Journal of Sacred Work

"...a few words" Days 28-32

  "The difference between the right word and the nearly right word," Twain wrote, "is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." We all have the same words from which to pick, but across the American centuries, a tiny number have selected the right ones.

    Stephen Dunn offers lightning in his poem, "Named":

   "He'd spent his life trying to control the names/ people gave him;/ oh the unfair and the accurate equally hurt." And later, "A man who was a sweetheart/ and a son-of-a-bitch/ was also more or less every name/he'd ever been called,..."

   And this thunderbolt, "...when you die, he thought,/ that's when it happens,/ you're collected forever into a few small words."

   We may rue that no Twain or Dunn will write our ode. But I hope my preacher reads a little Twain and these lines from Dunn, "But never to have been outrageous or exquisite,/ no grand mistake/ so utterly yours it causes whispers/ in the peripheries of your presence - that was/ his fear."

   The word for anyone describing me "never outrageous" is "Liar."

   Dunn's choice for himself? "'Reckless"; he wouldn't object to such a name/ if it came from the right voice with the right/ amount of reverence./ Someone nearby, of course, certain to add, "fool.'"

   If someone describes me as "Driven," and someone else adds "fool" that's fine. Just so long as they say it reverently...

-Erie Chapman

Author at Parthenon (Nashville)

Days 26-27 Only By Love

A business executive wanted to encourage his staff to take more risks; to understand that life at its best or fullest, means not shutting down, or playing to “I can’t, what will they say?” At a staff meeting he passed out little pieces of paper, each stamped "Forgiveness Coupon."

Each employee received two coupons. He told the gathered group, "We keep telling you to take risks. But if you are really going to risk or try or dream or love or bring your heart or care, you are going to make mistakes. These coupons give you permission to make a mistake, free and clear, without fear of retribution, blaming or scapegoating." The staff listened flabbergasted.

The manager added, "And each of you is expected to use both coupons by the end of the year." An hour later, a staff member handed a coupon to the executive, "I would like to use my first one." What on earth did you do?" "Five minutes ago, I Xeroxed ten more copies."~Annette Morrison

I believe that the world was created and approved by love, that it subsists,

coheres, and endures by love, and that, insofar as it is redeemable, it

can be redeemed only by love.

~Wendell Berry

 

 

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Mandala by ~liz

 

 

 

Heart to Heart Days 20-21

Because, no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever, ever wasted.~Aesop

Healers do not foreclose on their heart.

Our invitation, “Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let

pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness. Take pride

that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it

to be a beautiful place.

~Kurt Vonnegut

 

Prayers for peace...

Shared by Liz Sorensen Wessel
Artwork by ~liz

 

#1 Attention-Getting Word? "Naked" - Days 15-19

"Sex." The word exploded from the road sign because the building behind it was a church. My church. In his sermon, the great Rev. Waldemar Argow admitted right away, "I named my sermon "Sex" to fill this place." Scanning the crowded pews he quipped, "It worked!"

   Except in a Polynesian Island or a doctor's exam room, the word "naked" still rivets attention.  Drop "naked" into a conversation, brand a juice drink with it, or add it to a music concert ad and you will catch eyes just as the brochure (left) stopped me from tossing it. 

   What if the ad said, "Nude Classics?" Same response because society still misses the difference.

   In his classic book, The Nude - A Study in Ideal Form, Professor Kenneth Clark describes the crucial distinction: "To be naked is to be deprived of our clothes, and the word implies some of the embarrassment most of us feel in that condition. The word "nude," on the other hand, carries, in educated usage, no uncomfortable overtone." (emphasis added.)

   My art gallery* is dominated by studies of "Ideal Form," the female nude. Only the educated appreciate it. 

   Similarly, another word shocks hospital leaders. My first culture-change recommendation to CEOs? "While rounding, ask a nurse, 'How do you give loving care?'" 

   The question works. Yet, about a third of the male leaders, even doctors, ask, "Do I have to use the 'love' word?"

   I answer with a question, "Isn't love at the center of mission?"

   To my profound disappointment, they say, "Yes, but...then dilute the question or never ask it. 

   Leaders asking caregivers "How they give loving care" signals love matters and can initiate a culture change: to Radical Loving Care. 

-Erie Chapman

*The mission of Erie Chapman Foundation is to advance Radical Loving Care^® in healthcare and the arts.  

A Spark of the Divine Days 13-14

“In mythos and fairy tales, deities and other great spirits test the hearts of humans by showing up in various forms that disguise their divinity. They show up in robes, rags, silver sashes, or with muddy feet. They show up with skin dark as old wood, or in scales made of rose petal, as a frail child, as a lime-yellow old woman, as a man who cannot speak, or as an animal who can. The great powers are testing to see  if humans have yet learned to recognize the greatness of soul in all its varying forms.”  ~Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The symbolism of the swan is an ancient sacred icon. In many parts of the world, this great white bird represents Light and embodies a marriage of opposites, of fire and water. As such, we are reminded that we are both physical and spiritual beings. Grace is the gift of being at home in both of these realms of our being.

As a water bird, the swan connects us with emotions. Various swan stories have been passed down through the ages. Many serve to awaken our intuition and naturally restore balance.

In the well-known Hans Christian Anderson fable, "The Ugly Duckling", was ostracized for being different than the others. Yet, to the surprise of everyone he grew into a gorgeous swan. This story illuminates the truth that first appearances can be misleading and our real beauty blossoms from within.

Each person we encounter is a spark of the divine. Someone who has a story to tell. When we are fully present in the moment with a listening heart we enter into a scared realm where we begin to see beyond surface impressions to what is real. In caregiving when we meet a need with a loving response that is a sacred encounter~(paraphrased  E. Chapman). The seemingly ordinary reveals itself in extraordinary ways. Such is the healing power of love.

Our luminescence shines ever brighter when we are open and receptive to the transformative power of Love.

Liz Sorensen Wessel

Mandala by ~liz

Turnaround Leaders - Days 8-12

I. Leaders Determine Culture

   The call was from top notch search executive Cindy Chandler. She asked about an ideal leader-type for Nashville's largest hospice,"Alive," after their tumultuous year and the CEO's departure.

   "The new President needs to turnaround culture and financials simultaneously," I offered. "But, the numbers will not improve until the culture does."

   Sensible as this seems, anxious board members often default to a terrible mantra: "No money. No mission."

   What had demoralized hospice caregivers and enraged the Nashville community was the prior CEO's advocacy of selling to a for-profit! The best charity leaders see their work as a mission calling not a job. 

   My nomination for what Alive needs? Someone like Michelle Obama. Cindy instantly recognized this example was self-explanatory. Leaders like Ms. Obama bring out our best the moment they enter a room. 

II. Success Example for Alive

   Big turnarounds can happen. When I came to Nashville to head its largest hospital, Baptist, I was met with shocking news: a $73,000,000 loss! Any leader, would need to be not just  "tough-minded, and tender hearted"* but inspirational and innovative.

   Staff competence was there. Morale was not. The prior CEO left a legacy of fear and near-bankruptcy. 

   Like a great sports team, our staff got fired up and innovative. Over just three years, we cut the loss to $30 million, then $4 million then netted $1 million. That was because all 4,000 staff got on board, energy was restored, morale was sky high, patient satisfaction was 90th percentile, quality levels were superb.

   Then, despite making timely payments to Bank of America on a $52 million loan BOA dropped a bomb: Pay now or face foreclosure. Unjustifiably, BOA became Scrooge. THAT is the little-known and only reason Baptist's success story became St. Thomas Midtown. 

   Once Alive turnsaround, public support and increased contributions will protect it from a BOA-type setback. 

III. Board

   Because board members do not run organizations, their biggest responsibility is CEO selection. The right choice means thriving, not just surviving.

   Hospices do not cure, they heal. Right now, "Alive" needs both. 

   Good luck to Cindy and the Alive board in finding a change-maker that will accomplish that. 

-Erie Chapman

*Martin Luther King  

 

Is Radical Loving Care at Risk? Days 6-7

A thousand years from now, what will be remembered about human beings on planet Earth?

Perhaps our outstanding technological advances that made life better or perhaps that many gifted humans created caring institutions which treated everyone with equal degrees of loving care!

Tender loving care means that the utmost planning and commitment, and dedication was provided for our most needy citizens! Regardless of race, creed, gender, or lack of money. Only this will matter as those that follow our existence in ? Look back at the year 2023.

What are you or your organization doing to improve the level of care you provide to all who contact your facilities via those employees who serve as the first contact for the public?

If your response is that you provide a wide range of services; how do you determine the actual level of care your patients, clients or patrons see you providing?

Healthcare uses surveys to measure not only the patient experience but caregiver (employee) experience. These instruments provide valuable feedback for those whom you serve. As Erie has often wisely counseled,  "the number one job of a leader is to care for the people who care for people."

Survey results may be surprising but provide hard evidence of your perceived quality level of care and give important indicators on where improvement where it is needed but how well is the follow-through on action plans?

Are you intnetional in  involving caregivers in creative solutions to enhance the workplace?  Is there a patient or family memeber on your advisory counsel? What are some of your lessons learned? Are there  innovative ideas have you implemented that you are especially proud of? How is AI a part of your strategic plan and how will it impact Radical Loving Care? What is at risk?   

 

Terry Chapman Phd

The Enormous Power of "Mood Music" - Days 1-5

 Pete Handwork was the high school friend everyone wanted to have. Jovial, smart, and humble, he was a natural leader whose upbeat energy was contagious. His subsequent successful career as an appellate court judge was no surprise.

   Schoolmate, Howard, was the opposite. A good student, his almost genetic downbeat worldview doomed him. Sadly, I later heard that "Howdy" was homeless.   

   In kindergarten we notice if kids are upbeat, downbeat or "different drummers." My candidate for "different drummer" was Cindy, an early "hippie" marching to another beat. (I also worked to fit in but was, truly, a different drummer." 

   Shockingly, societies, in general, and hospitals in particular are dramatically impacted by a handful of "mood leaders." World energy was better under unifiers like Presidents Roosevelt, Reagan and Clinton and worse under Hoover and Trump. 

   Across fifty years I have seen the profound impact of a hospital CEO's "mood." The downbeat types drain energy. The upbeat energize culture.

   Examples are up-beaters like George Mikitarian (top picture) at Parrish Medical Center and Jake Erickson at Bingham Memorial. CEO Chris York has, in under a year, already energized the culture of Dallas' giant Presbyterian Hospital.

   Upbeat leaders attract upbeat staff. George's great team includes dynamic Vice President, Natalie Sellers (bottom picture), who has gotten so good she may, under George's guidance, rise to CEO-ship herself.

   What about "different drummer" leaders? These innovators attack the status quo (e.g., the RLC approach.) The Mayo Brothers  developed a different model for healthcare that became so effective that Mayo is routinely ranked tops.

   Culture determines behavior and leaders determine culture. No one wants a pollyanna. We all want upbeat or "different drummer" types. The problem? Both groups are rare. 

   If you are a leader, I offer a New Years's Invitation: If you raised your energy even higher how would it affect the mood music of thousands?

-Erie Chapman