Seth Godin, the best selling author and world-class marketing thought leader recently wrote a blog post that is well worth sharing.  The blog provides excellent perspective and food-for-thought for 2012 and beyond.  I encourage you not only to read, but to take appropriate action as suggested by this particular blog post, which was titled Trustiness: “We’re all

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Successful people and successful organizations are busy this time of year, tweaking and making appropriate adjustments to their 2012 strategic and operational plans.  Even more so for highly effective and highly successful people and organizations. They have carefully reviewed their 2011 successes and failures.  They are building on and leveraging their strengths and successes.  They are

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One of the many blessings and benefits of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays is the time and inclination to reflect on what is really important in your life…. and what you are doing about what is really most important in your life. The wisest of the wise… the most truly successful of the successful…

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Guest author: Harla Adams, CEO, National Institute for Healthcare Leadership. September 4, 2011 my brother, Brent Leisure, lost his home and all his belongings in the Bastrop, Texas wildfires. The Bastrop fire encompassed approximately 34,000 acres and burned 96% or 6,240 acres of Bastrop State Park. Over 1,600 homes were lost, which makes this the

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Words can be piercing, memorable and life-changing… whether positive or negative.  Words can lift people up… or tear them down.  Some words, whether written or spoken, will never be forgotten.  Words can and will strengthen or destroy priceless relationships.  Words can truly make a difference in people’s lives. It is not the number of words,

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Average tenure for a hospital CEO in America is less than 5 years. Ben McKibbens was CEO of Valley Baptist Health System in Texas for over 25 years! McKibbens also served as a leader for numerous local, state and national boards, associations and other organizations, including as a board member and Chair of the Texas

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The Harvard Business Review recently published an article that is particularly germane to healthcare organizations and healthcare leaders during this time of “healthcare reform” and a seemingly “new normal,” much slower and weaker economy. A huge title wave of negativity and pessimism has engulfed healthcare, maybe more appropriately described as a tsunami.  Although some healthcare

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According to Time Magazine, in addition to years of training, operators who work in the main control rooms of nuclear plants must spend one week out of every six in retraining exercises.  Think about that.  One week out of every six… retraining, refining, rehearsing, sharpening their knowledge and decision-making skills. Obviously, the decisions made by

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A recent Harvard Business Review article featured the unexpected and difficult, but very successful transformation of an Ivy League educated CEO.   “Michael Mack had a perfect CV: a BA from Brown, an MBA from Harvard, six years at the consulting firm Bain & Company, and then a successful move into entrepreneurship that resulted in

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In preparation for a feature article on America’s Healthcare Leaders, I recently interviewed a highly successful hospital and health system CEO who is now retired.  This man served as CEO of the same organization for over 25 years.  That healthcare organization consistently grew, improved and prospered in countless ways over those 25 years. The first question

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Terrell “TJ” Johnson was one of the toughest, roughest, and most “successful” gang leaders and drug kingpins in the West Memphis, TN.  By age 15, TJ had made more than half a million dollars.  His cocaine-selling empire continued to grow.  By age 17, TJ was driving the streets of West Memphis in a brand new

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I received a very kind and thoughtful email a couple of weeks ago from Harla Adams, a colleague of mine who is the now the CEO of National Institute for Healthcare Leadership.  Years ago, I hired Harla as a part-time temp.  At the time she had no formal management or leadership degrees or experience, and

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All successful healthcare leaders know the critical importance and impact of their Personal Presence.  Regardless of title, level within the organization, or length and extent of experience, Personal Presence is, to a large extent, directly responsible for a successful life and career. To be an effective and successful healthcare leader, you must: Persuade others as you state opinions

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I once had the opportunity to spend 30 minutes, one-on-one with General Colin Powell.  No one else was in the room.  I will never, ever forget that time, our discussion and my overwhelming positive impressions. Talk about positive command presence and personal presence.  Colin Powell has it… as much or more than any person I

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Steve Ventura, author of The Leadership Solution, wrote a brief, high-impact article that contains three simple but very effective leadership suggestions.  The Leadership Solution is published on-line by WalkTheTalk.com.   The article is titled, “Get Happier, Healthier, & More Productive.”   Ventura writes the following:   “One of the most effective ways to attain personal and professional success is to

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Charles Darwin is famous for many reasons, one of which is crafting this famous statement;“It is not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”  The same eternal principle is true in every personal, professional and organizational life! Every person reading this Tips for Success has probably read

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An article in the September 12, 2011 issue of Forbes Magazine caught my eye.  The article, titled Volatility Is Your Friend, states, “with a little sense and a lot of guts, you can protect yourself – and, yes, profit – from the stock market’s wild swings.  Really.” The exact same thing is true in your career

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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

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Each and every one of us have found ourselves in very difficult and very stressful personal, professional and organizational situations.  If you are alive and breathing, it is virtually 100% guaranteed that you will be challenged with more of the same in the future. As the saying goes… “That’s life!” Regardless of who you are,

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All successful people want to present the best of who we are in order to maximize our contributions, service and value to others.  We want the reality and reflection of who we are to be positive, and hopefully polished.  Most of us want to reflect a clear, clean, crisp and transparent image. Unquestionably, who we

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