Growth Hurts

Things are going well! First, I must give a "shout out" to my dear, dear friend who completely helped me right my world view these past couple days. You know who you are (and if you don't, I'm going to throw a margarita at your head)!

That being said, I want to thank all my friends (and loyal readers), for your support and encouragement these last several months. It's been a long and arduous road and I've really counted on you for pep talks and verbal vomit sessions. I love you all.

So what prompted my change of heart? Mainly, I decided to get some help at work. I went through a rapid evolution the last few days in that I was so completely overwhelmed that I was hating my life. I'm not in the position to hate my life. I'm an optimist (almost to a fault) and couldn't figure out when I should stop being a "yes" woman and start saying no to projects because they either weren't feasible or I didn't have enough waking hours during which I could complete them.

I set up a formal appointment with EVOO today and he gave me a lot of applause. I ASKED for criticism, for things to fix, and he said he couldn't think of any thing he'd have me do differently. After I internally whooped for joy, I asked for his counsel on some of my political issues arising at work. I also asked for guidance on the "should I say yes and kill myself" or "say no and risk missing a great opportunity" dilemma.

For instance, the stroke designation through Illinois is going extremely well. We're flying forward and the ancillary departments are rallying around this new program. However, one of the quality directors just assumes that I will see the program through to Primary Stroke Certification through The Joint Commission. Not to be a pessimist, but there is no way on God's green earth that St. Fozzie's can pull this off in the next two months. Our "rich" sister hospital, St. Gonzo's, took three years to establish their Stroke Center. We've been at it for six months and while we're making awesome strides toward Illinois' regulations, the Joint Commission has standards that are exponentially harder to attain. This certain quality director keeps pushing the Stroke Center on me. I finally asked EVOO for help and he told me that's the trademark of a good leader...knowing what you can and cannot handle.

For me, it's not even what we can or cannot handle. Sometimes, despite all the enthusiasm in the world, you just don't have the resources! It's REALISM.

Then we talked about my Six Sigma project and how it's dovetailing with a systemwide software optimization program. After I met with corporate Six Sigma management this morning, I realized that the systemwide project is waaaaay off track. It's the jellyfish of projects (as in, no backbone). Without a better structure, this project will fizzle into nothing. I asked EVOO's help in figuring out my piece of the project and how I could ensure that my piece succeeds. He assured me that this, too, was good in terms of leadership and the management of people and projects.

I just wish it wasn't so painful. Growth often hurts.

However, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I am very thankful for this fellowship opportunity, the amazing administrative experiences I've already garnered at St. Fozzie's, and most importantly, for my family and friends who lovingly put up with my seemingly endless stress and complaining about how busy I am! You guys are great!

Tomorrow, I'm off to St. Animal's for a day of Six Sigma training. We're having a makeshift Thanksgiving feast at the meeting, so I need to go pick up a pumpkin pie. Mmmm, pie!