RWL Newsletter #50
Greetings from the University of New Hampshire! I have to apologize - I missed last week's letter. I had it drafted and all I needed to do was add an introduction (like this) and I was going to send it out to you. But I was in Paris with my wife for our second honeymoon, and... well you know how it goes. Wine, cheese, romantic cruise on the Seine - I kind of forgot to push send until a few days later, and then it just felt too late. So I just let it go. I hope you guys can understand. First week I have missed. We had a wonderful trip, and enjoyed reconnecting. I recommend not waiting 25 years between vacations with your spouse. We got back Thursday at about 2 AM, so back to the real world now!
Read
What: from The Green Notebook, 31 Things Your Senior Rater Would Like You to Know That He Probably Won’t Tell You
https://fromthegreennotebook.com/2016/04/18/31-things-your-senior-rater-would-like-you-to-know-that-he-probably-wont-tell-you/
Why: I realize this is written by an Army officer and the target audience is Army officers, but I've read this article several times and every time I read it I am reminded of how most of this advice is relevant to any professional. Take out "Army" and replace it with your particular profession. It's almost all common sense, but so much of it is forgotten. I've given this article to a couple of classes of students now to help them think about professionalism.
Watch
What: STOICISM - ON THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE BY SENECA | ANIMATED BOOK REVIEW (5 minutes)
https://youtu.be/dNP5kVffUes
Why: Because Stoicism is the most effective life philosophy I have come across. The narrator says, "Wow - 2000 years have passed and nothing has changed." I had the exact same reaction when I first read Seneca. Taking out a few references to specific places and events, Seneca's Letters from a Stoic are just as relevant today as they were in 30 C.E. when Seneca wrote them. The core of Stoicism is resilience, which is an important trait for any leader.
Listen
What: McKinsey & Co., The future of grocery—in store and online
http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-future-of-grocery-in-store-and-online
Why: I am fascinated by innovation. I love seeing new ideas generated and diffused. The grocery industry, as boring as it sounds, has been the focus of a lot of really innovative efforts in recent years. It's important to pay attention to what is happening in other industries because you never know where the next big leap is going to come from. Maybe there is something here that healthcare leaders can learn from.
Just a little aside - I accidentally mis-numbered last week's letter and skipped week 50, so this is letter #50, even though you got #51 last week. I know most of you won't notice, but it was bugging me. Plus next week is #52, which means I have officially been doing this for a year, which I think is kind of cool.
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