What is predictable though is feeling comforted by the fact that had we not been so fortunate, our Inova family would rush in to help wherever needed. I know many folks did indeed spend the night at work and were on standby just in case the worst did happen. And I know our community would support us had we been hit as hard as our neighbors to the north. I express my gratitude by giving back and am so glad to hear that once again
Inova is stepping up to the plate.

We have launched a campaign to help in the nationwide efforts to get those communities impacted by Sandy back on their feet. Inova has selected the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group to support in this effort. The VNA provides services to over 4,000 people each day through home health, hospice and community based care. One of their nurses stopped in the middle of the storm to deliver a baby in the car. The ambulance was unable to make it through and the nurse not only delivered the baby, but got out to direct traffic so the father could continue his trip to the hospital.

I watched with great sadness children in pediatric wards being walked down flights of stairs in the dark. I read about back-up generators failing and extensive damage to many facilities. At New York University Langone Medical Center 200 patients, including 45 critical care patients, had to be evacuated, according to a report I saw on TV.

As I write this, I had to pause and once again take a moment to give thanks that we were spared any major devastating damage. If you too are feeling grateful and wish to help out, please make a donation. Inova has designated Fund 144 as the Inova Hurricane Sandy Recovery and Re-Building Fund.  Colleagues that choose to support this effort should write in Fund 144 through the Employee Giving Campaign. We have also launched a web page with more information which you can find by clicking here. Thanks for always being there.

This bit of wisdom recently posted on Inova’s Facebook page caught my attention. I have a friend who is always upbeat. He has the ability to stand back in a seemingly objective manner and find humor in every situation. And sometimes I wonder why I can’t be more like Frank. I’ve stood with him and a small group of people who were all equally affected by a decision and while the rest of us were complaining and stewing a bit, Frank would chuckle and make light of the situation. And invariably, sometime down the road, when we would look back and reminisce, we too were able to join Frank, objectively chuckle and realize everything worked out in the end. Another acquaintance of mine is incredibly engaging. You’d think she was talking to the queen or king of England with almost each encounter she has. She is enthralled, passionate and excited. I wonder why I can’t be more like Kim.

One lesson I’ve learned from serving on various boards over the years is the importance of having many different personalities on a team. Barbara the school teacher used to drive us all nuts with her incredible attention to detail. We dare not move on if each “i” wasn’t dotted and each “t” crossed. And by golly, if the bylaws say you must have three estimates if spending over $500, you better not even think about asking for a vote if you haven’t brought your three estimates to the table. But without the Barbara’s to keep us in line, rules would be broken. And on this same board was Rick who loved to talk about how it used to be and discuss every option possible – for a long, long time. And then there was me, tapping my foot, eager to make a decision and move on. But it was easy to see that the key ingredient to our successes as a board was having such a well-rounded group. Attention to detail, bringing in prior lessons learned and different viewpoints, and a task master to move things along all led to better decisions and actions.

How boring would this world be if we were all the same? If everyone is thinking the same, someone isn’t speaking up! What’s unique about your team? When was a time that those differences really paid off?

By tuning in I’ve learned a great email organizational tip, I watched the central lab do a kaizan and plan out their new space, I was happy to see the joy of our colleagues riding the commuter shuttle on the 95 and 66 routes enjoying their speedy and peaceful daily trip to and fro, and I was able to watch EpicCare go live. All from the comfort of my desk! Wow!

Just this week, I was featured (in a small part) on  InovaTV. It wasn’t as favorable as I’d hoped, but it’s not bad.Take a look:

You have to tune into InovaTV to check out more (including a full link to the Jeopardy game): http://inovanet.net.inova.org/

And rest assured, I’m still out there actually rounding and look forward to seeing you soon, with or without the video team.  Please send me your ideas!

It’s about remembering to make the time for the things that mean the most to me which requires an intentional effort. You know those moments we occasionally have when all is well with the universe, everything is clicking and you’re almost giddy with happiness? And then, that moment passes and the email comes in reminding us about the PowerPoints that are due. But wait, I never got that data I need to finish. Oh, and I need to call …. oh, and that other meeting is about to start ….and the day is over. And the positive experiences flow right by and are, in effect, wasted. And how much easier it is to remember the bad stuff. We tell everyone about the guy who cut us off in traffic this morning and complain about the person who never got back to us with the data. My goal is that I don’t want to be so rushed that I miss the miracle of the small things – the beauty of the now.

So how in the midst of chaos can we become centered? Ask a nurse! Our Inova nurses are the experts.  They know the power of being intentional and practicing mindfulness. Sometimes my action step is simply stopping, taking a deep breath and asking, “What is most important thing here?” Life has many challenges and our wisest course of action can simply be taking a second to remember that this moment will pass soon enough, so enjoy the beauty of it, even if it’s ugly!

For me, the purpose of being purposeful is that when I’m in the zone, I am happy and productive. I find that I’m more likely to remember not to let those small-yet-important-to-me tasks fall through the cracks. And I find that mood follows action. And the mood, when I’m in the zone, is happiness. Studies show that being happy leads to a stronger immune system and a more productive life, so being happy is my reward, not the main goal. What makes you happy? Send in your key ingredients and I’ll publish a “Recipe for Happiness” blog.

Contestant: “I’ll take Insider Knowledge, Mr. Trebek.”

Mr. Trebek: And the answer is, “Inova Leadership Institute (ILI) leaders who read my blog.”

Contestant: “Who will have a better chance at winning a Kindle at the next ILI?”

At our next ILI we will be playing Vision 2015 Jeopardy and a few lucky winners will win some great prizes for themselves and their department. If you or someone you know will be attending ILI, take a sample quiz now to see if some prizes might be coming to a facility near you:

Answer: Safety Net

Question: Which Inova program provides access to health services to underserved populations?

Answer: Joint Replacement

Question: What is one of our Centers of Excellence destination services?

Answer: Elizabeth Major, Terri Folse, Erma Ryan, Jill Parady and Dawn Murphy

Question: Who is shown in this photo recently brainstorming in regards to Vision 2015 and therefore has a better then average chance of winning?

And now – Final Jeopardy!

Answer: Insider knowledge and having my utmost gratitude and respect.

Question: What is the benefit of reading my blog?

And I can confidently say, yes, Inova does indeed have a long history of creating a culture centered on learning opportunities, listening to all view points and openness in order to foster creativity and innovation. From our earliest days, our founders knew the importance of taking what works and looking for better ways of doing things. As the population grew, we continued to anticipate the needs of the community by growing our services and investing in new technology. Without this history, we would have no heart transplants; the Fairfax campus would have only 282 beds and we would have a blood shortage.

At previous Inova Leadership Institutes we learned from racing pit crews, Seattle Pike Place Fish mongers, Walt Disney cast members, Ritz Carlton ladies and gentleman and so many more. We’ve learned the importance of dropping the, “but this is the way we do it here” and replaced it with open listening skills to hear how new hires did things in their previous careers. It is looking at the broad picture with open minds that allow us to continue to create new best practices every day and view things as opportunities rather than problems.

Our Lean teams are sending colleagues to the Gemba, which is a Japanese word meaning “the real place.”  The Gemba is where learning occurs. As we design our new facility spaces, we are creating mock rooms made out of foam core and cardboard boxes. Our nurses, technicians and just about everyone can get a feel for the layout of the space and comment on what works well and what doesn’t work well. Electricians may forget that many nurses aren’t six feet tall and they install switches and outlets too high. Design experts may like the flow of counters horizontally and a lab tech may come along and point out that he could easily save an hour walking everyday if the counters faced vertically.

Steve Jobs, Apple’s master innovator, was so detail oriented that he involved himself not only in the business side of making computers, iPhones and iPads, he helped design Apple’s buildings as well. It was his belief that some of the most creative ideas and excitement for projects came from casual conversations. One of the last buildings he helped design encourages such interactions by having all offices flow into a central atrium. Here it was more likely for, “Hey Jane, watchya working on?” conversations to take place. Job’s goal was always to make his products “insanely great,” no matter the obstacle.

And this is how Inova has always felt about serving our community. We invest not only in technology and new buildings, but in our teams that provide our “insanely great” services. Next month a few members of my team signed me up to visit an architecture firm to learn about “Design Thinking,” where they encourage folks to “stop talking and start making.” So, I’ll stop blathering now and end by asking for you to share ways that you and your teams foster creative thinking and innovation!

However, a few weeks ago my calendar was booked for thirty minutes with the video team to talk about our recycling accomplishments in our operating rooms. This was planned in advance and was on my calendar. I have to confess though that since I only had two lines, I didn’t really study the script in advance. Next thing I know, I’m being asked to remove all the papers and folders from my desk so a crew from the operating rooms can fill it with blue sterile wrap. And sure enough, a few minutes later, a parade of blue-scrubbed folks parade in – each with an arm full of blue wrap! Being an observant fellow though, some of our “operating room” team members looked suspiciously like folks I’ve seen here at Cambridge Court from Human Resources, the Foundation and Government Affairs. And I come to find out most of them agreed to lend a hand at the last minute. In the middle of their routine day they were asked to don blue scrubs, line up and drop the blue wrap on my desk until I could no longer be seen.

What I love about these stories though is that when they are told, I never hear any complaining. What I do hear is the camaraderie created and the sense of pride for having stepped up to the plate and helped out when needed. I think the Inova difference is that we are able to handle whatever is thrown at us, blue wrap included, and do so with grace. When was the last time you or someone you know were caught off guard and ended up with a good story to share?

Oh, and by the way, if you want to see our brilliant acting skills, you can watch the video on YouTube – it’s called “The Recycle Mash!”

My first thought of how to spend my extra time was that I would exercise more and spend more time reading books. I think that if I quizzed a handful of people on what they would do with a block of free time, the standard answers would be similar, “take up yoga, cook healthy foods, spend more time with family and friends and tackle that project I’ve been meaning to start.” But as our Inova colleague wisely said, it really comes down to what we do with what we have. It is balancing what we can realistically accomplish and aligning that with our inner values and desires.

Success comes from purposefully reviewing and updating our goals, promises and commitments and balancing everything to create a well-rounded life. If we take the time to prepare and plan for what we really want, we can make it happen. So I did ask around. One person chuckled, “no, I really don’t want that time, I’d just fill it up!”

I did find a good solution from a “list-maker.” She read a book on living a life with passion and purpose and the book suggested writing down ten things that you absolutely love to do and incorporate those into your daily routine. I’ll pause here while you stop and laugh!  I know, we don’t have 15 extra minutes a day, much less adding in ten more things!

She also laughed but was clever enough to change the rules and create a system that works for her. She made a list of 20 things – ten things she loves doing and wishes she had the time for, and ten things (like exercise and balancing her check book) that she should be doing. The trick she used to make this work was that she only has to spend ten minutes per week on each one (except the exercise of course!). The list runs from Saturday to Saturday. List people love scratching things off their to-do tasks, so she tackles a few easy ones first thing. Now, instead of complaining that she never has time to read an autobiography or spend time on her art projects, she sits down for ten minutes and reads. Invariably what happens each week is that ten minutes turns into half an hour. Once engrossed in the book or an art project, other opportunities are often found throughout the week to read an additional chapter or two or paint a bit more. Most every week she is able to scratch things off the list. The result is a more balanced and fulfilling life with little room for excuses.

Success doesn’t come from luck. Success comes from planning, goal-setting and elbow grease. I also feel that success is not limited to what we do for a living, it’s how we live our entire lives – mind, body and soul. So, what would you do with an extra 12 hours each day?

Samuel Kojo Asamoah works nights in the Beacon recognized MSICU at Alexandria Hospital, has a masters in nursing and is a member of the American Nurses Association, ANA. When Mrs. Obama was looking for a representative from Virginia who was also an ANA member, Sam’s name was submitted by his supervisor, Carol Feike.

In September, Mrs. Obama held a teleconference about healthcare reform provisions. More then 5,000 nurses from across the country joined in the call, which focused on The Affordable Care Act. The discussions centered on how nurses can educate their patients and the community about the new protections and benefits of health reform.

Sam says he loves his colleagues and the way things are structured at Inova. He was able to benefit from our tuition reimbursement program.  He appreciates that we are constantly trying to improve our standards of care for our patients.  Sam is proud that we constantly reassess our way of practice and improve upon what we learn.

For Sam, that is the Inova difference and the reason he has been with us since 2005. I’m always bragging about how we have the best and the brightest nurses in the world.  I love it when the rest of the country, not to mention The White House, shares in our excellence!

I happened upon the photo of Sam and Mrs. Obama while rounding.  What will I find when I round in your unit?

Wow! We had lots of entries, making it a tough call for the judges. We even had to call upon a 4th judge to help break a few ties. But at last, we are ready to announce our winners. They are (envelope please):

For funniest holiday memory: Jan Rayl, RN at Inova Home Health
She wrote: “Another year, I recall was when my Dad first went into business for himself. Mom made it clear to each of us three girls that there would not be much under the tree this Christmas. So to “make Christmas last longer,” my creative mother made a jar of treasure. You had to pick a slip of paper from her jar of treasure and do, sing, or answer the question. It was hysterical to listen to the things each family member did – I had to sing Jingle Bells while doing the hula! I don’t remember a thing I received that year, but I sure remember my sister acting out all the parts of the story of baby Jesus being born in a manger. You should have seen her ride a donkey across the living room with the pillow to make her look pregnant.”

For Best Gift Ever: Gail Grandela, Health Coach
She wrote: “My best gift ever was from my husband. Our first Christmas together he gave me the book, ‘Yes Virginia there really is a Santa Claus.’ He gave me this book because growing up in my family, my parents were very practical. They gave each of us children a set amount of money, took us to the toy store, had us pick out the presents we wanted,wrapped them and put them under the tree. We got up on Christmas morning and unwrapped them knowing what each one was. This was always Christmas in my house.There was never a ‘Santa Claus.’ My husband wanted me to know what being surprised at Chrismastime was all about. He surprised me so much that Christmas that I cried due to his generosity. I can’t imagine having a more wonderful Christmas than that. Now, Christmas at my house is always wonderful.”

For Worst Gift Ever: Tracy Rickard with the Special Care Nursery at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
She wrote: “The worst present my husband and I ever received was (are you ready)? A bolt cutter. It was from a family member and we had a lot of giggles trying to figure out why he would get us this as well as where he got it. Some of the suggestions were: One day one of us would be in jail and the other would have to bake a cake….complete with bolt cutter. Another was maybe he thought we were short on Christmas presents and may need a few bikes so his present would “assist” us in getting more presents. Who knows and we never asked….because it is the season of giving….”

For What it Means to Give: Edith Leon with Telecommunications at Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
She wrote: “My mother taught me through example that to give is to love and to love is to serve with a joyful heart!! I grew up in a middle class neighborhood just of Mexico City. I never experienced poverty; I was always well dress and never knew hunger. My parents owned several homes and businesses, so I was very surprise to learn their background.

One day (as usual) our very poor neighbor (mentally disabled) came to knock on our door to see if we had dirty laundry she could wash for a couple of pesos or some bread. She had a severely disable child that she would tie on her back. Everyday this lady would come to the house and every day my mother would give her something to do, and it wasn’t just her, it would be any one in need. Most of the times I saw my mom “helping” these ladies and ended up doing all the work herself, not because she didn’t like the job they were doing, but because she said ‘they too deserved to be served.’ This always puzzled me, especially because she always paid them more than they had agreed even though my mother did most of the work. My mother later explained to me how she didn’t even make it to second grade and she made her shoes out of car tires, these among other hardships. She said she will never forget the feeling of hunger and would never cease giving to those in need.

She not only told me but showed me how ‘give, how to love and how serve with a joyful heart.’ She lived by this then and continues to live by it now.”

I want to thank everyone who participated in the contest and made it such a challenge to pick the winners.