Category: leadership

An Open Letter to the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics

This is a battle worth fighting. We all know that this is an issue, and if it isn’t addressed, the risk is losing rolls of your pediatricians to other careers. Again, I’m familiar with this. We really don’t want a healthcare system that convinces its physicians, providers, and nurses that they are expendable and replaceable. We are on the verge of de-recruiting people from the profession. That’s not a great place to be.

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Post call, July 2005, from being a floor senior in residency. I was back at work 3 or 4 days after Andrew was born. I tried hard to stay awake when I got home, but the Sandman won. Sonia snapped this picture and then scooped Andrew. No, AAP, we weren’t co-sleeping.

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Donut Diplomacy

I once asked one of the nurses, Sharon, if they liked me only because of the donuts. Her response: “No. If you were stupid or a jerk, we’d eat your donuts but talk about you behind your back. We like the donuts, but we like you.” That’s one of the best, most honest compliments I’ve been given.

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Sometimes, Sonia will make donuts. Why sprinkles? Because winners get sprinkles.

“And on the seventh day, God rested. And said, ‘Let there be coffee. And let the donuts be plentiful. Let there be glazed donuts, and cake donuts, and long johns, and buttercream and custard filled Bismarcks. But there nay should be jelly donuts, as those are disgusting.’ And so it was. And as God rested, God said, ‘This is pretty good. Keep ‘em coming. And may I please get another cup of Joe?’”

Genesis 2:2, in the original Hebrew, or at least how it SHOULD read.

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But There’s an “I” in Quit

We operate in a different reality. To make this point, I would tell my kids the “There’s no ‘I’ in team” line. I would follow it up, very much with a wink and a nod, “But there’s an ‘I’ in ‘quit!’”

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Depending on your vantage point, this could be painful in a half second.

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Dear Leaders…

You have a mirror. Use it. Please engage in some healthy and regular introspection. Please do so when things are going poorly and doubly when things are well.

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Ice skating with my wonderful niece, Audrey, on an outdoor rink in Sacramento, CA. That last part wasn’t a typo, and I’m as surprised as you are.

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