Thriving, Come What May

Thriving requires mental resilience which is built through seeking out moments of discomfort consistently and persistently.

Extreme athletes understand the value of creating moments of pain and suffering in their day.

These inconsequential moments prepare us for the big moments that count.

‘But what put distance between me and almost everybody else in that platoon is that I didn’t let my desire for comfort rule me’ -David Goggins

If thriving is hardly comfortable, might as well be comfortable being uncomfortable.

Help Them Help Themselves

If taking charge of their own care is what we need from patients, health literacy is mandatory.

Health literacy implies accessibility, but not at the cost of inaccuracy. They should be able to use the information, not just understand it. The information should help them make ‘well-informed’ decisions rather than ‘appropriate’ ones.

Out of clutter, bring simplicity. Out of discord, bring harmony. Out of difficulty, bring opportunity.

Stockpile of Assets

Every organization tells itself a story about its assets: we begin in a world of constraints, we acquire assets, and then each of us, without exception, invents boundaries and narratives to keep things straight.

Minute assets translate into big impact and your stockpile is far from minute. Someone cared to take care of your needs, so care to notice it.

Building, Not Breaking

Why is it that there’s rarely a desperate urge to give a shout-out, the way there is to call them out?

Doing the right thing is an act of bravery. Acknowledging them is also an act of bravery.

Do you know a person showing bravery by doing the right thing? You can also be brave by penning them a quick email or text or calling them.

Overwhelming the toxic negativity with waves of genuine admiration and solidarity is not an act of naïve kindness, but an intentional act of building.

We’re All Allies

Too often we sabotage our own happiness, letting familiarity and dysfunction turn allies into perceived enemies. We inflate our contributions to a relationship and diminish the other party’s. We let familiarity and contempt best our shared history.

This is a mistake that’s a familiar one: failure to discern among allies, competitors, and enemies. Our spouses, parents, MILs, FILs, SILs, BILs, Republicans and Democrats, payers, providers, and pharma: all allies. We’re in this together; no need to be pushed around by others’ agendas up the food chain.

Relationships, Relationships, Relationships

Leaders in all sectors of health care are deluding themselves, believing they are the Rockefellers and Morgans of the era. The truth is, they’re all Native American tribes: feuding and weakening one another as European settlers lay in wait for their ultimate slaughter.

Greed has poked blind our eye to observe the richness and nuances of relationships. Relationships, relationships, relationships.

Preparation

Be prepared.

If I plan to succeed, I must succeed to plan.

Building Psychological Resilience

Psychological resilience is possibly the most valuable workplace asset these days.

An important pillar to building psychological resilience is crafting the future with intentional goals. After all, those who stand for nothing will fall for anything.

Where are you going? Have a clear vision of what the future looks like and embrace the unexpected to take you from here to there.

As a leader, are your actions nourishing or stripping the team’s psychological resilience?

Safety In Discomfort

Too often, we mistakenly think that our comfort zone is a safe zone: “If I feel comfortable, I must be safe!”

The road to a safe, shared future is stepping outside of our comfort zone, engaging with those around us as our divine brothers.

What Works For Our Customers?

Here’s example of an actionable access resource that brings joy to clinician members and office staff: https://www.mct2d.org/resource-library/medications-and-cgm-coverage-by-payer-in-michigan-quick-reference-guide

Here’s an example of an actionable access resource that brings joy to patients: https://www.mct2d.org/resource-library/affording-your-type-2-diabetes-care-a-patient-toolkit-on-insurance-coverage-and-cost

Are your tactics helping your customers achieve their goals? How can you find out?