Strategic Planning Meeting

It takes more than a good structure

As a result of the current economic times there are a lot of organizations going through restructuring processes. If you are involved in a restructuring process remember that people trump structure every time. A good structure can make good people even better but won't make bad people good. Good people can make a bad structure work but bad people will make even the best structure dysfunctional.

Do you have a restructuring story? Did it solve the problem?

Smile

I met Kent Robson recently when he reached out to us after a mutual friend shared the Connor's House story with him. Kent writes a blog called eSentialz where he showcases and supports people who are overcoming life's challenges by telling their story so that others may be inspired. Kent just published a great story about Connor (yes I am biased and don't apologize for that) called Smile. After you read this beautiful story take some time to be inspired by some of the other amazing people Kent has profiled and sign up for his updates, he has some great stories in the works.

Takes All Types

If you have been following either this blog or Connor's story for any length of time you know that Deb and I are both huge supporters of blood donation and that Connor's House has partnered with The Blood Center of New Jersey (BCNJ) to help raise awareness about the need for blood donors and host blood drives in our local community.

BCNJ recently partnered with Takes all Types to help build a new generation of blood donors. Takes All Types (TAT) is a not-for-profit that uses online social networks to connect a new generation of blood donors to the blood collection organizations who urgently need them.

You can use TAT social networking tools to learn about area blood drives and to promote the initiative throughout your own social network by educating your friends about the importance of blood donation and recruiting new donors.

TAT enables caring people to quickly and conveniently volunteer as blood donors, show the world their proud participation and urge their friends to donate too. One in three of us will need a blood transfusion at some point in our lives so take a minute to invite some friends – make sure that the blood is there when it is needed to save someone’s life.

Ridgewood Run

Sam Adams (more than just beer)

I got an email from a doctor today who was referred to Connor's House by a family we are currently supporting. He was interested in talking about a new program he is starting to provide care coordination services for children with complex medical needs. The following quote was on the bottom of his email

"It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men" Samuel Adams

The quote alone made me want to talk to him and learn more about his program.

Good Tired

As I drove home from the CIR National Convention tonight the following quote from Harry Chapin came to my mind.

"There's two kinds of tired. There's good tired and there's bad tired.

Ironically enough, bad tired can be a day that you won. But you won other people's battles, you lived other people's days, other people's agendas, other people's dreams, and when it's all over there was very little you in there. And when you hit the hay at night somehow you toss and turn, you don't settle easy.

Good tired, ironically enough, can be a day that you lost. But you won't even have to tell yourself, because you knew you fought your battles, you chased your dreams, you lived your days. And when you hit the hay at night, you settle easy, you sleep the sleep of the just, and you can say, 'Take me away'."

Tonight I am good tired. Deb and I got to spend the day sharing the vision of Connor's House with an amazing group of delegates, organizers, staff and the executive committee from CIR. I could not be more pleased with how everything went. The CIR staff were amazing. From top to bottom they went way out of their way to help and support us. The doctors we met, mostly 1st and 2nd year residents, give me great hope for the future of medicine in our country. They were receptive, engaged, thoughtful and passionate about making a difference in the lives of their patients and how the health care system works.

It was a long day and I am tired. But tonight I am good tired.

Servant or Self-Serving

What type of leader are you? A servant leader or a self-serving leader? Both can be effective but only one is loved. Both can make you feel needed and important but one will forget about you once they have gotten what they needed. Both will sometimes fail but only one will accept responsibility. Both will ask you for your ideas but only one will give you the credit.

What type of leader are you? What type of leader do your co-workers or subordinates think you are?

This is how I want to live

I attended a conference last week where Kevin Carroll was one of the speakers. I first became aware of Kevin many years ago when he spoke at a business meeting I attended. During his talk last week he shared the following quote from James Michener:

“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's always doing both.”

This is the type of integrated life that I want to live. Some days I feel like I am getting closer to this goal but lately I feel like it is getting further away. Must be time to think about making some adjustments.

How about you?

New Resources Now Available

The Connor’s House Team is committed to helping improve the health care system for children with complex health care needs by providing educational resources for medical professionals and families. In preparation for the CIR National Convention this weekend in Philadelphia we are excited to be releasing our first three educational articles. The following articles are now available for download.

Practical Lessons: Patient- and Family- Centered Care
Palliative Care: Confronting the Elephant in the Room
What is a Respite House?

Connor's House Display Board

Just got the new display board back from the printer (it looks really good 4 feet wide). We will be using this to help us tell the Connor's House story at conferences and speaking engagements. It will get it's public debut this coming weekend at the CIR National Convention.

We will also be publishing three new educational articles for the conference that I will post over the next couple of days.

Faith, Courage or Stupidity

Several times over the past 9 months or so Deb and I have had a discussion about one or both of us quitting our jobs to focus full time on developing Connor's House. The conversations, so far, eventually come to some version of the same conclusion; it would be too risky at this point in time to follow that course of action.

I'm never 100% convinced. Dreams have a tendency to blur the line between faith, courage and stupidity. One of the bloggers I follow, Ben Arment, announced today that he is making just this sort of leap. I admire his (and his families) faith/courage and wish them the best.

Long Branch Half Marathon