Full Circle Associates

This quote from Inside Ochsner: Overcoming Katrina: Day 8 echoes the conversations we've been having on our every-other-Tuesday "Us/Them" telephone cals. First, the administrator from Ochsner hospital who writes this blog suggested their response was more like Malcolm Gladwell's "Blink" than a command/control approach. They improvised in complex, stressful conditions. There was unimaginable pressure on every staff person and particularly those in leadership.

"Additionally, we met with our team and as the tired faces leave the compassionate and caring new staff arrive. Their lives destroyed, yet they are dedicated to help serve. An anesthesiologist pulled me aside and mentioned that he was speaking with a colleague and relayed that his colleague may leave Ochsner but he will never say it was because of the administration. It is great to hear that in a time of need the 'we' vs. 'them' attitude is stripped away and the core of helping those we work with as well as our patients is paramount...

I would say that government officials should read the book Blink by Malcolm Galdwell. It truly has assisted in decision making during these times and assisted me in my leadership. There is so much fear of making a decision that decisions are "managed-up" versus made and living with the result. Many decisions regarding personnel, supplies and assets are made through a series of request that get handed from one center to another and ultimately a decision made that can not be communicated due to the series of steps. The government would be served by more rapid decision making and greater control at the ground level - it would induce more rapid response and stronger coordination.

usthem, idontknow, katrina, hurricanekatrina, response2