"You salute the rank, not the man..."

The last blog post addressed "courage" as one of the three Navy core values.  Today, I would like to talk about "honor."  The word "honor" is defined in many different ways.  As a noun, honor can be used interchangeably with the words, "privilege," "esteem," or "respect."  As a verb, to honor someone means "to hold them in high regard or respect" or "to keep a pledge, agreement, or promise."  For example, in the Judeo-Christian tradition, one of the Ten Commandments is to "Honor your mother and father."  In this usage, we are asked to hold our parents in high regard or respect.  The final sentence of the U.S. Declaration of Independence states, "...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."  Here we see the use of the term (as a noun)as "privilege" or "respect."  Finally, the Boy Scout Oath (some of my happiest memories as a young boy were during Scouting) begins with the words, "On my Honor..." - here we see the word (as a noun) as a "promise."

When I think of the meaning of the word "honor," I am often reminded of the "Honor Code" used by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point: A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do."  The West Point Honor Code has been used (even if modified slightly) by other military academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, the U.S. Naval Academy, and the Virginia Military Institute, as well as both private and public colleges (Harvard, Princeton, and Texas A&M to name a few).  It is elegant in its simplicity - I will not lie, I will not cheat, I will not steal.  Beyond that, I will not tolerate those who do.  It is the ultimate in 200% accountability - I am accountable for not only my own actions, but also for those actions of my colleagues.

Honor also means "integrity."  You stand up for what is good and what is just.  Shortly after the recent U.S. Presidential election, the campus leadership at the University of Notre Dame held an interfaith prayer service.  The video is short (the service lasted approximately 11 minutes), but the most powerful thing that I heard from the video was something that Father John Jenkins, the University of Notre Dame President said in his remarks.  He told a brief, but poignant story about Father Ted Hesburgh (long-time President who recently died this past year).  It seems that a Jewish student at the college had been harassed by two other Notre Dame students to the point where he decided to leave the University.  Father Hesburgh brought the two students who had harassed the Jewish student in to his office and gave them this message:  Leave campus and go to the Jewish student's home and convince him to return to the University of Notre Dame.  If you can't convince him to return, you are not welcome back either.  The two students convinced the young man to come back, and the three graduated together.  Father Jenkins said, "That is Notre Dame.  Either we walk together in mutual support, or we do not walk at all.  Either we are all Notre Dame, or none of us are."  That, to me, is integrity.  That, to me is honor.

Finally, in these difficult times, I think it bears well to remember a scene from the HBO television mini-series, "Band of Brothers" (one of my favorites!).  In the scene, which I believe is from the final episode (or pretty close to the end), Major Dick Winters is sitting in his jeep when Captain Sobel walks by him.  In one of the early episodes, Captain Sobel was relieved of his command (he wasn't a very good leader) and the company command is instead given to Winters.  Obviously, Captain Sobel doesn't like Major Winters very much.  Major Winters was a great leader who truly lived and led by the core values, courage, honor, and commitment.  He deserved to be honored.  He deserved respect.  Regardless, instead of saluting Major Winters, Captain Sobel looks the other way ("if he doesn't see him, he doesn't have to salute him").  Major Winters stops him and says, "You salute the rank, not the man."."  In other words, even if you can't respect the individual, you must respect and honor the office.

"You know what to do..."

I have previously posted a blog about mission, vision, and values (Your personal mission, vision, and values).  When I was on active duty, the Navy's core values were (and still are, by the way) Courage, Honor, and Commitment.  I still hold these three core values very close to my heart, even to this day.  They are, in fact, three of my personal core values (whether I always live up to these values is a different story, but I feel that they are important values to live by regardless).  Today, I would like to talk a little about "courage."  The word "courage" has many different meanings and interpretations.  Webster's online dictionary defines "courage" as "the ability to do something that frightens one" or "strength in the face of pain or grief."

Thomas Paine, a political activist, philosopher, and patriot from the Revolutionary War era once said, "I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflections."  "Courage" doesn't mean that you can never be afraid.  Rather, "courage" means that you still do the right thing even if you are afraid.  Courageous leaders are the ones who push forward, even when they are afraid.  Courageous leaders are the ones who stay "calm, cool, and collected" in times of stress.

The great British statesman, Winston Churchill, once said, "Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities...because it is the quality that guarantees all others."  It all starts with courage.  Courage to stand up for what you believe in.  Courage to stand up for what is right.  Courage to stand up for those who can't stand up themselves.  We need more "courage" in this world.  We need more "courage" in our leaders.

Sometimes, "courage" means "letting go."  Leaders should trust their teams to get the job done.  Courageous leaders let their front-line leaders, who are the experts (HRO: Deference to Expertise), do their job.  I am reminded of one of my favorite stories that I learned in a leadership class during "Officer Indoctrination School" at the U.S. Navy Training Center in Newport, Rhode Island.  The setting was the Battle of Cape St. George during the Solomon Islands Campaign, World War II, on November 25, 1943.  The United States Naval force was led by Captain Arleigh "31 knot" Burke, under the command of Admiral William "Bull" Halsey, Jr.  Halsey's command directive to Burke is rather instructive:

31 Knot Burke, get athwart the Buka-Rabaul evacuation line about 35 miles west of Buka.

If no enemy contact by 0300, come south to refuel same place.

If enemy contacted, you know what to do.

Note that Halsey's instructions are rather specific, down to almost the exact longitude and latitude and time of day.  However, if Burke encountered the Japanese Navy, Halsey's instructions were rather loose.  In other words, Halsey's courageous style of leadership proved that he trusted Burke would know what to do and be able to get the job done.  One could argue that the exact specifications of where to go and when were bordering on micromanagement, but the last sentence is very clear: "You know what to do."  At times, courage means saying, "You know what to do."

The art of self-reflection

I came across another really good book the other day, called "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living" by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman.  The book is essentially a daily devotional reader and includes passages from some of the great Stoic writers and philosophers of antiquity (Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, among others).  The last several passages have all been about self-reflection, which I have really enjoyed.  I think self-reflection is an excellent habit for leaders to establish and develop.  Harry M. Kraemer recently wrote an online article for the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, "How self-reflection can make you a better leader".  In the article, Kraemer suggests that leaders spend 15 minutes at the end of every day asking themselves the following questions:


1. What did I say I was going to do today in all dimensions of my life?
2. What did I actually do today?
3. What am I proud of?
4. What am I not proud of?
5. How did I lead people?
6. How did I follow people?
7. If I lived today over again, what would I have done differently?
8. If I have tomorrow (and I am acutely aware that some day I won't), based on what I learned today, what will I do tomorrow in all dimensions of my life?


I was struck by how similar these daily self-reflection type of questions were to what Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus asked themselves in ancient Rome!  So I thought to myself, maybe there is something here that I should be doing in my own life!  While I do not have a perfect track record so far (I just started doing this), I did start to sit down at the end of the day and ask myself a few of these questions, and I have found the exercise to be really useful and worthwhile.


I will finish with a quote from Kraemer's article - "The reason many, many people have trouble balancing their lives is that they have not been self-reflective enough to figure out what they are trying to balance."  Great advice for me. 

"A goal without a plan is just a wish"

I came across a great quote the other day (full disclosure, the political analyst Matthew Dowd tweeted the quote and I looked it up to see who originally said it).  The French writer, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said, "A goal without a plan is just a wish."  Wow!  That really does sum things up nicely, doesn't it?  Having a vision, the so-called "true North" of where you want to be is only the first step.  You have to set individual goals for yourself, which, if achieved, will help get you to your "true North."  However, setting goals is not even close to being enough.  Having a plan to help you achieve your goals and then executing on that plan are the next steps. 

In other words:

1. Set a vision
2. Set goals based on that vision
3. Develop a plan on how to achieve those goals
4. Execute the plan
5. Evaluate how you did

If you don't have a plan to achieve your goals, they are only empty, meaningless statements.  How often do we hear about how our friends, co-workers, and family members make "New Year's Resolutions" only to fail on or about January 15th?  It happens all the time - it's happened to me personally!  But if we develop a plan on how we will work towards those resolutions, we are more than half way there! 

I started this blog last year based upon a personal New Year's Resolution to "write more."  I did pretty well for the first week or so, and then I took a rather long hiatus and wrote nothing on the blog until the Spring.  Why?  I started out with a goal of writing a blog post at least once per week.  Nothing too specific - and I certainly did not have a plan.  When I resumed writing, I came up with a plan to write a blog post on every Wednesday and Sunday evening.  Looking back, it appears that I have done reasonably well, with only a few exceptions.  I have established a rhythm where I sit down every Wednesday and Sunday evenings to write a blog post.  In other words, I came up with a more robust plan to reach my goal!

I am not sure what prompted Matthew Dowd to tweet this quote, but I am really glad that he did.  There is an important lesson here.  Develop a vision.  Set a goal.  Make a plan.  Execute the plan.  Evaluate.  It's really that simple.

The Farewell Address

There have been a lot of so-called "farewell speeches" lately - tomorrow, January 20, 2017 is Inauguration Day in the United States.  It is a time of transitions - as one era peacefully ends, a new era peacefully begins.  As is the case with most transitions of power, some people are going to be happy and others are going to be sad.  I am reminded of our nation's first transition of Presidential leadership.  George Washington had everything going for him - even back then, all those years ago, he was considered the "father of his country."  He was loved by all, and if he had wanted to do so, he would have easily been elected for a third term as President (there was no such thing as term limits then).  In fact, some of his officers near the end of the American Revolution had recommended that he declare himself King (in what has been called the Newburgh Conspiracy, in essence, a military coup against the Continental Congress) - the nation had been weakened by the long and drawn out war, both militarily and economically, and these officers believed that only Washington as King could keep the country together.  Washington responded to one officer in particular as follows:

Be assured, Sir, no occurrence in the course of the War, has given me more painful sensations than your information of there being such ideas existing in the army as you have expressed [which] I must view with abhorrence, and reprehend with severity.  If I am not deceived in the knowledge of myself, you could not have found a person to whom your schemes are more disagreeable...Let me conjure you then, if you have any regard for your Country, concern for yourself or posterity, or respect for me, to banish these thoughts from your Mind.

As the story goes, Washington addressed his officers, and as he began to read his written speech, he gazed with difficulty on his words.  He did not speak, but instead he took a pair of reading glasses from his pocket (few, if any officers had ever observed him wearing his glasses), saying, "Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country."  His officers quickly realized that Washington perhaps had sacrificed more than any of them had.  Many of his officers were moved to tears as Washington read his speech, and the conspiracy collapsed before it had even started.

Washington chose the alternate path - he gracefully and peacefully stepped down.  Not too much later, he gave the first of what would be many farewell addresses during his military and political career.  He first addressed his beloved troops, the men who had fought beside him for six long years.  In his farewell orders to the Continental Army, Washington outlines the virtues and personal character that would be necessary for the success of the new American republic.  He warns his men of the difficult path ahead, stating that what they do, how they choose to live their lives, would ultimately decide whether the American nation would "stand or fall."

...and by their confirmation or lapse it is yet to be decided, whether the revolution must ultimately be considered as a blessing or a curse; a blessing or a curse, not to the present age alone, for with our fate will the destiny of unborn millions be involved.

Washington gave his final public farewell at the end of his Presidency in 1796.  In his farewell address, he cautioned the young United States against either geographical or political factions - rather, he advised the American citizens to view themselves as one cohesive group in a foreshadowing of the later President Lincoln's quote, "a house divided against itself cannot stand."

In this time in our history, when there are so many issues that divide us, we would be well to remember our nation's first President and his advice that we are better together than we are apart.  We can accomplish more when we work together than we can ever hope to accomplish working separately.  Regardless of whether you are Republican or Democrat or whether you are black, brown, red, yellow, or white; regardless of whether you are part of the 1% or the 99%;  regardless of whether you live in a red state or blue state - we are the UNITED States of America.  And as the "Father of our country" said:

...all the parts combined cannot fail to find in the united mass of means and efforts, greater strength, greater resource, proportionately greater security from external danger...

...in this sense, it is that your union ought to be considered as a main prop of your liberty, and that the love of the one ought to endear to you the preservation of the other.

 

"Why? Why not?"

There is an oft told story of a group of college students who walk in to the lecture hall to take their "Introduction to Philosophy" final examination.  The philosophy professor writes up one word, and one word only on the chalkboard - "Why?"  The professor then sits down and tells the students, "You may begin."  In the story, one of the college students sitting in the front row writes down in her essay booklet two words, and two words only - "Why not?"  The students happily finds out that she received an "A+" on her examination.  I first heard this story when I was a college student, almost 35 years ago (did the "chalkboard" give that away?!?!).  The story has become urban legend - look it up on the Internet! 

As it turns out, the story is actually based on factual events.  The playwright George Bernard Shaw once said, "You see things; and you say 'Why?'  But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?'"  Sound familiar?  The quotation comes from Shaw's play, "Back to Methusaleh" , a play that spans from the time of Adam and Eve to 31,000 AD (fittingly enough, the play apparently took three nights to perform in its entirety).  It is something of an oddball play, but it is a great quote.  In fact, the quote was later paraphrased by someone much more famous - Robert F. Kennedy, who said, "Some people see things as they are and say why?  I dream things that never were and say, why not?"  Kennedy apparently used the quote in so many different speeches that the quote is now more commonly believed to have been first said by him (even though he always gave credit to Shaw).  Just to finish out the story, the comedian George Carlin paraphrased both Shaw and Kennedy when he quipped, "Some people see things that are and ask, Why?  Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not?  Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that shit."

So what is the point of the quote?  What does an urban legend about a college philosophy final exam, an Irish playwright, a former U.S. Attorney General and Presidential candidate, and a stand-up comedian all have in common here?  In my mind, the lesson for us here today is that we should never be satisfied with just the simple answer.  Rather than accepting life as it is today, we should dare to dream about the endless possibilities of tomorrow.  As Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize said in a beautiful quote (my compliments to the Disney movie Queen of Katwe where I first heard the quote), "The size of your dreams must always exceed your current capacity to achieve them.  If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough."

In other words, "Why not?"

Remembering Dr. King

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was born on January 15, 1929.  Today, we celebrate his birthday and honor his legacy.  A few months ago, I had the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. on a business trip - I went running around all the monuments and stopped by the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to read a few of his quotations.  It truly is a remarkable monument to a remarkable man - it is hard to imagine what life would be like in the United States today without the work that so many of our nation's great civil rights leaders, including Dr. King, did in some of the darkest times in our history.  Here we are, just a few days shy of the final day of our nation's first African American President's second term (and arguably, if he had been allowed to run for a third term, he probably would have won).  The irony of what that means, juxtaposed with some of our nation's more recent struggles is not lost on me this MLK Jr Day.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial has a vision statement that I think summarizes very eloquently how we should celebrate Dr. King's legacy - today and in the future.  The official vision statement reads as follows:

Dr. King championed a movement that draws fully from the deep well of America's potential for freedom, opportunity, and justice. His vision of America is captured in his message of hope and possibility for a future anchored in dignity, sensitivity, and mutual respect; a message that challenges each of us to recognize that America's true strength lies in its diversity of talents. The vision of a memorial in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. is one that captures the essence of his message, a message in which he so eloquently affirms the commanding tenants of the American Dream – Freedom, Democracy and Opportunity for All; a noble quest that gained him the Nobel Peace Prize and one that continues to influence people and societies throughout the world. Upon reflection, we are reminded that Dr. King's lifelong dedication to the idea of achieving human dignity through global relationships of well being has served to instill a broader and deeper sense of duty within each of us— a duty to be both responsible citizens and conscientious stewards of freedom and democracy.

These are truly powerful words to live by - they inspire us and they challenge us.  Dr. King once said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”  We stand now in times of challenge and controversy, and now, more than ever, is when we need true leaders that can help us find our way.

We stand on the precipice of tremendous change in health care.  Dr. King also once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”  The incoming presidential administration has already promised to "repeal and replace" Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) - whether you support the law or oppose the law, there are certain elements of the law that  have accomplished a lot of good. 

I think Dr. King would have been proud of all the things that we have accomplished since his death.  But we still have a long way to go.  Today, we are reminded of how much we have accomplished and how much work there is left for us to do.  Thank you, Dr. King. 

Broadway Joe's Guarantee

Forty-eight years ago today (January 12, 1969), "Broadway Joe" Namath delivered on his personal guarantee, and the New York Jets upset the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, 16-7.  Super Bowl III was actually the first time that the professional football championship was officially called the "Super Bowl" and pitted the American Football League (AFL) champions, the New York Jets, against the National Football League (NFL) champions, the Baltimore Colts.  The Colts, coached by legendary Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and Hall of Fame quarterback (and perhaps the greatest quarterback to ever lace up the high-top cleats!) Johnny Unitas, were heavily favored to win the game.  Unitas had been hurt for most of the season, and the Colts were led by back-up quarterback, Earl Morall (who would go on to win the Most Valuable Player award that year).  Morall actually started the Super Bowl, but was later replaced by Unitas because of an ineffective offensive performance.


Most football experts, fans, and sports writers felt that the players in the AFL, as a whole, were less talented than the players in the NFL.  The Colts were considered, at that time, "the greatest football team in history" (which, given the success of the Green Bay Packers in the 1960's, is saying a lot!) and Norm Van Brocklin, head coach of the Atlanta Falcons (an NFL team) was said to have told a reporter, "This will be Namath's first professional football game."  Namath had been asked about the point spread a countless number of times in the days leading up to the game.  Finally, he had enough when a heckler at a sports banquet in Miami three days before the game pushed him to the edge and he told the press, "We're going to win the game.  I guarantee it."  And, in one of the greatest upsets in the history of professional football (and arguably, one of the greatest upsets in all of sports), Namath led the Jets to their first (and only) Super Bowl victory.  Namath ended up the game with 17 completions on 28 passing attempts for a total of 206 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions.  Neither quarterback for the Colts was very effective (Morall threw three interceptions, Unitas threw one interception late in the game).


I would compare Namath's "guarantee" to Babe Ruth's "called shot" (Ruth famously pointed towards the outfield bleachers during an at-bat in the fifth inning of Game 3 of the 1932 World Series at Wrigley Field, against the Chicago Cubs).  I would ask, are these examples of incredibly talented and confident individuals who made bold, visionary statements that rallied their teammates, or are these examples of two individuals who were overly confident, bordering on conceit, and in the end just got plain lucky?  No one ever talks about the individuals who made similar gestures or remarks but did not or could not deliver (there are a number of cases throughout sports history).  There are certainly examples of players making promises or guarantees about how hard they will work to get a victory - a great example (and a great story) that comes to mind is when Tim Tebow, after a humiliating loss to the University of Mississippi, 31-30, claimed in a post-game interview:


I promise you one thing.  A lot of good will come out of this.  You will never see any player in the entire country play as hard as I will play the rest of the season.  You will never see someone push the rest of the team as hard as I will push everybody the rest of the season.  You will never see a team play harder than we will the rest of the season.


These words have been immortalized on a plaque outside the University of Florida's football stadium.  The Gators went on to win the rest of their games that year, including a 24-14 victory over Oklahoma to win the National Championship.  THAT, I think, is a better "guarantee" than either Namath's or Ruth's.  Tebow had a vision for where he wanted the team to go (winning the College Football National Championship) and made a promise to do everything that he could humanly do in order to get there - not by himself, but with his teammates.  The speech was inspirational and rallied his team together, and they did amazing things in the end.  Don't get me wrong, I think Namath's "guarantee" is a great story.  His team clearly rallied around him to get the victory in the end.  But I think there are a number of examples of statements like this that have been made, only to serve as a rallying cry for the other team, the opponent!  It would be hard to use Tebow's version of a "guarantee" as a rallying cry for the other team. 


I see similar parallels with the use of aspirational or "stretch" goals (what Jim Collins would call a "Big Hairy Audacious Goal" or BHAG).  In this context, if used carefully and not excessively (in terms of "over-the-top" - ness), I do think that stretch goals can be used as rallying cries for transformational change.  But in my experience, if stretch goals are used again and again for every transformational change or quality improvement effort, individuals get tired very easily with them (and they become the "flavor of the month" or the "next greatest thing" and can be counterproductive).  Use them sparingly - with change efforts that really matter (for example, President Obama's cancer "moon shot" is a great example of an appropriate use of a BHAG).  Stretch goals must be consistent with the organization's overall vision, otherwise they will fail.  Finally, the stretch goals must involve something that the organization is passionate about (e.g., curing cancer, eliminating patient harm, etc.).   


Organizations should be bold and visionary, but they should be bold like Tim Tebow and NOT like Joe Namath.

A catchy name is not enough!

I read a great blog post this afternoon called, "A Mug Full of Change", and I couldn't agree any more with the message that the author was trying to convey.  He starts by talking about how every night, before going to bed, he empties the loose change from his pocket and tosses it in his "change" mug (in this case, change referring to quarters, dimes, nickels, and pennies).  In a moment of reflection, he realizes that the mug is actually from a change (i.e. quality transformation) initiative that his organization had run a few years back.  He goes back to work the next day and is explaining the irony of the whole episode to one of his co-workers, in this case, an employee who had been with the company for nearly 30 years.  The employee laughs, points to the cabinet in his cubicle and slides the door back to reveal "literally a wall full of mugs" from change initiatives from the past.

Why is it that we feel the need to label major initiatives with a catchy label?  It is pervasive in a number of industries, including health care.  For example, there are a number of health care organizations who are (rightly) focusing on reducing serious harm events, such as central line infections, pressure ulcers, and codes outside the intensive care unit.  The ultimate goal for these patient safety initiatives are to reduce the number of these serious harm events to zero.  Pair the word "zero" with any number of words, and you have the name of any of a number of patient safety initiatives at a number of major health care organizations across the United States.  It doesn't just involve patient safety.  I have heard phrases like the "Triple Aim" (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) to describe the goal of improving population health, reducing cost, and increasing patient experience.  Add a fourth goal of improving the provider experience, and you now have the "Quadruple Aim".   

Please don't misunderstand me - all of these initiatives, every single one, is absolutely the right thing to do in health care today.  These are the right goals to set for ourselves.  Many of these initiatives have been relatively successful.  However, I do agree with the author (Ken Miller) of "A Mug Full of Change" - the need to brand every single change initiative with a catch-phrase is not necessary and may, in fact, be counterproductive.  Miller offers several reasons why in another related post, "What's in a Name?":

1. Catchy names often lead to the "Flavor of the Month" syndrome.  It's as if the employees are saying, "Here we go again.  Another month.  Another quality improvement project."  By translation, the "Flavor of the Month" syndrome leads to "initiative fatigue," which is a killer of change.

2. Labeling the change initiative creates a target.  As our Board of Trustees Chair likes to say, "The only people who like change are babies with wet diapers."  There are going to be nay-sayers.  By labeling the change initiative, you have essentially given them a target.  "I have X."  "Here we go again - X."  "This month, X.  Next month, Y."  The nay-sayers may even change the words around that turns what was meant to be positive into a negative ("Tomorrow's medicine today" becomes something like "Yesterday's medicine today" as one example that I have heard during my career).

3. By naming the change initiative, we separate the label from the actual work.  More time and energy is focused on the branding than the actual execution of the work. 

4. At times, we spend more time and energy launching the campaign with the catchy brand that not enough energy is left for us to do the actual improvement work.  Miller says it's like we are celebrating BEFORE the work is even started!

5. Miller doesn't list this one, but I think that at times, the catchy name assumes a life of its own.  It becomes so all encompassing, that people just get sick of hearing about it.

So what does Miller recommend?  Above all else, avoid the temptation to use a catchphrase or trendy label for your next change initiative.  Don't create T-shirts or have big parties until the work is done.  People will get excited about change - there are other ways to motivate and inspire.  Leave the change mugs for exactly their original intended purpose - to collect loose coins!

A really great book..."When Breath Becomes Air"

I just finished a really great book, called "When Breath Becomes Air" by Paul Kalanithi.  Paul Kalanithi was a neurosurgery resident when he was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer (a rare form that has no relationship to cigarette smoking).  I had read several good reviews of the book, and I had talked to a few friends who highly recommended it.  I sat down this morning, on one of those rare days when I had some time to myself, and read the book from cover to cover.  I couldn't put it down.  Perhaps the book meant more to me because I am a physician, and the book really talks about the unique and special relationship between a physician and his or her patient.  But I think that there is a lot more in this book than just medicine - it is really a book about how to live one's life.

Paul Kalanithi was an English literature major in college, later when on to get a Master's degree in the history and philosophy of science before finally attending medical school.  He was nearing the completion of a long, hard residency training program in neurosurgery, with a bright future ahead of him and seemingly just within his grasp when he was diagnosed with cancer.  He spent the final years of his life continuing to be a good husband, becoming a father, finishing his residency, and writing this book.  The book was published shortly after his death.

The title comes from a poem by Baron Brooke Fulke Greville in "Caelica 83":

You that seek what life is in death,
Now find it air that once was breath.
New names unknown, old names gone:
Till time end bodies, but souls none.
      Reader! then make time, while you be
      But steps to your eternity.

While the book is packed with quotes and lessons, there is one that I think is pertinent to leadership (among many):

You can't ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving.

In other words, vision.  Set a vision for your future and take the steps needed to get there.  There is so much in this book, and I cannot hope to do it justice.  So I will just finish by saying, if you can only read one book this year, make it this one.

"If"

About three years ago, I came across a poem by Rudyard Kipling, a famous British author and Nobel Laureate (he won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1907 at the age of 42) who is perhaps best known for writing the collection of children's stories published as The Jungle Book.  The poem was written for his son, John, and offers paternal advice for how one should live a life:

 If you can keep your head when all about you
 Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
  But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
  Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
  And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
  If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
  And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
  Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
  And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
  And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
  And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
  To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
  Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
  Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
  If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
  With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
 Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
  And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son.

If you are a baseball fan, and most certainly if you are a Boston Red Sox fan, you will recognize the text of this poem.  Kevin Spacey recited the poem in a video tribute to David Ortiz ("Big Papi").  The video was played at Fenway Park during Ortiz's retirement ceremony. 

There are a few lines that I particularly find inspirational.  First, the line "If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you" speaks directly to leadership during a crisis.  During a crisis, the most effective leaders stay calm, cool, and collected.  There is enough going on around the leader and his or her team, and the last thing that the team needs is to see their leader stressed out or panicked.

Second, "if you can dream - and not make dreams your master" also resonates.  Dreams are good - they provide a vision or objective for an individual to achieve.  However, individuals should not focus so much on their dreams that they lose sight of their reality.

Third, "if you can meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those two imposters just the same" refers back to the first line.  You can't tell whether things are going well or poorly by the look on a good crisis leader's face.  These leaders respond to success or failure in a similar way.

Finally, "if you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds' worth of distance run, yours is the Earth and everything that's in it" means (to me) that if you push hard, work hard, and set stretch goals for yourself and for your team, success will come.  I enjoyed this poem the first time I read it, and I keep a copy handy to quickly read from time to time. 

"Row the Boat"

Did anyone else watch the Cotton Bowl (Western Michigan versus Wisconsin) football game yesterday?  As I was watching the game, I noticed several fans holding signs that said, "Row the Boat."  I even noticed that the Western Michigan football players had a set of oars on their helmets, and the front of the helmet had a sticker that said, "Row."  I was curious - the mascot for the Western Michigan football team is the Bronco.  Last time I checked, broncos were horses and had absolutely nothing to do with rowing.  So, I did what everyone else does when they have a question - I searched the Internet!

Apparently, Western Michigan's football coach, P.J. Fleck, created a team slogan ("Row the boat") based upon his philosophy for football, and life.  Based on how successful Western Michigan was this year (they were undefeated until they lost a close game yesterday to Wisconsin), I would say that the philosophy is a good one.  His coaching staff, his players, the student body, and the school's fan base bought into the philosophy as well.  Basically, "Row the Boat"comes down to three parts.  First, in order to row a boat, you have to have a set of oars.  The oars represent "what you bring to life."  An individual can choose either to place the oar in the water or out of the water, but in order to move the boat forward, the oar has to be in the water.  The second part of the philosophy is the boat itself, which represents "what you are willing to give up for something that you have never had."  The third part of the philosophy is a compass.  Every boat has to have a compass to navigate on the water.  In the "Row the Boat" philosophy, the compass helps one to figure out what direction they are going (in other words, what direction one needs to go to successfully fulfill his or her goals in football, and in life). 

As Coach Fleck describes in a videotaped interview on ESPN, he developed the philosophy after his infant son died of a heart condition on February 9, 2011.  He describes the philosophy as a "never give up mantra."  He goes on to explain that when you are rowing a boat, you actually face backward.  "You can't see the future.  You can only see the past, which is the only thing that you can't change.  But you have to learn from the past to create a better future."  What a powerful metaphor for football, and more importantly, for life!  Coach Fleck's name has been mentioned for several college head coaching jobs, but I hope he sticks around for at least another year at Western Michigan!

I am reminded of another great metaphor - this time, not a football team, but a book.  Our CEO recently asked our hospital leadership team to read a book by Daniel James Brown, called "The Boys in the Boat".  The book tells the story of a college rowing team (the University of Washington) who went on to win the Olympic gold medal in rowing at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  It really is a great story, but it is even a greater metaphor on leadership and teamwork.  I see a lot of parallels between this book and Coach Fleck's leadership philosophy, and I think there is a lot to learn from both.  I highly recommend the book (I recently heard that the book is going to be made into a movie, but please do yourself a favor and read the book first!).  Meagan Flores offered these leadership lessons from the book on her blog:

1. A great team must share a vision.
2. Overcoming adversity makes the team stronger.
3. Excellence comes from focus.
4. Don't micromanage.
5. Empower your team with the courage to change strategy.
6. Hold people accountable.
7. Plan, execute, monitor, repeat.
8. Goals must be aligned across the team.
9. Let it run.

There are many more blog posts on "The Boys in the Boat" - I won't list all of the quotes, lessons, or tidbits of information here, but I encourage you to check them out (just search "leadership lessons" and "boys in the boat").  Better yet - just read the book.  And watch Western Michigan football!

"The Gate of the Year"

Another year is in the books!  It is really hard for me to believe that 2016 is over and that we are already in the year 2017.  My oldest daughter last week asked each of us at the dinner table what was the best part of the past year.  As we looked back, a lot happened for us this past year.  My wife and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  We bought a new house, sold our old house, and moved (in that order).  There were several family trips, several college tours, and several visits with friends and family.  All things considered, it was a pretty good year for our family, even if it was a difficult year for our country (indeed, our world).

I have always been fascinated by the New Year's holiday.  The start of a new year is a chance to reset, refresh, re-focus, and re-energize.  The start of a new year is an opportunity to look back on what was accomplished in the past 12 months, as well as what was not accomplished.  The start of a new year is a time to set goals for the next 12 months.  With this in mind, there are a few goals that I set last year that I attained, as well as a few that I failed to reach.  One of my goals was to start a blog - check!  Although I slacked off after a good start last January, I think I ended up the year with a good finish.  Writing is something I enjoy, and this blog has been a great chance for me to practice my writing skills and reflect on things that I have heard and learned. 

I have read a lot of articles, blog posts, and editorials in the past couple of days looking forward to the end of what many would say has been a bad year.  We - all of us around the world - have been through a lot this last year, and some would argue that our best days are behind us now.  Quite the contrary, I look forward to the next year with faith in humanity, a hope for peace, and a love for one another.  There is no doubt that we have our differences, but I firmly believe that the bonds that we share are stronger than our differences.  There is more that unites us than separates us.  We have more reasons to be optimistic than pessimistic. 

Today at Mass, our priest read a passage from a speech by King George VI.  The year was 1939, and England was on the brink of defeat.  England had declared war on Nazi Germany in September, shortly after Germany had invaded Poland.  It was tradition for the King to address the British Empire at the start of a New Year.  As immortalized in the 2011 movie, "The King's Speech", King George VI hated public speaking - indeed, it terrified him.  He had dealt with a speech impediment for his entire life, and he was naturally shy, introverted, and reserved.  In fact, he had reluctantly become King only when his older brother David had abdicated the throne.  He delivered a speech by radio on Christmas Eve from the royal country home at Sandringham:

A new year is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted.

He then read a passage from a poem that his daughter, Princess Elizabeth (now the Queen of England), had given him.  The poem is called "The Gate of the Year" or "God Knows" and was written by the British poet, Minnie Louise Haskins. 

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

The speech united the nation in a common cause.  The speech inspired a nation to continue the struggle for freedom.  As our priest said today, let us too, at the start of the new year, 2017, put our hand into the Hand of God and find our way.