ABSTRACT

MyCEO [chief executive o°cer] had gained con›dence in me. Funny, with the con›dence and recognition of my eŽorts came his investment in me. Ihad shown him Iwas all in, so he started giving me opportunities in return. Our system oŽered aleadership development program. Since we are abig system and there were alimited number of spots in this course, it was quite an honor to be chosen to attend. In the class, each of us was asked to pick a project for improvement. I picked a hot topic item around safety. ere was a lot of attention to safety, and I knew this would let the big guys know Icared about it. Idid not choose it because I understood where we were on it or even if we had aneed to improve. Iwent into it for the wrong reasons. Iwanted to show the big guys Iwas aligned with them when Ireally should have been showing my team that patient safety was at the front of all of my eŽorts. is was another example of my engagement. Ihad started doing all that Icould to be successful in the areas the system considered important. e problem was Ihad started doing it for the system and for my own status in the company; I had to do it for the patient. After this exercise in development, I learned that about myself, so Iwas able to change my purpose. It also allowed me to see that all of my team was not aligned with the purpose of doing it for the patient. Iwas always learning during this time! Ihad to consistently reinforce that our actions and purpose were around the patient. When the patient is at the center, decisions will always be made with the patient’s best interest at heart. Although we had done well, this attitude would be the one that would help us sustain.