Forget Balance

I was looking over my notes from "The Circle of Innovation" when I ran across this gem. "We seek balance between innovation and infrastructure/finance. Or do we? Forget...balance. Embrace instead...TENSION!"

Think about this...you have a very bright manager constantly running in one direction at a hundred miles an hour...in pursuit of the bold, the brave, and the innovatitive. Then there's the administrator/director, equally as bright (if not alittle more-so), headed the other direction just as fast. Fighting, shouting, not balancing but living in a constant state of tension.

"If you have two people who think the same, FIRE one of them. What do you need duplication for?"
-Jerry Krause,
general manager, Chicago Bulls

Favorite Drink

I have two favorite drinks. A cheap one and a less cheap one. The cheap one would be club soda with lime. It’s perfect. There are no calories (no junk sweeteners), it’s crisp, refreshing and perfect on a summer day. The less cheap one, four shots of espresso over ice in a grande cup with half and half to the top also known as ‘Del Sol’ or a ‘Hickory Creek Sunrise’ depending on the barista. What’s not to love about that? The smokey aroma surrounded with the smooth, rich half and half?

WOW!!!

I need one right now.

Later.

Pre-Move...Never Mind

Nevermind the posts about the move…I’ve moved on. Tom Peter’s “The Circle of Innovation” was my book of the month, this month. It was recommended by Tim Sanders in “Love is the Killer App.” It was interesting to read since it was written in 1997 and a little bit has changed in the world since then. Here a few highlights:

We Are All Michelangelos – every ‘jobholder’ is a business person. Michelangelos of housekeeping…and hairstyling.

We’re Here to Live Life Out Loud – Leaders of the future must have laser-like focus, tell the truth, and live on the lunatic fringe.

Chapter Titles like: “CDO (Chief Destruction Officer)” and “What the Hell is an Organization NOW?” make this one very hard to put down. A word of warning, this book has a little bit of language in it…Tom is very passionate about this stuff.

The circle of innovation is:

• Distance is dead

• Destruction is cool

• You can’t live without an eraser

• We are all Michelangelos

• Welcome to the white-collar revolution

• All value comes from the professional services

• The intermediary is doomed

• The system is the solution

• Create waves of lust

• Tommy Hilfiger knows

• Become a connoisseur of talent

• It’s a woman’s world

• Little things are the only things

• Love all, serve all

• We’re here to live life out loud
  

See what I mean…innovative titles + innovative layout + innovative content = innovative book.

70 Hours Overtime - Glad I'm Not On Salary

I’m back. After a very long month, I’ve finally got some time to rant...write. It all started, I don’t know, a year and a half ago. Rumors of Denton Community Hospital becoming Presbyterian Hospital of Denton were all over the building. Could it be true? A big name hospital in Denton? WOW!!! One thing lead to another and before I knew it there was a brand new big building being built (alliteration) next door. At the same time contracts were signed to get a little automation (Accudose by McKesson) in the pharmacy side of patient care.

All this stuff is great but what’s that? OOOHHHH…this is all going to come together at the same time. Change hospital names, Accudose ‘go live,’ and move from a 100 bed facility to a combined 200 bed facility all at the same time…that sounds like fun (glad I’m not in charge). But wait there’s more…what if another company was to offer BBG the chief tech at the time, a director of pharmacy position?

What you would have is a potential for disaster…And a huge opportunity for character building. This experience was not always fun, but we pulled it off. The pharmacy crew I have the pleasure of working with on a daily basis is absolutely amazing. Each and every one of them made a unique contribution to the move and implementation.

I’m going to break down the whole ‘move’ into three posts: pre-move, move, and still moving.

Just a little post script: Although I do work for Presbyterian Hospital of Denton, my views do not necessarily reflect those of PHD, Triad, or Texas Health Resources...that should keep me out of trouble.