Sometimes Dreams Come True
Maybe some would call it a vision, rather than a dream, because it made perfect sense and was so very much in line with the direction EMMC was headed. But when Helen McKinnon RN, EMMC vice president of Clinical and Administrative Services, joked to a group of leaders that she’d had a dream about an award given by leaders to honor other leaders in our Patient First Initiative, she knew exactly what form the prize would take. She even said, with a smile, she saw in her dream who the first recipient would be.
Helen’s dream revealed that the award would be given from leader to leader on a quarterly basis, for personal vision, fortitude, and leadership along our road to cultural and care transformation at EMMC. The prize would be a crystal vase and regular deliveries of flowers to fill it, to remind the leader of their special role at EMMC.
And this is what came to pass. Each quarter at the end of the Leader Workout, the vase is passed to the next recipient, usually with some tears, and always with hugs all around. This journey is a very personal one for the leaders at EMMC, and a very important one. We all share the triumphs and the tribulations of working to change a culture that has taken more than a century to evolve.
To allow recipients to have a souvenir of their esteem among their peers, they also receive a pin, depicting an eagle carrying a small crystal, and a framed certificate of their recognition. No one ever asked Helen if the person who won the first Eagle Award was the person she saw in her dream. It didn’t matter. These are victories all EMMC leaders share together.
The Moral of the Story:
- In our blossoming culture don’t ever forget that it’s people who make change happen and, it’s important to take the time to savor accomplishments and enjoy some of the steps along the way.
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