We live in a world, country and industry where disruption is fast becoming the rule versus the exception. Economic uncertainty and globalization, social unrest, government insurgence around the world and terrorism themselves cause dramatic disruption. The predominant calm water of the past appears to be forever replaced by continuous whitewater. Add to that the complexity and change occurring in healthcare and the pressures of disruption can seem overwhelming. Declining reimbursements and increased requirements regarding quality of care add up to doing more with less in the healthcare industry. As hospitals and health systems are caught in the nexus of these conflicting forces, inevitable clashes will flood the hallways, offices, minds and work days of all of us in this industry. Simply stated, the success of our clients, patients and the success of our company will depend heavily on how we respond to these forces, these disruptions, and where our nexus (center) positions itself. Will we find the calm in the nexus of the hurricane or will we allow ourselves to drift into the destructive winds of the storm and be battered and broken by it?
Author, speaker and teacher Chuck Swindoll once wrote … “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.” In other words, for Chuck, it was all about his attitude. And so it is with us as well. We can manage our attitude in a way that circumstances will have less effect on the outcomes of our life and our attitude will then have the greater impact. As an example: the way we view the current state of affairs in our world, country and industry can be dramatically different. If we approach them with fear and trembling and become terrorized and paralyzed by the emotions of the situation, we will respond very differently than if we find the calm in the storm and are able to survey the situation with clear heads to find the opportunities for success. So what makes the difference in how we respond? Our attitude becomes the difference-maker. Not that the emotions will necessarily be different, but how we think and respond will be different. In the movie “The Edge” starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin, the two are caught in the northern wilderness, the remaining survivors of a plane crash and a “man-killing” grizzly bear attack. They were without food, shelter, proper clothing or conventional means of protection. They were both filled with fear of death and destruction (natural response, given the circumstances). Hopkins decided that he would kill the bear rather than be killed. He recalled reading how others had resourcefully and daringly slain other monster bears against all odds, and used the phrase “if one man can do it, so can another”.
So how is it that some companies overcome incredible disruptions and become wildly successful? Whatever that is, we in our respective businesses need to do the same. And where do those ideas, efforts, visions, goals, action plans and work ethics source from? They begin with our attitude about the situation. The attitude that determines whether we believe we can also do what others have done and that “killing the stalking bear” will provide us with badly needed protection from harm, food and warm clothing to weather the elements and circumstances ahead. Hopkins also made the statement “I am going to live my life differently from now on.” His attitude was that he would survive and be changed because of it. At the end of the movie, when Hopkins, the lone survivor, was asked about those that did not survive, he made the statement “They died saving my life”. Seems like a simple statement, but it was not literally true or intended. They did not literally save his life; he did that himself due to his unshakable attitude for survival. The intention of that statement (I believe) was that Hopkins was “saved” from his old self and given a fresh start due to the severe disruption that occurred in his life. And so it is with companies who have flourished out of disruption. They have re-invented themselves to respond to the disruption as opposed to allowing the daunting task of slaying the “man-killer” grizzly bear so to survive, and eat and clothe themselves and become much stronger in the process. They were no doubt fearful of becoming extinct but overcame that fear with the appropriate action through courage, planning, and execution to make them better than ever before. They believed that they could do what others had also done. Their collective attitudes become the force behind the success that they achieved. Swindoll also wrote “And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes.”
We must individually and then collectively be or get in touch with our true attitudes to determine if we are survivors of the current disruption taking place. It is not the disruption itself that will determine the “eaten” versus the “eaters”, but rather what that disruption exposes in each of us.