Category: Work Ethic

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2024: Who is Listening and Who is Paying Attention (Part I)

I recently found myself at a Medical Specialist office on what I thought was going to be a brief visit on Saturday Morning. Now I know, as to why General Practitioners or Family Medicine Offices have very little business on the weekends, it is the Specialists that have quite a large following on Saturday mornings. Who knew?

Seriously, there were people of all ages. Yes, even infants. I hope by now you can ascertain this specialist deals with issues of one of the senses. Without going any further I will stop right there. You know privacy and the nosy nellies and things like that. But back to the story, my story.

There are three waiting areas. The first one is where people check in and wait to be called. The next area is post-triage/vitals and waiting to be seen by the Doc. The third is a waiting area for letting things happen or recovery for injections or medication, just to make sure there are no adverse side effects. So that sets the stage.

If you have ever been to any Waiting Room, in this case Waiting Room #1, there is an eerie silence that everyone shares. Sure there are whispers and murmurs but nothing else fills the air. That is until those that work there begin to speak. However, that is for part 2. Finally, your name is called and off you go.

After your vitals are taken and if any prep needs to be done, it is now that it happens. Soon you are whisked away to Waiting Room #2.

You enter another quiet room or so it seems. In this room, you will find a handful of those waiting to be seen. Before long, someone speaks. You try not to listen but when they are the only one talking it is quite the challenge to block the woman’s voice.

Within seconds everyone in Waiting Room #2 knows what is ailing that individual. Followed by a full treatment history and what she expects the Clinician to do because her “friend had the same malady”. Folks, days like that day are not the days to forget to bring your AirPods. I never knew who the lady was talking to but I suspect, no one was talking to her but more like listening to the words.

As for who was paying attention, as I looked around the room I could tell who was really invested and actively listening to the one side of a one-sided conversation. They were the ones who had a deer in the headlights look on their face. These were the faces of people that suddenly found themselves in a situation they were not expecting. The people are already anxious and for all they know face an uncertain future.

Adding salt to the open wound that is their new, sudden, and unanticipated state of affairs was this lady and her issues. I understand that everyone handles stress differently, however, some common sense and decorum please. Throwing gasoline on a fire is never a good idea and neither is creating more stress and anxiety for others is also NEVER A GOOD IDEA.

Medical Office Managers get out from behind your desk and walk the halls and visit the waiting room(s) and YES the patients are your responsibility. They are part of the office, without the patients you would not have a job. Yes, it is that simple. So get out there and run interference. Pull aside those that like to over-share, those that like to diagnose others, and those that like to stir the pot for the sake of stirring the pot. Remember, your job is to keep the organization moving along.

Medical Office Staff: Keep an eye and ear on those individuals in the waiting rooms. It is your job to take care of those patients from the moment they walk into the building to the moment they leave. Remember, you are the professional you were hired to be. So be it.

Patients find themselves not liking the environment, they will find some place else to go. I know this to be true as I fired my last General Practitioner and the one I have now absolutely ROCKS!

Patients: Have a little tact, some empathy, and most of all, just keep your mouth shut. I bet you do not like it when others get all up in your business. Guess what? Others do not like it when you do it! So don’t do it.

A Little Disclosure: I was one of the first timers that suddenly found myself there. That’s how I knew what the look on their faces was as I had it as well.

Thank you for your time,
David

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2024: FACING FEAR & CHOOSING COURAGE

This week, I am talking about facing fears and choosing courage.

Recently, my nephew made the jump from amateur to professional MMA Fighter. He had been training for several years and it was time. He knew it was time.

It was the inevitable path to take if he wanted to achieve his goals as a Mixed Martial Arts fighter, a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter.

However, making the jump from amateur to professional means stepping into a professionally sanctioned match, a professional MMA cage, fighting against another professional fighter. Most certainly his amateur days were over.

He knew going in, he was going to be taking that first professional punch. He also knew he had to take that professional punch to the face. He gave punches and kicks as well as he took punches and kicks. And after 3 rounds he did not get the W.

That’s OK, because in all actuality he did win.

See, in the grand scheme of his MMA career he scored a HUGE W. While his fight record shows he is 0 and 1. His EXPERIENCE record shows him and 1 and 0.

As soon as the fight was over and the referee did not raise his arm in victory, I immediately saw in my nephew’s eyes he was already moving on to the next match. As there was nothing he could do to change the outcome of the match that just concluded.

Now before I go any further, you may be wondering what does this have to do with facing fear?

Folks, it is simple. Who in their right mind willfully steps into a Professional MMA fight knowing they are going to get punched in the face? Who in their right mind goes rushing into a burning building to save lives and put out a fire. Who in their right mind volunteers to join the Military to purposefully to go to the frontlines while everyone else is sitting in the rear with the gear.

Someone who has a LOT of fear but does it anyone because it has to be done. That’s who!

Someone who on any other regular day would be at home with their feet up on the coffee table drinking a cold one and watching the ball game but instead makes a conscious effort to face their fears and chooses courage.

Those are the individuals that have a firm grasp on where they are, where they are going and of course, success is just within reach.

Courage is a HUGE factor in achieving success. However, courage alone is not going to get you or anyone there.

Having the courage and then taking action will get you there. Sure, there are people that claim they face fear and are courageous but truthfully, they are ALL TALK and that is all they got.

They are ALL SHOW AND NO GO!

Those are the people that talk a good game be have absolutely no idea to how to face fear. Sure, they may have done it once or twice in their past but not to the point that it inspires them to try again and again of facing their fears and choosing courage.

Sadly, for those ALL SHOW AND NO-GO KIND OF PEOPLE fear has overcome them, it has overtaken them.

When push comes to shove and doing what they know they must do, they would rather back down and let others do their dirty work for them. They would rather push others into harm’s way without getting their hands dirty.

Yet, they would be quick to take the credit for the success of others and quick to point the finger and blame others for a failure.

So be careful as a leader, and especially be careful as a follower not to fall for those kinds of managers. Those bad managers will bring morale down faster than a lead balloon.

Let us get back to my nephew’s first professional MMA fight.

As the referee did not raise his hand in victory there were a couple of things that I saw as victories, as his victories; he got that first professional punch to the face out of the way. More importantly he gets that first L out of the way.

While the other guy did get his first professional punch to the face out of the way. That other guy now carries the specter of the L on his shoulder. Going forward everyone will be expecting a W including him but that first Loss is weighing heavy as it is only a matter of time.

My nephew walks into the next match without having to carry the idea of he might lose. He already has. He has tasted the L and now the first W will taste even sweeter.

My nephew knew it was not going to be easy going Pro. However, he also knows and lives on the idea and the mindset of that to get to where he wants to be, in his life he must step into something he knew was going to physically hurt him.

My nephew and countless others like him with that same mindset, are a great example of overcoming your fears by choosing courage. So starting facing your fears and choose courage.

Everyone, Your Future Awaits!

  • David Guerra, MA, MBA
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2024: Challenges & Opportunities

As we go through life there are numerous certainties. Here are two:
One, we are constantly bombarded by challenges
Two, far too many times we fail to recognize those challenges as opportunities.

Folks, every challenge is an opportunity to grow.

Let us look at this way, opportunities do not come along as often.

However, as we are constantly being bombarded with challenges there is no escaping the opportunities that come with them.

Seriously, think about this, Day in and day out. Opportunities are all around us. There are of course, there are going to be challenges.

When it comes challenges, they are not as bountiful.

Challenges come in two flavors:

The challenges we inflict on ourselves.
and
The challenges we allow others to inflict on us.

Both types of challenges are actionable. Actionable in that we can do something about those challenges:
We can accept them and let them overtake us.
We can accept them and we can overcome them.
Or as far too many people do: Ignore them in hopes they go away but instead those challenges WILL steam roll you.

Where is the opportunity in these challenges?

Simple, opportunity is found in all three options.

The opportunity is there to make something good happen for you or to allow something bad happen to you. What you decide is solely and strictly up to you.

Another reality is that you do have control over what happens.

The harsh truth is that there are far too many people that would rather settle than to do something about their situation.

That means when they are faced with challenges, they would rather roll over, play dead, and let happen what is going to happened to them. That is WEAK!

They see the challenges but give up on overcoming those challenges and in turn they give up on themselves.

Because they gave up on themselves, they will never get to see the opportunities those challenges bring.

Giving up may seem like the easiest thing to do but when you give up it is the hardest thing you can do to yourself.

It is the hardest thing that you can do to yourself for one simple reason: The moment you give up on one thing, the easier it will be to continue giving up on other parts of your life and eventually you will give up on yourself.

Trust me on this. I know. I have given up on myself many times. However, one day an challenge popped into my life. I saw that if I decided to take it, it was going to be a huge challenge.

The challenge was accepted and the opportunity has turned out to be one of the greatest ones in my adult life.

It is truly up to you to take the challenges as they come and turn them into opportunities.

But remember, there are no opportunities when you would rather stick you head in the sand and avoid the challenges.

And if that is you? I wish you luck!