… thanksgiving …
I wrote last week about those folks who have altered my path in life. In last week’s article, I wrote about a friend who died and how his influence introduced me to a lot of my friends and different music … etc. Anyway, I’ve been mired in this thought for the last couple of days. I’m trying to identify those people who have impacted and changed the direction and ultimately made me a better person.
Mike Whitters was one of the first people I met in Clarion. He was and is a foundation stone in Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics. Mike over the years was the guy who pushed me (example: as much as I resisted it, he “forced” us to have fun with skits at the Christmas parties; some of my most favorite moments here). He was the one to say “yes” to out of the box ideas. People say to me that I like to live outside the conventional box … but really, a lot of times Mike drug me out and told me “it’s the right thing to do”. (Catholic guilt works on a Methodist) Mike is the “road less traveled” in my life and “it made all the difference” to Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics.
Reflection is great and sometimes it takes space and time to truly see how someone has changed your life. I think it is safe to say that when we are riding the rapids we typically don’t reach out and thank the other passengers in the boat. That could be dangerous. But if you’ve ever gone on a white rapids trip* I would bet that there are times of calm water. There probably is a chance to say “thanks, I didn’t die so thank you.” For me the other riders in my boat at Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics are the other senior leaders. For those of you who don’t know – there are 9 of us total. We fight likes dogs sometimes and other times we hold each other up and all the time we hold each other accountable. We’ve been together through thick and thin and sometimes, more often than necessary we are hard on each other. But at the end of the day – we all need to appreciate the fact that Iowa Specialty Hospitals & Clinics is a system of hospitals and clinics that is revered and respected nationwide. We have a lot of awesome providers and staff but at the end of the day, the senior leaders are the ones driving this boat down the rapids and are doing a great job … for that I am thankful.
*I haven’t – I’m making an assumption here.
-Steve Simonin, President & CEO
