Thursday, January 3, 2013
The Power of One
Can one person make a difference?
I know this is rhetorical question but as I have watched the "Fiscal Cliff" discussions it has struck me just how one person can really play a pivotal role and also, how important the personal relationships are in that person making a difference. It also has made me start to think about how each of us could be that person who makes a difference in the lives of the children we serve, with our colleagues and people in our own community.
During the last 72 hours, one of the most powerful men in the country, Minority Leader Senate Mitch McConnell reached out to his former Senate colleague, now Vice President Joe Biden to ask him to step in and try to broker a deal. McConnell served with Biden and while they are of opposite parties and big differences in political ideologies, he trusted Biden and he knew they shared the same values. They valued the institution of the US Senate and what they were sent to Congress to DC to do. He knew that if we had gone over the "cliff" that the financial devastation and the public's disgust with Congress would never be restored. While the President and Speaker Boehner could not find words to communicate because they had no underlying relationship or trust, they couldn’t put together a deal.
The issue of trust is a tough one. It can not be "ordered" or mandated, it has to be earned. We ask our parents to "trust" that we have the right diagnosis and expertise to help their children but it is only after they see that their children improve that we begin to earn their trust. It is about how we deliver for our families and for each other that trust begins. It isn't about saying "I told you so" (although sometimes we want to say that) but it is acknowledging that what you said you would do you did or what you said would happen has happened.
Another example of the power of one is NYC Mayor Bloomberg. He is entering is last year as Mayor. People are starting to review his accomplishments during his tenure. He has had many accomplishments - streets are safer, public education is restructured, put calories on fast food menus, and maybe most surprising, obesity rates are down, attributable to his changes in transfat cooking. Bloomberg has made millions in business and brought that acumen to being Mayor. He knocked down all of the individual offices and set up a "bull pen" where everyone works together in one room with open cubicles. He forces people to interact and work together.
This week, one of long time patients from Mountainside LTC will be going home. It has been 12 years of her living with us - she has never lived at home. It has taken a village to keep her alive and get her all of the medical attention she needed to go home. It has been amazing to get to this point. Every person who has cared for her and negotiated with this family deserves credit for her being able to go home, but it was Maura Hines who has worked day in and day out at this point in the process, to convince her family she will thrive at home. Just like Vice President Biden needed to be the person at the person to broker the final deal, you some times need someone else to bring the ball over the line for the score.
Katie Marsala and Bobbi Jo Pansier have been working non stop since Hurricane Sandy to help and support their colleagues and friends. They have opened their homes, organized drives, done everything they could think of just so they could make sure people knew that they were not alone and as importantly that they are loved.
Think about the power of one; the power of trust. Never forget the importance of the little things we do are the building blocks that create trust over time. Perhaps you have a mentor; a special patient experience; a colleague that really has made a difference in your life or the lives of our patients.
I would appreciate if you wanted to share your stories about the power of one that you have seen or have impacted your life.
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3 comments:
Excellent examples and comparisons!
About 25 years ago, as a college freshman, I joined my college roommate for her morning ROTC work out session, and was introduced to a man who changed the way I looked at exercise and myself. I do not have a runners build, my feet are mechanically unsound, and i'm not real coordinated, but Master Sergeant Sheridan, a 12 time Vietnam vet assigned to the cadre at the University of Scranton, apparently saw some form of grace as i ran through the hills of Scranton Pa that day. He convinced me that I was a runner, convinced me to join the cadet corps (I am also an unlikely cadet, since I don't do well with dumb rules)and convinced me that i had potential. 25 years later, I am still a runner, still have crappy feet, and still do poorly with dumb rules, BUT I have learned to see potential where many do not...some thing that Master Sergeant taught me so many years ago. I often wish I could find that 5 foot tall man of steel with the heart of gold and thank him. I'd like to tell him how many lives he's touched ...and that i can FINALLY do a push up.
One of the most profoundly influential people in my life is an employee with this organization. Donna Provenzano's diligence, compassion, and servant leadership have shaped the clinician and person I am today.
Her unrelenting love forces me to truly reflect on myself; it makes me stop and think, "Am I doing the right thing? . . . How can I do this better? . . . Would I be willing to do what I'm asking this person to do? . . . Who am I really serving here?" She has modeled this to me for nearly 9 years and continues to do so.
She won't take any less than the best her staff can do, and comes alongside them to help them have the endurance for continual excellence. Her unflinching honesty humbles me and makes me want to learn how to better advocate and serve.
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