Leadership - Walk the Talk

I've had the privilege to lead an ongoing conversation over the past several months involving a half dozen private practice owners whose practices are scattered across America. Each owner is both my client and a dear friend.


Each is a gifted professional with advanced clinical skills who walks the talk of commitment and excellence in the care they provide their patients every day. 


Each also walks the talk in nurturing and mentoring staff members who daily juggle the complex realities of balancing personal, family, and professional responsibilities.


Each walks the talk through generous contribution of time and wisdom to schools, churches, and civic groups in communities they serve, and by facilitating volunteerism by staff members.  


During those conversations, the owners each honestly shared their own pain associated with the  the challenge to provide job security to staff and innovative personal care to patients within  an environment where care needs were growing, costs were escalating, reimbursement was eroding, and competition was increasing. In their candor each was again walking the talk. 


In that candor, it was apparent that though their practices were thousands of miles apart they were on the same journey and facing the same challenges. 


Each struggled with the reality of the increasing gap that separated their aspirations from their resources. Each acknowledged soberly that the future held more, not less, of the same.


In the end, they came together with one voice and one path. They announced that they would walk the talk boldly together - in doing so they would pickup the pace - they would run, not walk; and rather than just talk, they would put their money where their mouth was. They came together with a shared vision and goal - to become nothing less than the North Star of innovation in an increasingly ordinary industry. 


Now that's leadership! 


WOW!


They acknowledged that they don't have all of the answers - YET! 


BUT, they will!


They are smart and creative - together they will figure it out! I love their spirit, determination, and resolve. My money is on them! 


Now they are running together, not alone. Now they have a bold vision and a promising destination.  No longer are they in a reactive mode waiting for "the next shoe to drop". Now they are crafting their own futures! For them its not only a New Year, but a New Future!


That's what I call  walking the talk!


All The Best!


Bob    


(c) 2011
Performance Builders