shut up and dance

"Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes. "

"No institution can possibly survive if it needs geniuses or supermen to manage it. It must be organized in such a way as to be able to get along under a leadership composed of average human beings. "

--Peter Drucker

  

In other words: shut up and dance!  And we'll see how great a leader you are when the dance is done.  So, what did you do today?  It's not a metaphor; I really mean, TODAY.   For example, today I talked with a physician about his behaviors.  I approved ordering pizza for our nurses who have worked a ton of extra shifts and overtime--the idea wasn't mine, but I had to approve it.  (It was a great idea.)  I met with the housekeepers at the hospital; we discussed "leaning out" processes wherever we can.  Of course, they already knew where a bunch of waste could be eliminated.  I helped oversee decision-making concerning a patient who had 4 seizures in a short period, and was having a respiratory arrest, and in danger of dying.  I discussed vision and strategy for our hospital with the leadership crew, and they emphasized the dire need for clear vision which is articulated well (and frequently). 

It was a good day, only because I can look back and count a number of concrete, explicit actions.  I danced.  Tomorrow, flip the record over, start a new dance.  (If you understood the "flip the record over" metaphor, you're in my age bracket!  If you didn't...try this as a metaphor: "hit the random mp3 shuffle button and hit 'next'.")

Shut up and dance.  Not every day is your best dance.  Some days you go home feeling like you didn't get a #$%@ thing done.  But you go back to the dance the next day.

"You can't build a reputation on what you're GOING to do."  -Henry Ford