hospital impact

by Nick Jacobs

Tony’s original mission statement, business guide and raison d'être is clearly defined at the top of this site: What will it take for our hospitals to be the best run organizations on the face of the planet? Periodically, it is important for us to revisit this question with the same passion and commitment that originally fed this site.

A few weeks ago, a very engaging young woman commented on my writing. Her name is Reut Schwartz-Hebron, and the book that she authored is entitled: Outswim the Sharks: How to Quadruple Your Team's Productivity with Kindness.

Upon further investigation of her work, it became clear to me that Reut’s philosophy is very similar to my own, and it is without a doubt one very well defined path to Tony’s goal.

We have written often about the Planetree Philosophy, about the removal of bullying from the workplace, the concept of patient centered care, and the exploration of various employee considerations and benefits that lead to a successful organization; treating people with kindness, dignity and respect.

When you observe the really functional organizations, you will quickly conclude that their secret is their employees. In the book Leadership Jazz, Max Depree, the former president of the Herman Miller Furniture company, creates a convincing and revealing parallel between jazz and leadership.

In both jazz and leadership, autonomy and performance, creativeness and convention, muse and self-discipline must be expertly combined. This book describes “why beauty and harmony must pervade an organization and all it does; how to reach for the renewal, innovation, and vitality required for truly lasting solutions; and how to understand and evaluate your own gifts and motivations.”

So, if you want to find the secret of “what will it take for our hospitals to be the best run organizations on the face of the planet?” You don’t have to look very far. Reut’s company, KindExcellence is just one more gateway to transformation. It is about treating each other as we would want to be treated; employees, patients and peers.

Start with the most uncommon issue, common sense, and work from there. Just remember that high performance can emanate from kindness.