The critically important, universal success principle advocated and modeled by Dewitt Johns, the award-winning world-class National Geographic photographer, was alive and well… and on display during the Healthcare Supplier/Provider Institute meeting held in chicago earlier this week. Dewitt Jones is the highly acclaimed photographer whose images have been featured in scores of National Geographic expeditions over the past 20 years.
On his very first day on the job, Dewitt’s new boss emphatically said the following:
- “Look, if you work here, you’re part of a team of photographers that are the best in the world. You don’t have to prove yourself, not to me, or to the other photographers.”
- “What I do demand that you do is improve yourself. Every day, strive to be a better photographer, a better visual storyteller.”
- “And everything you learn, share it openly with the other photographers here at NGS. Improve and share; if you do that, you’ll do fine. If not, you won’t work here long.”
The over 160 healthcare professionals and executives who participated in the Healthcare Supplier/Provider Institute meeting were doing exactly what Dewitt Jones recommends and exactly what helped Jones become an international success in his field.
The healthcare professional and executives who particpated in the Healthcare Supplier/Provider Institute meeting were:
- Not engaged or worried about proving themselves. As successful leaders and professionals, they don’t need to waste valuable time and energy proving themselves to anyone.
- What these healthcare professionals were very much engaged in was improving themselves!
- And, these leaders and professionals were openly and honestly sharing with others what they have learned.
To this day, Dewitt Jones describes the words from his new boss as an extremely valuable and life-changing gift. “Don’t worry about proving yourself; just improve yourself!”
Over the years, I have watched countless people, including executives, waste countless hours trying to prove themselves to others rather than spending those same hours improving themselves.
Congratulations to each and every participant of the Healthcare Supplier/Provider Institute meeting held earlier this week. You were improving and sharing!
Dewitt Jones is absolutely right when he writes, “you get better a lot faster by focusing on improving rather than proving. You learn far more by sharing than by hoarding.”
And so it is with each and every one of us. We get better much faster by focusing on improving rather than proving. We also contribute and learn far more by sharing than by hoarding.
Don’t prove yourself; improve yourself – and then openly share with others!
