Courage, passion, commitment, communication, humility – these make every list of critical leadership skills, and they’re certainly required in abundance of anyone who leads or manages in hospice. But to me, the most important gift is the ability to inspire and motivate those around you. Why? Hospice work is demanding, physically and emotionally – but …

Have you heard the term “nurses eat their young”?  Generally, that phrase describes the rough treatment new nurses are subjected to by more experienced peers when we enter the profession, but sometimes in my work I’ve seen it used as a management style. It’s counterproductive, it’s damaging, it undermines both the worker and the work …

Have you heard the term “nurses eat their young”?  Generally, that phrase describes the rough treatment new nurses are subjected to by more experienced peers when we enter the profession, but sometimes in my work I’ve seen it used as a management style. It’s counterproductive, it’s damaging, it undermines both the worker and the work …

The recent 50th anniversary of the founding of the modern hospice movement by Dame Cicely Saunders made me think about my own journey in hospice, and how it began. Back in 1977 I attended a lecture by Dr Elizabeth Kubler Ross., who had come to Orlando to talk about her groundbreaking work. I was tremendously …

What Would Dame Cicely Do? That was the question posed to attendees at the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s Management and Leadership Conference in Washington DC by the incoming President and CEO, Edo Banach recently.  He told us NHPCO’s focus will be bringing value to members and focusing on innovation. We were reminded of …

I am a nurse.  I still define myself as a nurse, even though I have not tended to a patient in that role for many years.  I renew my license every two years (just in case this consulting gig doesn’t work out), and I still think like a nurse in terms of how I assess …

It’s National Volunteer Week; and time to celebrate! This past week, I was in Cleveland working with the Hospice of the Western Reserve.  They held two banquets celebrating their 3,000 remarkable volunteers.  The speaker was local Clevelander, Alex Sheen, founder of “Because I Said I Would” movement for the “…betterment of humanity through promises made …

In my last newsletter I introduced Danny Meyer the famous NYC restauranteur with radical ideas about “enlightened hospitality”.  His commitment to extraordinary customer service begins first with an excellent staff.  How do you hire – for skills, or for people smarts? My philosophy has always led me to look first for personality, a sense of …

Inspiration and great ideas for hospice management often come from surprising sources. For instance, what could we in hospice possibly learn from a top-flight New York restaurateur like Danny Meyer? As it turns out, plenty – especially if we’re looking for insight on how to find and keep great staff. I shouldn’t have been surprised …

March is the teasing harbinger of spring, when the saying “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb” could easily be flipped by the fickle weather. March was the month of my brother’s birthday, which meant a party on or about the 24th.  March, a transition month from the solid cold …