Sharks, Rollerblades, and Empowerment

I just came in from rollerblading for over an hour in the muggy, sticky heat. I knew it was humid, but I didn't realize how taking deep breaths reminded me of breathing in butter (why yes, I often breathe in butter, thanks for asking!). As long as I kept moving, I was okay...until I started scanning suburban streets for wet sidewalks indicating a sprinkler gone awry.

I can't believe I let a whole year go by between rollerblading session. I'm back and will squeeze in as many blading sessions as possible before the leaves fall.

This past week was pretty great. Lots of long hours at work and I relegated the nights to Shark Week. I can't get enough breaching Great Whites off the coast of South Africa! Jack and I watch more television during Shark Week than during college football season. OKAY, just kidding.

[Speaking of football, I wonder what the countdown is until ND opening day?]

Anyway, the week started out well with a bunch of meetings with my direct reports. I've been working with all my managers, trying to help them strengthen their leadership skills. Or for the ones who just "get" leadership, I'm helping them find their managerial skills. While that employee interaction and what I guess I would call 'coaching' are my favorite parts of my job, it's exhausting. It's as if I need to build up that endurance so I don't end up on "E" myself. I tell my own staff, watch what you give away through feeding others...when your neighbors come and borrow eggs, sugar, milk, etc. Then when you finally get around to feeding yourself, all you have left in your pantry is canned refried beans or cherry pie filling from the Easter of 2007.

Luckily, we're working through these lessons together. I keep telling them the things I need to hear! Isn't that the way it goes?

The other interesting things that happened this week include a blowing up of a program and a beginning of a new program. After going around in circles for two months, I was finally given jurisdiction over our large physician group's Diabetes practice. So I am consolidating their program with ours and maximizing things. It's all about the patients' outcomes and the doctors have finally gotten out of the way! Now my only struggle is to figure out how to maximize our reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid for the services rendered!

The NEW program we built, or rather, continued building was Lean at St. Fozzie's. The next generation of classes kicked off Thursday and Friday. We already trained managers, directors, and VP's and now we are training supervisors and charge personnel. The classes went pretty well and I was pleased to see several "light bulb" moments. That's empowering, too, seeing people connect the dots like that.

However, that exhausted me, too! I don't know how professors and teachers do it all day! I have nothing but respect for people who teach for a living!

The week concluded with a wonderful dinner with Joe from St. Piggy's hospital (an amazing Italian feast during which we all ate probably 5000 calories) on Thursday and our secretive directors' monthly dinner on Friday. I guess if I talk about it, it's not secretive, eh? It's a core group of directors who are constantly building each other up and supporting each other. I wasn't going to go, as my exhaustion was beckonging me toward the couch and more Shark Week, but that nearly-free therapy ended up being exactly what I needed.

I love it when that happens...when your job, your friends, and even your employees buoy you to keep on swimming!

****I just realized I never finished writing about our little anniversary getaway. I will get to that in the next few days...as soon as Shark Week is over.