’ve been calling my “graduation” instead of retirement the end of this month. After a 44-year career that was more than I could have hoped for, it seems like a good time to make my closing argument for how to be a great leader.

When we merge cultures—be it two large corporations, two small departments combining, or even a physical move to a shared workspace with a new group of people—there are common fears as well as opportunities. The fears are natural. As we address our fears one by one, it helps to remind ourselves to see the opportunities that are there. When we join with others in new ways, it is an opportunity to expand our connections, and connection is what gives us influence as leaders.