The Role of the
Leader In Crisis
Management
June 2, 2011 • Wroten –Anaheim CA
Mary Tellis-Nayak
RN, MSN, MPH
Vice President of Quality Initiatives
mary@myinnerview.com
773-942-7525
Objectives
The participant will be able to:
1. Identify 3 characteristics of the leaders
we need for crisis management in longterm care
2. Articulate the characteristics of their
own leadership style
3. Enumerate three ideas you heard
about leading and managing at different
times in a nursing home’s life.
The Importance
of Leadership
Administrator and DON:
The architects of excellence
An organization
excels or fails
with its managers
“80% of all quality problems
are the fault of managers”
W. EDWARDS DEMING
MANAGER
VS
LEADER
The manager maintains
The leader develops
The manager has a
short-range view
The leader has along-range
perspective
The manager focuses on
systems and structure
The leader focuses on people
The manager asks
how and when
The manager accepts
the status quo
The manager does things right
The leader asks what and why
The leader challenges it
(the status quo)
The leader does the
right thing
Administrators and DONs are the KEY to quality
Quality of care: QI Index
Survey results
The NHA/DON turnover
is by far the best predictor
of a quality collapse
Family satisfaction
Staff satisfaction
Staff turnover
Administrator turnover
Every quality-related
outcome turns direction
and heads south
Census
Liability
Finances
Other
When NHAs/DONs exit: The outcomes
Quality of care: QI Index
DON turnover in 2 years
Survey results
Family satisfaction
0
1
2+
Staff satisfaction
Staff turnover
Administrator turnover
Census
Liability
NHA turnover in 2 years
Finances
Other
0
1
2+
Families “Very satisfied”
Staff “Very satisfied”
0
1
2+
DON turnover in 2 years
0
1
2+
NHA turnover in 2 years
Deficiency-free surveys
Scope and severity of G and G+
0
1
2+
DON turnover in 2 years
0
1
2+
NHA turnover in 2 years
CNA turnover
Registry use
0
1
2+
DON turnover in 2 years
0
1
2+
NHA turnover in 2 years
Please read the Activity
that has been provided.
Then turn to your
neighbor(s) and answer the
questions on page 2.
Did you know?????
» A herd of buffalo is solely dependent on
one leader – the herd will follow, even if
it’s over a cliff.
» In a flock of geese, every single bird
within the group knows exactly where it is
headed and is ready to take over the
leadership at any given moment.
WHAT MIGHT WE
LEARN FROM GEESE?
Let’s take each of the following facts and
discuss how it would apply to the
leadership in your organization.
The Nature of Geese
The goose in the front of the formation leads
for a while, but as it tires it will drop back
and another goose will take its place in
front. Leadership and responsibility are
shared by all.
LESSON?
As each goose flaps its wings,
it creates an “uplift” for the
birds that follow. By flying in a
“V” formation, the whole flock
adds 71% greater flying range
than if each bird flew alone.
LESSON?
When a goose falls out of
formation, it suddenly feels the
drag and resistance of flying
alone. It quickly moves back
into formation to take advantage
of the lifting power of the bird
immediately in front of it.
LESSON?
When the lead goose tires,
it rotates back into the
formation to take
advantage of the lifting
power of the bird
immediately in front of it.
LESSON?
The geese flying in
formation honk to
encourage those up
front to keep up their
speed.
LESSON?
When a goose gets sick,
wounded or shot down, two
geese drop out of formation and
follow it down to help and
protect it. They stay until it
dies or is able to fly again.
Then, they launch out with
another formation or catch up
with the flock.
LESSON?
The lesson from the
geese!
» Who are the “formal” leaders in our
organization?
» The geese teach us:
– Everyone in an organization has the ability to
be a leader.
Great leaders
create
other leaders,
not followers
Leadership is
essential in
transforming our
homes to a culture of
quality, not a culture
of compliance
Let’s look into why …
What is
leadership?
What is leadership?
» Leadership is a complex process
by which a person:
– Influences others to accomplish a mission,
task or objective and
– Directs the organization in a way that
makes it more cohesive and coherent
Authority and leadership
» Although your position as a manager,
supervisor, etc. gives you the authority
to accomplish certain tasks and
objectives in the organization,
this power does not make you
a leader...
it simply makes you the boss
A leader makes people
want to achieve high goals
and objectives
A boss tells people to
accomplish a task or objective
Qualities of
Effective Leaders
Think of someone
in your life
who has been
an effective
leader
What qualities did he/she have?
How people
become leaders
» Trait Theory
» Great Events Theory
» Transformational Leadership Theory
Trait Theory
» Some personality traits may lead people
naturally into leadership roles
» We have all met a few people like this,
such as high school coach, scout leader,
teacher or a good boss
» There are very few people who have
natural talent for leading others
Great Events Theory
» A crisis or important event may cause
a person to rise to the occasion
» This can bring out extraordinary
leadership qualities in an ordinary person
Transformational
Leadership Theory
» People can choose to become leaders
» People can learn leadership skills
This is most widely accepted
theory today
Good leaders are
made, not born
» Must have the desire and willpower
» Good leaders develop through
never-ending process of:
– Self-study
– Education
– Training
– Experience
» Best leaders are continually working and
studying to improve their leadership skills
Qualities of an
effective leader
» Self-knowledge – self-understanding
and self-confidence
» Problem solving and ability to make
decisions — decisiveness
» Being able to respond quickly and
effect change is crucial for a
response system, especially in a crisis
Qualities of an
effective leader
» Trust is the very core of leadership
and cannot be established at the time
of crisis — it must already exist
» Clear communication is essential
in any situation
Questions
to TO
seeSEE
if you
QUESTIONS
IF YOU
ENGENDER
Engender TRUSTWORTHINESS
Trustworthiness
» Ask yourself these questions to assess your
trustworthiness:
– Is my behavior predictable or erratic?
• Do your values direct your actions and these don’t
shift?
– Do I communicate clearly or carelessly?
• Do you say things you haven’t clearly thought out?
– Do I treat my promises seriously or lightly?
• Do I keep my promises?
– Am I forthright or dishonest?
• Do I ever mislead others or lie?
Actions speak louder
than attributes
» What you DO speaks to what you ARE
– Everything you do effects the organization’s
objectives and their well being
» Employees will OBEY but not FOLLOW
a self-serving leader
» Leaders often succeed because they
present a good image to their seniors
at the expense of their team
EXERCISE
Let’s discuss examples of rules that are contradictory:
1. We communicate we respect employees and
their time but we regularly start our meetings
15 minutes late
2. We say employees are our most valuable asset
but we hire the first “warm body” that applies
3. We tell employees we value excellence yet we
ask more and more from our top performers
while tolerating mediocrity and poor performance
from others
How do organizations encourage
leadership development?
» Providing training, support and constructive
feedback as employees carry out their
responsibilities (coaching)
» Delegating responsibilities to team
members and expecting them to handle the
details …“Do what you do best and give
away the rest to someone else”
Coaching
» Every interaction with team members
is a coaching occasion
» “To coach” comes from the root meaning
“to bring a person from where they are to
where they want to be”
» Coaching begins with creating an
environment where people want to be
part of a winning team
Effective delegation
involves:
» Identifying an appropriate person for the task
» Preparing the person by clearly stating desired
outcomes while encouraging risk-taking and innovation
» Ensuring that the person has the necessary authority to
do the job properly
» Holding the person accountable for agreed-upon
outcomes
» Maintaining enough contact for support and monitoring
of progress without “hovering”
» Acknowledging success and giving creidt when due.
Determining
Your Leadership
Style
When your boss puts you in charge of
organizing the company holiday party,
what do you do first?
» Do you develop a timeline and start assigning
tasks?
» Do you think about who would prefer to do
what and try to schedule around their needs?
» When the planning starts to fall behind
schedule, what is your first reaction?
– Do you chase everyone to get back on track?
– Do you ease off a bit recognizing that everyone is
busy just doing his/her job, let alone the extra tasks
you’ve assigned?
Your answers
to these questions
can reveal a
great deal about
your personal
leadership style
Neither preference is right
or wrong, just as no one type
of leadership style is best
for all situations. However,
it’s useful to understand what
your natural leadership
tendencies are, so that you
can then working on developing
skills that you may be missing.
Blake Mouton
Managerial
Grid
BALANCING TASKAND PEOPLE-ORIENTED LEADERSHIP
While the grid does not
entirely address the
complexity of
“Which leadership style
is best?”, it certainly provides
an excellent starting place
to critically analyze your
own performance and
improve your general
leadership skills
MANAGERIAL GRID:
BASED ON TWO BEHAVIORAL
DIMENSIONS
Concern for people – This is the degree to which a
leader considers the needs of team members, their
interests, and areas of personal development when
deciding how best to accomplish a task
Concern for production – This is the degree to
which a leader emphasizes concrete objectives,
organizational efficiency and high productivity when
deciding how best to accomplish a task
High
Concern
for
people
Low
High
Concern for production
COUNTRY CLUB LEADERSHIP:
HIGH PEOPLE/
LOW PRODUCTION
» This style of leader is most concerned about the
needs and feelings of members of his/her team
» These people operate under the assumption that
as long as team members are happy and secure
then they will work hard
» What tends to result is a work environment that is
very relaxed and fun but where production suffers
due to lack of direction and control
PRODUCE OR PERISH
LEADERSHIP: HIGH
PRODUCTION/LOW PEOPLE
» Also known as Authoritarian or Compliance
Leaders, people in this category believe that
employees are simply means to an end
» Employee needs are always secondary to
need for efficient and productive workplaces
» This type of leader is very autocratic, has strict
work rules, policies and procedures, and views
punishment as the most effective means to
motivate employees
IMPOVERISHED LEADERSHIP:
LOW PRODUCTION/
LOW PEOPLE
» This leader is mostly ineffective
» He/she has neither a high regard for:
– Creating systems
– Getting the job done
– Nor for creating work environment that is
satisfying and motivating
» The result is a place of disorganization,
dissatisfaction and disharmony
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD
LEADERSHIP: MEDIUM
PRODUCTION/MEDIUM PEOPLE
» This style seems to be balance of the two
competing concerns
» May at first appear to be an ideal compromise
» Therein lies the problem, though:
– When you compromise, you necessarily give away a bit
of each concern so that neither production nor people
needs are fully met
» Leaders who use this style settle for average
performance and often believe that this is the most
anyone can expect
TEAM LEADERSHIP:
HIGH PRODUCTION/
HIGH PEOPLE
» This is pinnacle of managerial style
» These leaders stress production needs and needs
of people equally highly
» Premise here is that employees are involved in
understanding organizational purpose and determining
production needs
– When employees are committed to and have stake in
organization’s success, their needs and production needs
coincide
– This creates team environment based on trust and
respect, which leads to high satisfaction and motivation
and, as a result, high production
Identify areas of improvement and
develop your leadership skills
Look at your current leadership
method and critically analyze
its effectiveness
Look at ways you can improve
— Are you settling for ‘middle of
the road’ because it is easier than
reaching for more?
LTC LEADERS: IS THERE A
LEADER FOR ALL SEASONS?
• In reality, an LTC leader operates in a
specific setting
• An LTC leader is a unique combination of
one’s biography, personality, an internal
calling and a social setting
• Each LTC leader brings to the role
different personal resources
A SPECIAL LEADER
FOR SPECIAL SEASONS
• Different social environments demand different types of
leaders, different styles and different skills
• In different settings you expect leaders to achieve different
outcomes
• You measure an LTC leader’s success by:
• how well the leader reads the challenge she/he faces
• how well she/he matches their approach to the problem
• what outcomes her/his approach produces
Grounded Leadership Model
Role
of
LTC Leader
Environment:
Context, situation,
challenge
Leadership skills
and style
matched
Measures of
leadership
success
Leaders by Settings
3 Nursing
Homes
Environment &
challenge
Matched skills
in leadership
Measures of
success
» No systems
» Demand
discipline
» No G citations,
less agency use,
less turnover &
absenteeism
» Achieve
compliance
Substandard
NH
» Achieve
compliance
Leaders by Settings
Mediocre NH
Environment &
challenge
Matched skills
in leadership
Measures of
success
» Haphazard
systems
»Unstable
systems
» Seek
excellence
» Motivate,
educate
» Improve QIs,
satisfaction,
survey results
Leaders by Settings
Environment &
challenge
Matched skills
in leadership
Measures of
success
» Model systems
» Inspire new
heights of
excellence
» Innovation
» Seek new
frontiers
» Fine-tune
systems
Exemplary NH
» Serve as model
» Win awards
Leaders by Settings
3 Nursing
Homes
Exemplary NH
Mediocre NH
Substandard
NH
Environment &
challenge
Matched skills
in leadership
Measures of
success
» Model systems
» Fine-tune
systems
» Innovation
» Inspire greater
excellence
» Win awards
» Haphazard
systems
»Unstable
systems
» Seek
excellence
» Motivate,
educate
» Improve QIs,
satisfaction,
survey results
» No systems
» Demand
discipline
» Seek new
frontiers
» Achieve
compliance
» Achieve
compliance
» Serve as model
» No G citations,
less agency use,
less turnover &
absenteeism
Leadership
Best Practices
Employees
speak out about
leadership
Listen to your employees
The truths of leadership you need to know:
1. We are watching everything you do
 If you show up late for a meeting, you are telling
us you don’t value OUR time
 If you lose your cool over small issues, we wonder
how you will react with big ones
 You are ALWAYS leading, you can’t NOT lead
2. Everything you do counts
 Sharing juicy gossip and remove yourself from your
leadership role? NO TIME OUTS
 What you say to us outside the office COUNTS
Listen to your employees
3. We have expectations of you
 Hire great people – this is one of the most important
things you do


Don’t just hire any “warm body” just to fill a position
You can be the best manager in the world but if we have people
on the team who are not talented, we will not be successful
 “De-hire” those on the team who are NOT contributing
to the mission


They are more detrimental than any of our competitors
If we get lucky, our competitor will hire them
 Treat us with respect

You need us just as much as we need you …
sometimes even more
Voice of
Employees
AN EXERCISE:
What
Matters Most
QUADRANT ANALYSIS: TWO KEY CONCEPTS
1. How staff rate your care and services
Your average score on each item:
1 – 4: “Poor” “Fair” “Good” “Excellent”
Rank order all items by average score:
1 – 100: Lowest to highest ranking score
2. How much each item influences staff to
recommend to others
Correlate each item with “Recommendation:
0 – 1: No correlation to strongest correlation
Rank order all items by correlational strength:
1 – 100: Lowest to highest ranking correlation
Item
score
B.
Secondary
strengths
Primary
strengths
C.
D.
Secondary
opportunities
Primary
opportunities
1 ----- Lowest to highest ranking correlation ------ 100
You have little control over employee expectations
Successes
A.
Recommendation
Challenges
1 - Lowest to highest ranking score - 100
You can meet employee expectations
QUADRANT AND ACTION PRIORITIES
SKILLED NURSING EMPLOYEE
Survey items
1
Quality of orientation
11 Safety of workplace
2
Quality of in-service education
3
Quality of resident-related training
12 Adequacy of
equipment/supplies
4
Quality of family-related training
5
Comparison of pay
6
Care (concern) of supervisor
7
Appreciation of supervisor
8
Communication by supervisor
9
Attentiveness of management
10 Care (concern) of management
13 Sense of accomplishment
14 Quality of teamwork
15 Fairness of evaluations
16 Respectfulness of staff
17 Assistance with job stress
18 Staff-to-staff communication
EMPLOYEES NATIONWIDE
What matters most
10 - Care (concern) of management
9 - Attentiveness of management
17 - Assistance with job stress
11 - Safety of workplace
12 - Adequacy of equipment/supplies
6 - Care (concern) of supervisor
7 - Appreciation of supervisor
8 - Communication by supervisor
3 - Quality of resident-related training
15 - Fairness of evaluations
DATABYTE
EMPLOYEE
EMPLOYEE
Safety of workplace
Care (concern) of supervisor
Communication by supervisor
Appreciation of supervisor
Equipment/supplies
Resident-related training
Care (concern) of management
Attentiveness of management
Assistance with job stress
What does
research have to
tell us about
the workplace?
Quality of leadership and
quality of the workplace
The voice of CNAs
» Based on 2008 satisfaction surveys conducted
by My InnerView:
– 78,547 CNAs/NAs
– 144,098 family members
» 3,216 skilled nursing facilities ranked in four
groups based on percentiles (lowest, 2nd
lowest, 2nd highest and highest)
Indicators of
quality workplace
1. Pay compared to other nursing homes
2. Safety of workplace
3. Adequate equipment and supplies to do your job
4. Work allows you to make a difference in people's lives
5. Co-workers work together as a team
6. Fair performance evaluations
7. Respect shown for resident by staff
8. Help you get to deal with job stress and burnout
9. Staff communication between shifts
Quality leaders produce a quality workplace
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Workplace
Leadership
Workplace
Leadership
Workplace
Leadership
Workplace
40
Leadership
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Quality workplace earns staff recommendation
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
40
Workplace
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Quality workplace earns family recommendation
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
Workplace
Recommendatio
n
40
Workplace
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd highest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Quality workplace creates quality of life for resident
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Quality of life
Workplace
Quality of life
Workplace
Quality of life
Workplace
Quality of life
40
Workplace
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
As staff
are
treated,
so will the
elders be
treated.
Quality workplace creates quality of care for resident
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Quality of care
Workplace
Quality of care
Workplace
Quality of care
Workplace
Quality of care
40
Workplace
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Quality workplace creates quality of service for resident
Group averge score: 1-4
80
Quality of
service
Workplace
Quality of
service
Workplace
Quality of
service
Workplace
Quality of
service
40
Workplace
60
20
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Quality workplace results in better state surveys
120
80
0
Lowest
2nd lowest
2nd hi ghest
Highest
Based on My InnerView employee satisfaction surveys completed by CNAs/NAs in 2008.
Survey
citations
Compliance
Workplace
Survey
citations
Compliance
Workplace
Survey
citations
Compliance
Workplace
20
Survey
citations
40
Compliance
60
Workplace
Group averge score: 1-4
100
How do you show
you care about
your employees?
Let’s Talk
About
Communication
A paradox
» Employees are frustrated by perceived
lack of communication with their
managers
» Most managers feel they are outstanding
communicators
A recent study discovered that 90%of the
managers rated their communication skills
in the top 10% of all managers
“Sixty percent of
all management
problems are
the result of
poor or faulty
communication.”
PETER DRUCKER
What was wrong with this communication?
Another paradox
» Communication may not be the problem
» Communicating more may not be the solution
» Most of the information employees receive:
– Doesn’t get read
– That which is read is often not understood
– That which is understood is usually
not remembered
» Communication being delivered is not the same
as the message being received
Let’s talk about
communication
» What are some of the barriers to
communication?
– It is difficult to “hear’ messages during a crisis
– Staff, residents, families – each have their
“own” sources of stress during a crisis
• understanding each person in crisis and how they
may react is important
HOW DO YOU LIKE BEST
TO RECEIVE
COMMUNICATION?
WHAT IS THE WAY YOU
MOST FREQUENTLY
COMMUNICATE WITH
YOUR EMPLOYEES?
Communication as an
outcome – not an activity
» We pay more attention to the HOW we’re
going to communicate than to the WHAT
» Proliferation of communication methods
 E-mail
 Voice mail
 Meetings
 Conference calls
 Cell phones






Pagers
Memos
Video
Intranets
Newsletters
Text message
Understanding
communication
» Understanding does not mean agreement
» Goals
– To build support and acceptance
– To have receivers internalize the message
– To move them to action
» Understanding is intellectual
» Support and acceptance are emotional
And that’s what happened to dinosours
How Audiences Judge Messages
» Timeliness
– The first message received on a subject sets the stage.
– Response time can also indicate to the “hearer” your
level of preparedness
» Content and Credibility
– First impressions are lasting
– A great message delivered after the audience has moved on is
a message not delivered at all.
– Consistent messages are vital – speak with one voice
» Empathy and Caring
– Expressed within the first 30 seconds
– Provides a greater opportunity for your message to be received
and acted upon
– Important to have established a relationship BEFORE the
disaster.
Make Sure Your Message is Clear
» Present information in sequence
» Avoid jargon, codes, and acronyms
» Use common names
» Omit unnecessary detail
» Speak in sync
» Keep messages consistent
» Make every word count
How do you show
you care about
your employees?
The biggest investment
is TIME
1. Schedule time to
focus on employee
development
2. Ask about interests
outside of work
3. Treat everyone with
respect and dignity
4. Say “thank you”
5. Get employees
involved and ask
for their opinion
6. Remember birthdays and
service anniversaries
7. Support employees in
times of crisis
8. Be available when people
need you
9. Help co-workers become
more effective
10.Surround good people
with other good people
Walking
the Talk
Survey results
» Only 14% of employees said they
had a positive role model at work
» 86% couldn’t identify even one person
at work they wanted to emulate!
Survey results
» “I let my team members know when they
are doing a good job”
– Mangers rated themselves 4.3 when
5 = always
» “My supervisor lets me know what I am
doing a good job”
– Team members rated their managers a 2.3
» Why the disparity?
Performance groupings
» Super Stars
– 10% of staff or if REALLY lucky, up to 30%
» Middle Stars
– About 50% of the team are inconsistent performers
– They may be new or just not have the motivation
to be super stars
» Falling Stars
– The rest
– They consistently fail to carry their share of the load
– They probably are preventing the top performers
from doing their jobs as well
EXERCISE
» Write down the names of people on your
team whom you would place in the:
– Super Star category
– Middle Star category
– Falling Star category
» Are their significant differences in the
behavioral traits of the 3 groups?
When you get back to work…
» Pull out their performance reviews –
do they reflect your current thinking?
» Is there a noticeable difference among
the 3 categories?
» If there are few differences, it will be
difficult for you to effectively coach
your Super, Middle and Falling Stars
Raising the bottom,
not lowering the top
» Don’t abuse them by giving them more work
» Coaching the Super Stars:
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Get them involved
Delegate extensively
Encourage them to teach
Provide training
Have them to fill in for you
Stretch them
Celebrate their successes
Tell them how proud you are to have them on the team
Spend time with them
Promote them
Coaching the Middle Stars
» Build their confidence by increasing their
responsibilities
» Give frequent and accurate performance feedback
» Create a resource library
» Teach them how to set goals
» Catch them doing good things
» Hook them up with a super star
» Create rewards that appeal to THEIR
personal values
Coaching Falling Stars
» Help them improve
» Replace them with more productive
people
This represents the area with the greatest
opportunity for enhancing the overall
performance of your work group
They can have a very detrimental impact
on your team — the top performers will pick
up more work
What will
“I” do
differently?
Exercise
» What are three things you would do
when you return to your facility to strengthen your
leadership?
» What 2 leadership skills/traits/characteristics
would you call upon to ensure success?
» What 2 things will you do to “coach” your
department heads/managers to ensure they
embody your vision?
» What characteristics do YOU need to build to be
a better leader in times of crisis?
The importance of follow-up:
Leadership Calendar
» Mark 12 different days on your calendar
spread out over 8 months
» After the end of that day, write down some
leadership behavior that you exercised
during the previous period (or that day)
» Ask yourself:
– How did I feel about my action or behavior?
– How does this action or behavior jive with
what I know about leadership best practices?
We did the best we could,
with what we knew,
And when we knew better,
we did better
Maya Angelou
A Minneapolis couple decided to go to Florida to thaw out during
a particularly icy winter. They planned to stay at the same hotel
where they spent their honeymoon 20 years earlier. Because of
hectic schedules, it was difficult to coordinate their travel
schedules. So, the husband left Minnesota and flew to Florida on
Thursday, with his wife flying down the following day.
The husband checked into the hotel. There was a computer in his
room. He decided to send an email to his wife. However, he
accidentally left out one letter in her e-mail address, and without
realizing his error, he sent the e-mail.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Houston, a widow had just returned
home from her husband's funeral. He was a pastor who was
called home to glory following a heart attack. The widow decided
to check her e-mail expecting messages from family and friends.
After reading the first message, she screamed and fainted. The
widow's son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor
passed out. He looked at the computer, which read:
To: My Loving Wife
Subject: I've Arrived
Date: March 2, 2009
I know you're surprised to hear from me. They have
computers here now and you are allowed to send emails to your loved ones. I've just arrived and have
been checked in. I've seen that everything has been
prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking
forward to seeing you then!!!!
Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was.
P.S. Sure is freaking hot down here!!!!
Mary Tellis-Nayak
RN, MSN, MPH
Vice President of Quality Initiatives
mary@myinnerview.com
773-942-7525