Early on in my health care career, a consultant was hired by the system executives to evaluate the management team of which I was the newest member. After about two days of interacting with the CEO, COO, CFO, VP of Nursing, VP of Human Resources and me, the consultant candidly pulled me aside and said, "Of all of the management teams I have interacted with, this team has the lowest 'Buzz' level I've ever encountered." My response was, "What do you mean?" To which he replied, "I had to check to see if they even had a heart beat."
It was about three months after that visit that, one by one, the team began to move on. In fact, I had a group photo of the seven of us and, one by one, the team began to vanish. It was like the movie, "Back to the Future," where the faces disappeared from the page until I was the only person left from the team.
The lesson that I learned was that you need to Buzz to survive. It's funny because, as I look over our teams, my personal radar takes me right back to the old Buzz level!
Now, the Buzz that I look for is not a negative, gossipy, whiny, cry baby buzz. It's a pumped up, positive, excited, let's-grow-and-go-and-make-it-happen buzz.
If I want to be depressed, afraid, or to encourage myself to move back to Fayette County to live in an abandoned coke oven, there are absolutely people in the hospital and research institute that, no matter what the day or time, can take me there.
On the other hand, if i want to see a phenomenal future, feel total optimism and get the adrenaline flowing, I can find people here to take me there, too.
Which one are you?
Don't answer. Walk up to the mirror and answer this question out loud to yourself. "How are you doing today?"
Okay, Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!!!
Comments