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What we can learn from Sunday dinner
My oldest son posted on Facebook that it has been a while since he posted how much he loved Sunday night family dinner. He wrote that it meant so much to be surrounded by people who cared and loved one another. As a parent, it made me proud and confident that my values and beliefs…
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Does it take a rock to the head to understand innovation?
Surprise of all surprises. A recent PwC research release “shows a deep correlation between innovation and breakthrough growth for all businesses.”(1) The study compared responses from businesses in the top 20% and bottom 20%. Overall, those organizations that are fully engaged in innovation are leaders in their business sectors. 93% of the respondents acknowledged innovation…
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The Board That Committed Murder
A not for profit board of directors committed murder at a recent board meeting. A non for profit board of directors had asked its senior leader for over one year to define their vision for the organization. A tenure of several years did not produce a vision statement. During this time there were countless meetings…
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The Pole Vault of Jumping to Conclusions – Poor Outcomes is Your Fault
Fr. Streeter was a Jesuit drama teacher at my high school. He and a friend were at the theater to see the premier of Fiddler on the Roof. Behind them, two middle-aged women were offering their own commentary of the film. As the credits began to roll and the after movie stretch began, they asked…
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Palliative Care for the Library
My volunteer travels recently took me to a library. Our task was to weed out the collections – remove books that did not fit the library mission and vision, books that would (or havenot) been checked out in decades, books no longer perceived relevant. We were performing this act not out of a sense of…
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“Can we afford a banner within our budget?”
Ahh, to be #1. Driving into Chicago from Indianapolis last week, the billboards stating hospital #1 rankings for patient satisfaction to heart care, increased exponentially the closer we got to the Chicago loop. A side trip to any of the advertisers would find a campus with any number of banners hanging n the façade or…
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What Is Your Team’s “Kryptonite?”
Media pundits, industry experts, ombudsmen, and just about everyone else in the United States is shifting the volume on healthcare reform up as 2014 implementation strategies approach. Before turning up the noise, it is worthwhile to step back and examine the experience of the Pioneer ACO’s. Of the thirty-two pioneer ACO’s, eighteen had a savings…
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Rationale for Requiring Certification of Community.
If it takes a village to raise a child. What does it take to raise a village? A village, pseudonym for community, is a key driver for success. How we define village, or community, is very important. The definition of community has evolved to reflect any group of individuals. A religious-based congregation is now a…
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The 10 Truths of Life … Plus 1
There are ten truths in life. Plus one. A lifetime has been devoted to accumulating these truths. During five plus decades, countless hours, days, weeks, and years have been devoted to learning, accepting, denying, or managing each if these truths. John Locke[1] wrote of truth, “It is one thing to show a man that he…
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Teamwork Shouldn’t Be A Game of “He Said/She Said”
There are days if you could just forgo on or two team meetings, the day would be SO much better. Our culture has wrapped its arms around teams tightly and will not let go. We form teams to respond to problems, the need for change, or to determine what to purchase the boss for their…