RWL #189 - rumors, subscriptions, and more
Greetings from Rt. 4, somewhere between Durham and Concord! My wife is driving us to a socially-distanced birthday party and I am finishing up this week’s newsletter using my phone’s hotspot. I am a road warrior! Seriously - how amazing is that? Typing away on my laptop, reviewing the articles on the web, and uploading while we speed down the highway? (well, “speed” is a bit of an exaggeration if you know Rt. 4, but we’ll allow the hyperbole, right?)
I’ve been reading Cicero’s collection of essays, On The Good Life, over the last few weeks. He reflects quite a bit on Socrates, which is interesting because of course he is separated in time from Socrates by almost 500 years. He does reference one of my favorite Socrates quotes, “The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavor to be what you desire to appear.” It is such simple but profound advice. I sit down with a goal of reading 10 pages at a time. The material is not the most difficult reading (I assign that prize to Kant), but it does take focus. I do recommend it.
Stay well and stay safe.
(picture above is paddling on the Squamscott River heading up toward Exeter. That’s “Daughter #2” as my former students know her paddling in the clouds.)
Read
What: HBR, The 3 Elements of Trust
https://hbr.org/2019/02/the-3-elements-of-trust
Why: This is a quick article worth a read. In my experience, the foundation of good leadership is trust. In my professional career as well as in my studies of leadership as an academic, the thing that good leaders do is create trust. I also see and experience the necessity of trust in the classroom. Good teachers create trust between themselves and their students. This article breaks trust down into three components. It’s worth reflecting on each.
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What: Washington Post, A daughter’s choice: Her mom didn’t have covid-19. But isolation seemed to be killing her.
Why: Many of my students have been gravitating to long term care over the last few years as they realize the impact they can have early in their careers. We have some fantastic alumni in the field who mentor them and share their passion with the students. Everyone I know who holds a leadership role in long term care does what they do because they want to care for their residents and give them as high a quality of life as possible. My conversations with them over the last few months have focused on the challenges of keeping their residents safe, first and foremost, but they have also acknowledged the challenge of social support. This article is heartbreaking to read, but very real.
Watch
What: TED Talk, Heidi Larson: Why rumors about vaccines spread -- and how to rebuild trust (15 min)
Why: from the description: “Why do people distrust vaccines? Anthropologist Heidi Larson explores how medical rumors originate, spread and fuel resistance to vaccines worldwide. While vaccines cannot escape the "political and social turbulence" that surrounds them, she says, the first step to stopping the spread of disease is to talk to people, listen and build trust.”
Rumors and misinformation as social contagion. Why are vaccines in particular so vulnerable to rumor? Why is there so much lack of trust around vaccines? How have vaccines become politicized?
The lessons learned here extend beyond healthcare and into general ideas of building trust.
Listen
What: HBR Ideacast, Every Business Can Be a Subscription Business (27 Min)
https://hbr.org/podcast/2020/07/every-business-can-be-a-subscription-business
Why: This is a discussion of the dynamics of subscription businesses - what makes them work and how they create value for customers while providing steady cash flow for businesses. The discussion doesn’t come to healthcare, but clearly all of the models that are being pushed in healthcare today are subscription based. Capitation is a subscription. Concierge medicine is a subscription. Direct primary care is a subscription. There’s a lot to be learned from other businesses that are doing subscriptions successfully, so it’s worth listening to this for ideas.
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What: Econtalk, Michael Munger on the Future of Higher Education (67 min)
https://www.econtalk.org/michael-munger-on-the-future-of-higher-education/
Why: My favorite Duke economist (the only one I know) is back on Econtalk, this time to talk about the future of higher education. As usual, he’s funny and insightful. He presents an interesting future for those of us who have committed to a career in the old school form of school. I’ve posted similar articles on this theme, so it’s no surprise where they go is a discussion about what real value is, and how to disaggregate the college experience - or where it can be disaggregated. Munger goes back to basics talking about transactions costs to explain why so many things have been aggregated into the “college experience” - the actual classroom teaching being a relatively minor part. Skip the first couple of minutes while Roberts (host) and Munger love on each other. The rest is definitely worth listening to.
Thanks for reading and see you next week! If you come across any interesting stories, won't you send them my way? I'd love to hear what you think of these suggestions, and I'd love to get suggestions from you. Feel free to drop me a line at mark.bonica@unh.edu , or you can tweet to me at @mbonica .
Also, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
See you next Friday!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Assistant Professor
Department of Health Management and Policy
University of New Hampshire
(603) 862-0598
mark.bonica@unh.edu
Health Leader Forge Podcast: http://healthleaderforge.org
'It is the small things, everyday deeds of ordinary folk, that keep the darkness at bay. Simple acts of kindness and love.' - Gandalf (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)