RWL Newsletter #32
Greetings from the snow-bound University of New Hampshire! Last week was just CRAZY! Actually, I like to think it's the way winter is supposed to be. I like snow. I don't mind the cold as long as we have snow. And boy, did we get some snow! We got about three feet of snow in about a week's time. Unfortunately, my mailbox was a casualty to the snow plows - for the second time this winter! This was supposed to be a temporary mailbox until we could get a nice one in the spring. But now I'm wondering if we will have to get a replacement for the replacement!
Anyway, small troubles. It's wonderful to be up here, and wonderful to share this week's finds with you!
Read
What: from the HBR, Being Engaged at Work Is Not the Same as Being Productive, by Ryan Fuller and Nina Shikaloff
https://hbr.org/2017/02/being-engaged-at-work-is-not-the-same-as-being-productive
Why: Students in my org behavior class presented on motivation this past week, so we had a good conversation about engagement and what makes people feel engaged. Employee engagement is also a common theme that comes up when I talk to senior healthcare leaders. We work in a field where it's pretty easy to feel good about what you do - as long as you see how your contribution connects to the bigger picture - so generally speaking I think we have a leg up on other industries when it comes to engagement. There are risks, though. The point the article makes - that working long hours does not necessarily correlate with productivity - is important to keep in mind.
Watch
What: Chase Jarvis, How Introverts Become Great At Promoting Their Work
https://youtu.be/56uEFPFIUQE
Why: 8 minute video. Chase Jarvis is a professional photographer and runs a web site called Creative Live. His business is helping creatives improve their skills both creatively as well as in business. This video is about self-promotion. Self-promotion is not something I learned a lot about in my military career. Most military people do not consciously practice networking. There is little need if you think you are going to make the military a career since most of your assignments are only loosely in your control. I've learned that networking in the civilian world is critical to success. Two years out from my military career, I still feel like I just emerged from a bubble, but I've been trying to develop this skill. So as I learn this skill, I am trying to help my undergraduate students develop it, too. I remember talking with Nirav Shah about networking, and he thought that networking was a crass word. Instead he saw other people as teachers and potential mentors. I think that's a great way to think about it. But however you think about it, it's important to get people to see that you have something valuable to offer. I think this video does a good job of talking about it.
Listen
What: Health Leader Forge interview with Sam Shields, Director of Operational Excellence, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System
http://healthleaderforge.blogspot.com/2017/02/sam-shields-director-operational.html
Why: Sam has a great story, starting out with a degree in chemical engineering, working in a variety of manufacturing industries, becoming an expert in quality and supply chain management before bringing his skills to health care. I love listening to executives who have circuitous routes to healthcare leadership.
That's it for this week!
If you find these links interesting, won’t you tell a friend? They can subscribe here: https://tinyletter.com/markbonica
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 by e-mail, or you can tweet to me at @bonicatalent .
Thanks for reading and see you next week!
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
Twitter: @bonicatalent
"I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestionable ability of man to elevate his life by a conscious endeavor." - Henry David Thoreau