July 29, 2013

We at TriHealth have seen an incredible amount of change over the past several years!

Our family grew bigger and then grew some more; we welcomed a new hospital, surgery centers, physicians and their team members into our family. We adjusted to the implementation of new equipment, new processes, and electronic documentation.

Now, we are looking to continue to prepare for the future through our TriHealth 2020 initiatives. Will the changes ever stop?

My message to you today is "we better hope not!"

The changes we have made and continue to make are vital to our success today and into the future. We all want to work for an organization that is successful, financially sound and one that makes us proud of what we give to our patients and our community; therefore, as hard as change is sometimes, we know we must do what is best, not just to survive, but to thrive in the years to come.

So how do we cope with the changes and stress that comes with change? One of my favorite quotes states: "You cannot change the direction of the wind, so prepare to adjust your sails." (The first time I saw the quote, it was on a poster with a beautiful white sailboat on a beautiful blue lake.)

I have always thought of that quote when dealing with change. Change, like the wind, just keeps on coming. Sometimes it comes like a cold, harsh winter wind and other times like a gentle, warm breeze, but either way it keeps coming!

How we deal with the wind is much like how we deal with life's changes; we can fight it or we can go with it. We can leave our sails just as we set them many years ago, resulting in a very difficult journey, or we can adjust the sails to the winds of change and enjoy the ride.

My advice to each of you is to prepare to adjust your sails, to try (I know it will not be easy), really try to be open-minded and embrace whatever the next change is that comes to your work area. You might just find it actually takes less energy to embrace the change, learn the new way, and smile about it.

Life is short and you spend many hours at your job; try to enjoy the ride!