by Patti Moore

The days are getting longer and warmer; kids are getting out of school, and the season of family reunions, picnics and long days at the beach are upon us. Relaxed, convivial afternoons will stretch into evenings as families and friends sit together, sharing meals, stories and laughter.  The food will be great, because everyone’s brought their special dish to the party – the salads and casseroles and baked goods that we all look forward to sharing because they’re made with care and seasoned with love. Put together on the table, they make a meal greater than the sum of its wonderful parts – a meal that just couldn’t have happened if one person had been in charge.

            Working together is a lot like that, isn’t it? Although we may be in the same organization, moving in the same direction, we’re still individuals, and each of us brings our particular, unique addition to the mix, our individual contribution that makes the whole thing work. That strength is like our signature dish – the thing people remember about us.  And like a great potato salad, our contribution doesn’t have to be complicated or fancy – it just has to be good. That’s what makes a great family picnic - or a healthy and dynamic work environment. 

What do you bring to the table in your organization? Maybe you’re the peacemaker – the person who can listen to all sides and bring others together to find common ground. Maybe you’re the one who can break up the room with a well-timed joke when tensions are high, or the nurturing person others come to when their burdens are weighing heavy on them; the one who can be counted on to listen and support. You could be the innovator – the one who’s willing and ready to shake things up with a new way of approaching an old problem. Are you the cheerleader who keeps spirits up when others around you are flagging? Are you the visionary who can see the big picture when everyone else is stuck on details, and keep everyone moving together in the right direction? The Energizer Bunny whose enthusiasm and can-do attitude inspires your colleagues to greater efforts? The calm and steady rock in a storm? 

Each of us is unique, and brings something different to the table – and that mix of strengths makes us greater and more effective as a group than we are as individuals. Know what your “special dish” is – and present it with love and pride. Others are counting on you – probably much more than you know, even if what you offer seems as humble as potato salad! 

I would love to hear from you! Click Here and let's catch up on how I can best support you and your organization!

Summertime fun with my friend Christy Whitney Bourchard on my 13 Ft Boston Whaler!

 Congratulations to our friends at Big Bend Hospice of Tallahassee for winning the Tallahassee Democrat’s“Best Of” Business award in the community:

And - 2018 Best Places to Work in Healthcare includes Joliet Area Community Hospice: “Joliet Area Community Hospice (JACH) has been named to Modern Healthcare’s ”2018 Best Places to Work in Healthcare.”

            According to its website, “organizations making this year's list of Best Places to Work in Healthcare stand out in their efforts to create an empowered and satisfied workforce.”

            JACH is the only Illinois hospice and one of only nine Illinois health care providers on the list of 150 recipients from across the United States. Only eight hospices across the nation were recognized

A new pet therapy program at Nathan Adelson Hospice, Paws for Paul, has an unusual backstory; 

            “Among his duties as general manager of Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club at MGM Grand, Paul Ames always escorted the club’s namesake as he left the property.

            As they reached the top of the escalator leading out of the hotel’s Underground promenade, Ames routinely told Garrett, “Next time you come back, try to be funny.” Garrett knew it was coming, but he never delivered a retort. He just laughed. The jab was a family tradition.

            Paul was Garrett’s older brother, a warm and familiar face at Garrett’s club over the years. He ran the operations, and was also a charismatic maitre d’, the dapper gent who made sure customers were happy and the trains (and comics) ran on time.

            Sadly and unknown even to many frequenters of Garrett’s club, Paul had suffered from pancreatic cancer for several weeks before passing away on May 7, less than a week short of his 64th birthday….

            “Paul got so much comfort in his dogs, even when he was very sick,” Garrett said, referring to ’ mixed-breed rescues, Jessie and Stella. “All the way through this, he was still worried about his dogs. It was a very, very emotional thing.”