RWL Newsletter #44
Hello from the University of New Hampshire! It is finals week - but I am all done! (Happy dance in 3... 2... 1!) Assignments are all in, grades are in, and that is that. And now I need to go out and do some weeding...
Whenever I conclude a class with a group of students I really like, I read them one of my favorite passages from Thoreau's Walden: "I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." I got to read that this week. Read on to see why...
Read
What: Management II Primer by Sarah Anderson, Carly Barber, Colleen Bernard, Kyle Cayer, Jessica Fucci, Regan Judge, Erin Katzeff, Jason Lavallee, David McDonald, Erin McNamara, Shayna Murphy, Logan Pierce, & Caroline Sweny
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1htA3wCSMs4Q0aruXykFhKEoNsb7IWDizC49jvH6YFNM/edit?usp=sharing
Why: Yes, this is what it looks like - the final project of the Org Behavior class I was teaching this semester. The assignment to the students was to write a "primer on organizational behavior oriented toward early careerists." I didn't give them a text book this semester, instead I told them to write one. And you know what? They did. And they did a darn fine job for a group of 11 college juniors and two seniors. They cover everything from personality to meeting management, and a whole lot in between. It's so incredible when you give a group of people a really hard task, tell them you believe in them, and let them go and they exceed your expectations. I really encourage you to open this document up and take a peek. You might find you learn something! (oh, and its 179 pages so give it a second to load)
Watch
What: Resiliency - Motivational Video by Mateusz M (2 minutes)
https://youtu.be/UNQhuFL6CWg
Why: After closing things up with my students, I got some disappointing news this week that really sucked the wind out of my sails. Now that the initial emotional response has settled down, I was sitting here reflecting on my own ability to deal with set backs. So I went Googling for a video on resiliency, thinking I would watch a few thinky TED Talk-type videos and find something to share, but the first thing that came up was this motivational video. I watched it a couple of times. I liked the message the narrator kept repeating - your WHY has to be greater than defeat. That's really pretty much it. If your WHY is your ego, you're not going to be able to keep getting up. You have to believe in something bigger than your own ego. For me, that WHY is helping young people grow. So whatever I have to do to keep in that game, that's what I've got to do. Sometimes it's good to get knocked down - it helps clarify things. What is your WHY?
Listen
What: Rand Corporation's Resilient Communities podcast, interview with Admiral Thad Allen (10 minutes)
https://www.rand.org/multimedia/audio/2011/12/12/creating-community-practice.html
Why: Taking resiliency to the community level, this is a short (10 minute) interview with Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen who talks about the importance of creating resiliency at the community level before a disaster happens. Healthcare leaders play a key role in community resiliency. This is worth a quick listen.
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