Greetings from the LHH! I was on the road a bit this past week, going south of the border (i.e., to Massachusetts) to visit some students which was fun. I have a couple more weeks of making trips to visit. My longest trip this year will take me just past New Haven, CT - about three hours one-way. I plan to visit some old friends in CT so that will break up the trip. It’s really rewarding to visit the students because in the vast majority of cases the preceptors are really amazed at how clever and dedicated the students are.
One of the goals I set for myself this year was to read for professional development every day. The goal is modest: 6 days per week read 10 pages each from a challenging professional book (something like Nozick’s The Examined Life) and a popular developmental book (something like Atomic Habits). So each day the commitment was to read 20 pages. Reading 10 pages from something like Atomic Habits takes me 15-20 minutes (I am a slow reader - my wife reads probably twice as fast as I do). Ten pages from a book like The Examined Life takes more time. But I have been diligent about this goal and it was worked out extremely well. During the first six months I finished 23 books using this method. In addition to these developmental books, I also read 11 books of fiction, and listened to nine audio books (about half were fiction) for a total of 38 books during the first six months of the year. The fiction and audio books didn’t count toward the daily goal, but it seemed making this habit spurred making room for even more reading. This has made me really happy because I have been meaning to read many of these books for years, and some of them have been sitting on my bookshelf for nearly that long waiting to be opened.
A couple of things have helped me keep up with this goal. First is that the goal is modest, as I mentioned above. Second is that I track it every day. Finally, third is that I keep the books I am reading in our little reading nook in the kitchen where I sit and drink my morning coffee most days, so the books are always right there in front of me. Making it pleasant to do the habit is really important. Our reading nook is great. But even better is my folding recliner (best purchase for under $100 in a long time) that I keep on the porch for nice days (pic above).
Ever since I was a kid, I identified as a “reader”. But going to grad school turned reading into a chore. And being a professor does sort of the same thing. Before I started this habit, I was reading a lot, but it was often textbooks or stuff for my research (more about that in another update). Or I was wasting time reading random stuff on the web. Anyway, the long and short of it is I realized I was not reading the way I used to when I was younger. I thought of myself as a reader, but I had to be honest - I was reading a lot of junk. So this year I’ve changed that. I am doing less doom scrolling because I’ve squeezed the time I can allot to it by having this other task. It feels really good - like I am being more true to myself. I’m not saying I’m one thing and doing another.
Not all of my goals have worked out this year. More on that soon as I spend a little more time reflecting on why and how I am going to fix it (or if I am going to abandon them).
So with that, willing good for all of you, I present you with the links!
Read
What: HBR, It’s Time to Streamline the Hiring Process
https://hbr.org/2022/07/its-time-to-streamline-the-hiring-process
Why: One of the co-authors is Tyler Cowen, who also recently co-authored the book Talent. This is a short piece that critiques excessive screening of candidates. Some organizations are notorious for the number of interviews they put people through, and the hoops they make people jump through - perhaps best known is Google where people had historically been put through as many as 12 interviews. I’ve talked to young people trying to get hired by some organizations who have had to go through multiple rounds of interviews over several weeks. It strikes me as an absurd process. When I was in the Army and trying to hire civilians to work in my hospitals, it often took months, but that was mostly because of the bureaucracy, rather than the number of interviews.
A short read worth thinking about.
**
Watch
What: PBS, NOVA, Ultimate Space Telescope (Full Documentary) (54 min)
Carina Nebula as seen by the JWST (source: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages )
Why: This past week we have been treated to images never before seen by the human race thanks to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). I have to admit, I was oblivious to this even happening until the images broke a few days ago. We are now getting images that will help scientists expand our knowledge of the universe. I keep looking for big enough words for this. The complexity of this endeavor is mind-boggling, and the fact that it has worked is a testament to human ingenuity. PBS has done a nice job showing how complex the undertaking was - and gave me more of an appreciation of the effort required. To think we threw a telescope out into space a million miles from Earth and we are now getting pictures from it - imagine talking about the 100 years ago. It gives me hope for my children and grandchildren.
**
Listen
What: Health Leader Forge, Colonel Tanya Peacock, Commander, BG Crawford F. Sams Army Health Clinic/MEDDAC-Japan (48 min)
https://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2022/07/colonel-tanya-peacock-commander-bg.html
Why: I am very pleased to share my interview with my friend and former colleague Colonel Tanya Peacock. COL Peacock has had a fascinating career starting in medical operations, then becoming a MEDEVAC pilot flying Black Hawks, eventually earning her PHD in international business, teaching with me at the Army-Baylor MHA/MBA program, then becoming the vice provost of the Army MEDCOE (which is bigger than most universities, including UNH), and finally commanding an Army clinic in Japan during the pandemic. COL Peacock is a great leader and worthy of emulation. Check it out!
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 .
If you’re looking for a searchable archive, you can see my draft folder here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jwGLdjsb1WKtgH_2C-_3VvrYCtqLplFO?usp=sharing
Finally, if you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://markbonica.substack.com/welcome
See you next week!
Mark
Mark J. Bonica, Ph.D., MBA, MS
Associate 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
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” – Pablo Picaso