by Kenneth H. Cohn

I hope readers will not think it unprofessional to blog about vacation. I receive some of my best insights in a more relaxed, reflective setting.

After New England snow storms, it felt like paradise to spend time in Cabo, Mexico, with its calendar sunsets and whale watches 20 yards offshore (see left).

What inspired me to write this post was the warm greeting I received from my hostess Nancy at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica every morning, "Hola, Senor Cohn," which has inspired me to improve my service in future interactions with patients.

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Other inspirations that strengthened my commitment to serve patients include:

• She made the effort to learn my name, which made me feel special. From now on, I will address patients by name every time I go into their rooms.
• She greeted me with a warm, sincere smile. This gesture made me feel that she really loved what she did, which (contagiously) brightened my day. I am now more aware of how my moods can influence other people and will brighten my affect before I step into patients' rooms.
• She did not become stressed when the restaurant Siempre became busy. Siempre means "always" in Spanish; I quipped that it was a great name for the restaurant because she was always in motion in service to guests.
• She expressed caring and vulnerability. On my last day, when I told her, "I will miss you," she said, "I will miss you, too." She inspired me to demonstrate caring in service to patients rather than merely checking off tasks.

During this decade of healthcare transformation, it is easy to feel sometimes that it is not fun to come into work. Constant disruptive change interferes with feelings of control and mastery. None of us went into healthcare to fail. Nancy's commitment to service inspires me to improve my service to patients.

Ken is a practicing general surgeon/MBA and CEO of HealthcareCollaboration.com, who divides his time between providing general surgical coverage and working with organizations that want to engage physicians to improve clinical and financial performance.