Recently, I was reminded of the story of the carrot, the egg and the coffee bean. Perhaps you’ve heard it. A grandmother is in the kitchen, and she has three pots of water on the stove. Her granddaughter asks what she is doing. The grandmother explains, “In life, when you are in hot water, you can be like the carrot, the egg, or the coffee bean.” “What do you mean?” her granddaughter asked. The grandmother stirred the boiling water patiently as she went on. “The carrot goes into the water strong but comes out weak and limp.” She lifted a cooked carrot for emphasis. “The egg appears unchanged but is hard on the inside.” She stirred some more. “The coffee bean however is unique. The coffee bean changes its environment. Be like the coffee bean.”
I became a coach to transform #healthcare. Yes, that’s right. I wanted to transform healthcare. I saw a lot of #bullying occurring in healthcare. When I pointed it out and stood up for those who were victims, I was told, “That’s just the #politics of healthcare.” It wasn’t and it isn’t. It’s bullying.
This became my mission, to do as much as I could to do away with bullying in healthcare. I wanted to change the environment; I just didn’t know how. Then, I came across a form of #coaching that focused on people’s #values. It was based in #personalityscience. It teaches you to listen and speak to one another based upon the other person’s values. I realized almost immediately that this was the key. This could transform Healthcare. It could solve not only our problem with bullying, but also issues with #negotiation and #boundaries. These are three key drivers of #burnout. If I could teach healthcare workers to speak to one another’s values, I could solve so many of the problems we have.
I signed up to become a coach and trainer. I did the work of going through the certifications and training courses. What I didn’t realize was how much it was going to transform me. As I went through all this work, a spotlight was shining on all my weaknesses, all my inabilities to be a great leader. For how could I become a leader of leaders, and lead my own company, without learning and correcting my weaknesses? I found that I am courageous enough to do that. Repeatedly, as much as is necessary. I continue to learn about myself as I learn to lead leaders.
My question to you is this: where and what are you transforming? Are you changing your environment, or are you transforming on the inside? You cannot do the first without doing the second.
#Transformation. It’s the only way to move forward.
#RiskManagement #Teamwork #Communication #Leadership #Values #ValueBasedCommunication #LeadershipDevelopment #BurnoutPrevention #Physicians #PhysicianLeaders #Nurses
