I know it is only February, but I am already thinking about our annual conference in New Orleans. New Orleans has a special place in my heart and soul. One of the things that stands out when I think of NOLA is the resilience of the city and its citizens after 80% of its city was flooded, many people lost their lives, and $125 billion in damage occurred at the hands of Hurricane Katrina.
When I think about perseverance, I think about these folks who know well that each time they rebuild, they live with the risk of a natural disaster happening again.
I believe perseverance is one of the most important traits a manager should possess.
Sometimes, it is hard to get through all that we have on our plate and spend time planning for the future. Other times, we need to live in the now. Jimmy Buffett said it very well in his song about New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. If you don't know the lyrics, let me share them:
I bought a cheap watch from a crazy man
Floating down canal
It doesn’t use numbers or moving hands
It always just says now
Now you may be thinking that I was had
But this watch is never wrong
And If I have trouble the warranty said
Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On
Getting through the "now" is vital to us as humans and our practices as their managers. We all have days where our resilience is challenged. Sometimes, those challenges come from our staff, clients, or even our ownership. We may leave at the end of the day with our nerves frazzled. I've left the hospital more than once, asking myself, "What in the world just happened!?"
But I persevered and lived in the now as best as I could. And wouldn't you know it, I awoke to a new day with new challenges and opportunities. (And, yes, sometimes that new day brought the same old pressures and challenges left over from yesterday.)
Maybe you are like me in that you like to have a plan and carry it out until your goal is reached. It may be starting a new training program for your team, or maybe it is just hiring your team so that you can help your hospital achieve its potential. As you know from past blogs, I have been looking for a doctor for my hospital (I know, join the club). This was one of those tasks that had been on my plate for over a year, and some days, I did not think it would ever happen. I knew that I had to live in the now, which meant persevering until I found the right doctor. And yes, it took some resilience on my part not to get down and overly stressed that it was turning out to be more challenging than I had ever imagined. But, each day, I focused on my tasks and ensuring that I did all I could for my team because that mattered NOW.
Finally, after a year of looking and months of negotiations, I found my doctor! She started this week, and I have high hopes for moving forward.
Was this a process that challenged me immensely and made me question my strength as a leader and manager? Absolutely! But I knew I could not let it consume me and pull me away from the day-to-day "now" matters that had to be addressed. I kept up hope but did not hyperfocus on it, and lo and behold, we now have our doctor in place, and that goal has been achieved.
We all face stressful days as managers, and when we do, I think we can all stand to learn a lesson from the fine people of New Orleans. Maybe we will have the chance to meet some of them in September. Until we do, step up, meet the challenges, and draw on some of the inspirational words of Jimmy Buffett:
“Oh, yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can't go wrong."
Take a deep breath; you got this!
Scott Zimmerman, BFA, CVPM
VHMA President
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