Prayer Player

Below is a very solid prayer that my wife constructed based on various biblical passages.  A good tool to pray through every now and then to keep you aligned.

You God are the everlasting God.

You will not grow tired or weary.  You understanding no one can fathom.

You give strength to the weary.  You increase the power of the weak.

Give me strength.  Increase my power, I am weak.  Is. 40:28-29

God, you have chosen me and have not rejected me.

So I do not need to fear because you are with me.

I do not need to be dismayed because you are my God.

You will strengthen me and help me.

You will uphold me with your righteous right hand.  Is. 41:9

You will turn darkness into light before me,

and make the rough places smooth.

You will not forsake me.  Is. 42:16

You created me, God.  You formed me.

I do not need to fear because you have redeemed me.

You have summoned me by my name.  You are mine.  Is. 43:1

I am precious and honored in your sight.

You love me.  Is. 43:4

You have called me by your name.

I am created for you glory.

I am formed by you and made by you.  Is. 43:7

I am your servant whom you have chosen,

so I can know you, believe you and understand that you are He.

You are the Lord, there is no one after you or before you.

Apart from you there is no savior.  Is. 43:10

You will help me.  Is. 44:2

You will give me treasures of darkness,

riches stored in secret places,

so that I will know that you are the Lord.

You bestow on me a title of honor,

though I do not acknowledge you.  Is. 45:3-4

Even to my old age and gray hairs You are He.

You are He who will sustain me.

You have made me and will carry me.

You will sustain me and you will rescue me.  Is. 46:4

You will comfort me because I am yours.

You will have compassion on me, your afflicted one.  Is. 49:13

I can know that you are the Lord.

Those who hope in you will not be disappointed.

Help me hope in you.  Is. 49:23

Though the mountains be shaken

and the hills be removed,

though I am shaken,

Yet your unfailing love for me will not be shaken,

Nor your covenant of peace be removed from me,

You say this Lord.

You have compassion on me.  Is. 54:10

Fire Station No. 3’s Four “F’s”

This past Tuesday I had the opportunity to hang out at my local fire department for an 8-hour shift to experience what our hometown heroes go through on a daily basis.  Realizing 8-hours is a very small sliver into their world, here are a few takeaways from this experience…in a very “nontraditional” form of alliteration.

Family: The fire department at our local station consists of 3 teams, serving 24 hours on and 48 hours off.  Over time, you apparently really get to know your small team of 5-6 members;  to the point where they become a “tribe.”  For those regular, 24-hour shifts, you eat, drink, and sleep together like a family, while also working alongside each other to save lives.  When I was sitting down with the other men for lunch, you definitely had the sense of family warmth and good-natured teasing.  Unlike other fire stations (from what I have heard), you could feel this was a unified team that worked seamlessly together, always having each other’s backs.  The key ingredient for this teamwork was creating a culture of family.

Focus: At the end of our chicken salad sandwich made by Greg, the fire engine driver, a bell went off in the station, signaling Nate and Chris to drop everything and immediately jump into the EMS truck.  As I was assigned to follow them, I too had to drop everything to get in the truck, headed to the medical emergency.  The one thing that stuck out to me was how immediately focused the team became, following a time of casual conversation and horseplay just minutes before.  You can and should have those downtimes, but you also need the ability to get the job done and do it well when it’s “game time.”

Friendly: I was very impressed with the patient rapport of Nate and Chris.  As they were dealing with some very difficult situations, they handled themselves with professionalism and a tender, carefree heart to those in need.  In the midst of seeing every situation as a potential task, you can easily separate yourself from your work.  However, they showed a strong ability to be truly present with their patients.

Fun: This unit definitely had fun together.  As we had three emergency calls, where two resulted in rushing the patients to the E.R., the guys ensured there was a balance of play.  Seeing a consistent flow of hard situations enforced the need for these guys to counter the chaos.  As you can’t walk around denying the hardships of life, it is still healthy to see the lighter side of life, and not take yourself too seriously.

As I enjoyed my time with the EMS unit, I have to admit of being a little bummed there was no fire to rush to…but I guess that’s a good thing.

Turning the Tables

About 15 years ago my wife was working with a group of middle school students and as a learning exercise asked them the question, “What bugs you about your parents?”

The actual list can be seen below:

(click to enlarge)

And now, we find ourselves on the other end of the spectrum, knowing very well the list of our own kids would be identical.

When we read over that list 15 years ago, I am assuming we would have thought our kids would be different.  Our parenting style would raise perfect kids that loved us like best friends and respected us like a grandparent.

Well, the tables have surely turned on us!

Cute or Crazy

Kids can either be cute or crazy.

One minute they are writing cute little sentences like the one below by my six-year-old daughter, Lucy (showing her concern for Thanksgiving turkeys):

Then the next minute they are conducting themselves in ways that make you wonder if the next Hannibal Lecter is living in your home, as Riley decided to express himself with one of Lucy’s dolls:

At least Hannibal Lecter was an MD.  Thanks something to be proud of!

Ouch!

Serving as an adjunct professor at a local university means I receive numerous faculty e-mails that don’t really pertain to me.  However, every now and then a gem like this crosses my computer:

A recent ________ University football player bought an engagement ring in December 2008. He never had the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend before they broke up. Now he is stuck with a brand new engagement ring still in the box. He purchased the extended service plan on the ring. Below is a link to the ring. He is trying to sell the ring. I told him about the faculty e-mail and told him I would post it for him.

So, if anyone needs an engagement ring please let me know.
http://www.kay.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product1%7C10101%7C10001%7C-1%7C990390306%7C15051%7C

Thanks,

Head Athletic Trainer ____________ University

Ouch!

An Exemplary Experience

From 7am to 5pm this past Tuesday I had the privilege of shadowing two local spinal surgeons of the Summa Health System.  The Summa Health System has continually been nationally ranked in the U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s Best Hospitals, while locally ranked as one of the Best Places to Work in Northeast Ohio.  So why all of the prestige surrounding this top-notch organization composed of several hospitals, care centers, and research labs?

From what I experienced in one day, here are a few of the possible reasons:

Teaching & Accountability: Summa Hospitals are teaching hospitals, meaning the medical staff have a continual connection to a resident.  As I shadowed my first spinal surgeon conducting patient rounds and appointments, he had consistent interaction and “testing” with his apprentice, which in turn ensured that the doctor was at his best.  In many ways, this highly integrated mentoring approach of “on the job training” created a natural accountability system to the doctor for superior quality, while creating the best learning environment for the student.

Teamwork & Fluidity: From the nurses to the surgeons, the medical staff operated like a family, all pulling for one another with encouragement, playful fun, and sincere warmth…and the results of their teamwork showed:  While I stood directly behind one of the spinal surgeons, watching him pull out a disc from a man’s spine (sweet!), the nurses conducted a change in staff.  As each nurse took over for one another, the shift change was incredibly seamless.  I actually wouldn’t have even noticed that the change occurred if the doctor hadn’t mentioned it, however, I was pretty focused on watching things done to a spine that I didn’t think were possible using screws, a hammer, and a chisel.

Stamina & Excellence: The medical staff’s ability to work incredibly hard, and yet consistently ensure excellence was overwhelming.  For the first half of my day I followed one spinal surgeon from room to room talking with patients and accessing next steps for medical treatment.  The doctor’s ability to consistently use general psychology practices, gain quality rapport, make the best assessment, and then record his case on the situation was literally a non-stop process.  When I shifted over to surgery for the second half of my day, it was hard to believe that the doctor would be keeping that pace up for several more hours!  And to then see the physical and mental demands of just two surgeries was equally inspiring, especially knowing that the doctor had conducted two other surgeries earlier in the day.

As those were just a few takeaways from yesterday’s “white coat experience,” I noticed that a lot of Summa’s DNA came down to leadership.  It seemed like whomever I interacted with, from the surgeons to clerical employees, had nothing but extremely positive things to say about Summa’s CEO and President, Tom Strauss.  You see one of Tom’s most important values within the organization is that of servant leadership.  And as he stresses this DNA piece amongst his managers, ensuring all employees have an orientation on Greenleaf’s leadership principle, Tom is one that lives it himself.

As Albert Schweitzer penned, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”

Branding Your Brand

This past Wednesday a small group of local leaders and I had the opportunity to sit under the teaching of Kristie Van Auken, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing & Communications Officer of Akron-Canton Airport.  Kristie’s specialty with CAK is to oversee all of their marketing and communications, including air service development, branding, advertising, media relations, social media, and internal and external communications.

Kristie is a person who understands the landscape of today’s tech tools, and the results can be seen their web site’s social hub (HERE) and the 5,000+ Facebook friends (more than any other airport in the country!). So in regards to marketing and developing your brand, here were some key points from Kristie:

Be Your Brand. CAK’s brand is simple:  Price + Experience = A Better Way To Go.  However, they noticed that their bottlenecked, check-in wasn’t an accurate reflection of their desired experience for passengers.  So this disconnect has now spawned a new building project to widen their security check-in.   (NOTE: If the costumer can’t tell you what your brand is, then you don’t have a brand!)

Earn Your Reputation. Every company has to determine what their reputation is worth and then make the necessary steps to achieve it.  But the key to achieving your earnings comes down to trust.  Whatever the case, never stop branding!

Build Over Rebuild. If you lose the trust of your costumers, then you will lose your reputation, and thereafter your brand.  Like CAK’s partner Value Jet, there was no way they could have ever rebuilt their brand following the 1996 crash of flight 592.  Instead of a rebuild, they built a new brand following their acquisition of AirTran, and have been very successful ever since.  It’s easier to build a brand then rebuild one.

Tell Them First. CAK doesn’t wait to inform the media of both the good and bad news regarding airport issues.  They take a very proactive approach ensuring the public is holistically informed through various media channels.

Newsworthy

At one time in my community, the Knights not only controlled our local media, but some of the largest print media avenues within the country.  After watching this 60-minute documentary, and then spending a few hours in some of the barren halls of the Akron Beacon Journal, it surfaced some great lessons in leadership and the current age print media finds itself within:  reinvent or die!

To view the documentary, click HERE.

Who Are You Battling Against?

In his book, “Who’s Got Your Back,” Keith Ferrazzi points out that though the latest buzz in discovering and working out your strengths is a healthy venture, we still must recognize that we have self-defeating behaviors that are obstacles towards greater effectiveness.

To help identify some possible defeaters, Ferrazzi lists some of the common categories complied by Greenlight Research.  See if you can find yourself in any of these:

The self-doubter. You know the kind of person I mean – the one whose ego is way too small for the kind of job he’s been enlisted to carry out. To his staff, he may be the boss, but inside he’s constantly asking himself, What if one day everybody realizes what an imposter I am?

The black-and-white thinker. Rigid? This person could write the book on it. If things don’t go his way, he freezes up, unable to compromise or bend. His sheer rationality makes it effectively impossible for him to work on a team – and his insistence on doing things his way makes collaboration impossible.

The pessimist. He sees the glass as perennially half empty and tends to resist change of any kind, given that the alternative might well be even worse! But when the balance is always weighted against change, nothing ever changes!

The perfectionist. The perfectionist sets impossibly high standards Perfection becomes an obstacle instead of a means of achieving a goal. He’s hypercritical and unable to accept mistakes or imperfections either from himself or from others.

The victim. The individual in this category feels powerless to confront challenges or solve problems. When dealing with challenges, she seeks to find blame in others or sees situations as being beyond her control.

The risk avoider. He or she is insecure and tries to steer clear of situations and decisions that could result in defeat or failure.

The struggler. Feeling isolated or cut off from others, she craves attention for her efforts. She seeks out turmoil and impossible situations – and may even go so far as to create them.

The conflict avoider. Feeling responsible for the happiness of others, the conflict avoider downplays disagreements, changes sensitive subjects, or avoids topics altogether.

The overchiever. The overachieving type of afraid of failure and humiliation. He is driven by low self-worth and tends to take on too much, becoming a workaholic.

The underachiever. Rather than trying and failing, the underachiever doesn’t believe in herself and so prefers not to exert herself in the first place. She regularly falls short of her own and others’ expectations.

The shamer. This type deals with his feelings of insecurity by blaming others. He tends to shame, embarrass, or humiliate others to cover up for his own fear of failure.

The fixer. Because the fixer sees herself as better then everyone else, she is resentful of others’ weaknesses and feels that she is constantly cleaning up other peoples’ messes.

The bully. A bully copes with his feelings of anger and insecurity by being mad at the world. He covers up his feelings of being alone in the world by blowing up at and picking on others.

The schmoozer. This is the type of person who’s always on. In his relationships with others, he tends to be very superficial He has a tendency to tell others what they want to hear, because he really doesn’t care about them or about relationships.

The micromanager. Mistrustful of others, a micromanager feels that the only way she can control the world is by controlling everyone around her. She doesn’t expect others to meet her expectations and strictly limits others’ decision-making authority.

The jester. Fearful of the truth about himself, the jester’s way of coping is to be perpetually entertaining. He deflects serious topics about himself and others with humor.

The scientist. The scientist feels most comfortable with facts, information, and statistics. She relies on intellect rather than emotion. She strives to keep feelings at bay in her interactions with others.

The pleaser. Always in need of approval, the pleaser tries to be all things to all people.

The dramatist. Because this type feels undervalued or unimportant, she tends to turn small issues into large productions. She has a hard time keeping a sense of perspective.

The racehorse. Speeding along at a hundred miles per hour, he doesn’t pay enough attention to how his actions affect those around him. He seldom gives enough attention to others’ feelings or needs, and believes the first one to finish line wins – not exactly a team player (190-192).

As a Matter of Fat

This past Tuesday I was with a group that went through a fitness screening at a local wellness center.  Basically there were stations throughout the upper floor of the building, with medical staff conducting various fitness and blood tests determining our heart condition, cholesterol levels, strength, etc.

I have to admit; I was going from test to test and feeling pretty good about myself.  I arrogantly thought, “Hey, I am pretty fit!”

But then all my positive emotions came crashing down in a matter of minutes.

After finishing one test, I was directed to this young and fairly attractive woman who brought me into a private room and closed the door.

I thought to myself, ”What fitness challenge does she have for me to master now?”

Then, she turned to me and said, “Please take off your shirt.”

“What?”

“Take off your shirt.”

“Why?”

“Because I have to get your body-fat measurements.”

“Oh,” I replied, slowing taking off my shirt wondering if she will notice the tire around my waist and thinking my afternoon snack wasn’t such a good idea.

“I am a little bloated today from a sugar cookie I had with my coffee,” hoping she thinks on normal days I strut around with a six-pack.

“Yea, that’s what they all say,” un-amused by my feeble attempt to higher her perception.

She then pulled out what looked like a device I once used in high school geometry class and started pinching portions of my body fat to measure.  With each grasp of my cookie-dough chunks, I could feel all self-esteem and pride oozing away.

After each measurement, she would pull away to write down a few numbers on a piece of paper.  I thought, “I am sure that number is too high.  I didn’t even know numbers could go that high.  I am going to start working out 7 days a week and cutting out all sweets.”

When I was done, she said I could put my shirt back on.  Defeated, demoralized, and defamed, I exited the room with head lowered.  I then drove home, sat in front of the TV, and had some cookies and milk to sooth my pain.

I know Paul says to his young pastor friend, “For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things (1 Timothy 4:8),” but when someone is poking around at your body, your values sure do quickly shift!