by Nick Jacobs

If the Material's Management Director receives a favor in the form of a trip or a gift from a vendor, and that gift is beyond a limited value, that may be considered problematic for the organization. If a senior officer, though, is flown to a reception in the vendor's corporate jet, wined and dined, and then taken to a professional sporting event in an attempt to influence that officer into using that company's product, does that present the same problem? If a U.S. Congressman is flown at no cost by a lobbyist, that now is considered problematic, but if the lobbyist is from an academic institution, that is considered okay.

If a board member puts undue influence on an executive to do business with his company, how does that play out? Sarbanes-Oxley sends a very clear message that the business community is expected to do things differently than the way they have been done in the past, but I've already heard of cases in health care governance where specific board members have required the calculation of just how much business is too much business to be pushed to the extreme before the law kicks in for non profit corporations.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, in 2000, 13 of central Ohio’s corporate boards were dominated by insiders — company executives, consultants and lawyers. Some owned jets that they leased to their companies. Others owned office buildings that their companies rented. Still others were relatives of the CEO.

Bottom line? Corruption by any other name is often called doing business in many countries, and in some countries, it is truly considered an art form. Who do you know? How do you take care of your friends and the friends of your friends? What financial favors do they do for each other? Unfortunately, in many cases, if you don't play by the rules of the GOB's (Good Ole Boys), there can be a heavy price to pay, unemployment.

So, for all of you who are looking at a high powered future, study the rule books and stick to your guns, but, unless you work for an absolutely wonderful board, hold onto your hats because situational ethics can be very difficult to surmount.

Regarding ethics in the military, Robert Prentice, a professor of business law at the McCombs School, said, "Nobody up the line is taking responsibility. Everyone is trying to pin it on the little guys." Remember, that little guy could end up being YOU.

Final thought, putting on make-up or shaving in the morning usually requires one to look in the mirror, and that can become challenging for those who are better known as the players. Of course, that depends on the situation.

by Jeff McKune

Having attended a couple of Joe Tye’s seminars, I was eager to read The Healing Tree, a book he first published in 2005. The book is now in its second printing.

The story begins with an evening with Mark and Carrie Anne Murphy and the tragedy that enters their lives. Carrie Anne’s struggle towards recovery is one thread that is carried through the narrative. But a deeper and richer fabric is found in her personal awakening, guided initially by young Maggie, a fellow patient at the hospital who provides unique therapy to Carrie Anne and other patients. Carrie Anne’s despair eventually leads to her discovering a new path for her life, more meaningful and rewarding than anything she had previously imagined. The story alone touched me, and I found myself sometimes both uncomfortable and inquisitive with the introspection it created in me. That alone made the book worth the reading.

It was impossible for me to ignore the glimpses that Joe provides into the healing environment that was a part of the fictional Memorial Hospital. I wondered how some of the innovations Joe discussed would ever get past a Board of Directors. But clearly Memorial Hospital was a hospital focused on much more than physical healing. The hospital’s ongoing transformation was a result of visionary leadership. One phrase that I cannot forget is “the soul of the hospital.” What is the soul of your hospital? How do your efforts contribute to the development and sustaining of that soul?

Throughout the book, Joe also reveals some thoughtful insights into nursing and those that serve in caregiver roles. The bidirectional aspect of the nurse-patient relationship is developed in a discussion between Carrie Anne and Maggie. And toward the end of the book, the hospital CEO reminds us that patients are not the only ones that need healing. Joe is a strong advocate of nursing, and it is no surprise to see this emphasis in The Healing Tree.

I consider The Healing Tree to be one of those books that takes a hospital administrator beyond mechanics and methodology – it invites and encourages visionary and transformational leadership. A section containing discussion questions is included at the end of the book for the purpose of initiating dialog regarding that transformation. Also, there is a website for the book at www.healing-story.com where you can download the companion workbook Healing the Hospital, which I understand has been popular at caregiver and leadership retreats. If you want to spark discussions as to how your hospital can better serve both patients and staff, I invite you to read and share this compelling book.