Leadership and humility

I returned from vacation on monday morning and guess what? The group that accredits hospitals showed up for their every three year surprise week long inspection! Talk about a quick come down from the high of a vacation. As nervewracking and intense as this kind of experience can be, its also a way to really see the caliber and the quality of your fellow team members, and to see the kind of grace under pressure that brings out the best in your best. One of the things the surveyors said today is that we [the executive team] could all be on an island somewhere and the staff would do just fine because they know what they are doing, are self confident and really "fearless". I said that given what we have all been through over the past year with the economic downturn, the Hospital being put up for sale, the bankruptcy of our parent company with the challenges that continues to bring, and Hurricane Ike, to boot, we are pretty darn fearless! And instead of being offended by the comment that the staff would do just fine without us, I am instead very humbled by the commitment, class and strength of these incredibly special people that I work with. Leadership brings a lot of things with it, both good and bad, but today my sense of pride and yes, humility, is a reminder as to why I chose this noble profession and why I still love doing what I do.