Leading Your Hospital
through Stress
Walking the Narrow Road of
Excellence in Tough Times
Defining the Problem

Working in a Stressful Work Environment
 Living in Stressful Home and Social
Environments
What percentage of people seem to handle life
and work well?
Laying the Foundation for a
Solution
Life is a Skill
Intrapersonal Skills – Selfmastery: the ability to
manage yourself

Integrity/ethics
 Patience
 Self-discipline
 Self-awareness
 “Frustrability”- bringing out the flavor of
the “tea bag”
 “Fear of men”/Fear of Failure
Interpersonal Skills- the ability
to communicate effectively

Verbal communication
 Nonverbal communication
 Listening skills
Applying the Skills –
Becoming Abnormal and
Making an Impact
Walking the Narrow Road of
Excellence
Intrapersonal Skill #1: Selfawareness; not being selfdeceived
“We judge ourselves by our motives, but
judge others by their actions.”
 “Our vision of ourselves is never 20/20 –
only others see us as we really are.” YOU
ARE A “4”.
 Critical Skill: Have others hold you
accountable – remember, without
accountability, we always “go to nature”.

Intrapersonal Skill #2: Selfdiscipline; being abnormal
“The default position of human nature is
mediocrity.”
 “Swimming Upstream”
 “You cannot change human nature, but you
can change human action.” Lincoln
 Critical skills: Do what you don’t feel like
doing; remember: obedience precedes
motivation, not the other way around.

Intrapersonal Skill #3:
Following through; thoughts
which result in action
“The road to hell is paved with good
intentions”
 “A small act is better than a great intention”
 “A short pencil is better than a long
memory”
 Critical Skills: Write it down and
schedule it – always follow through

Interpersonal Skills: Learning
to Engage Others

Proactively invade the lives of others
 Watch out for providential encounters
 Critical Skills:
Proactive communication – schedule it and
write it down
Develop good nonverbal communication
skills – use good “attending behaviors”.
Interpersonal Skills
(Continued)

Learn to encourage as well as to confront
 Learn to become a survivor, and not a
victim
Summary and Conclusions
“The price of excellence is always
discipline, the cost of mediocrity is always
disappointment” William Ward
 Being effective is:
Realizing it is a fight (it is hard to do)
Be willing to get in the fight
Get your friends to keep you in the fight
