OK, come up with your own healthcare fix

From today's New York Times editorial:

President Obama had a splendid idea this week. He challenged governors who oppose his health care reforms, most of whom are Republicans, to come up with a better alternative. He has agreed to move up the date at which states can offer their own solutions and thus opt out of requirements that they oppose, like the mandate that everyone buy health insurance and that most employers provide it.

So far, all I have heard from those who oppose "Obamacare" (as it's been branded; although I don't think that's such a bad nickname) is how this will break the bank and corrupt our society. What should be done differently? Not so much volume.

This is the way to proceed. Our healthcare system is broken. It's not even a "system" at all, but a bunch of disconnected pieces that don't work well together. Something must be done. So, if not Obamacare ... what?

One business leader on 'self-awareness'

My favorite newspaper is The New York Times. Of course, my favorite issue of the week is Sunday. There are sections of the Sunday Times that can be savored all week long -- or longer if I don't stay on top of things (last week's magazine section is still in the "I'll-get-to-it-soon" reading pile). But I've just realized that my favorite sections of the Sunday Times are Sunday Business and Week In Review.

And my favorite part of those is the "Corner Office" column on page 2 of Business.

Each week, a CEO or top-level biz exec answers a series of very straightforward questions about leadership: What was it like the first time as a manager? What questions do you ask in an interview? How do you hire?

The questions are mundane and similar week to week, but the answers surprise and delight. They make me marvel at how similar -- and how different -- top-level managers think and act.

A line today that struck me, in answer to a question about what skills Laura Ching, co-founder and Chief Merchandising Officer of TinyPrints.com looks for:

"... I also want to get a sense of [the person's] emotional I.Q. Self-awareness is really big for me. When it comes to the review period, I'll evaluate you, and you'll evaluate yourself. Some people are right on in terms of their performance -- or even better, their worst critic -- and I think it says a lot about their maturity and their insightfulness and wanting to get better."

What are your 'entitlements'?

I am among those who think the President's budget proposal is a bit cynical. It leaves tough decisions to the GOP. I even agree with Obama's critics who accuse him of "kicking the can down the road," as he famously commented in one of his books.

I think it would be fine to touch the "third rail" of politics. I think it's logical to raise the age of retirement; it was set when the average life expectancy was about 67. The average American (even given our best efforts to kill ourselves with lousy diets and lack of exercise, and counter this with high-priced healthcare ... a story for another day) now lives to be 79.

But let's look at the meaning of "entitlement." When does war become an entitlement? Is healthcare a right or a privilege? (I maintain it's a right, but that all rights require equal parts of personal responsibility.) What about education -- is it a right or an entitlement that I believe my kids should receive an education that prepares them for a successful 21st-century future, IF they work hard to succeed?

Calm down. Free speech is alive and well.

A conservative friend had a post Facebook that made me think ... after it made me slightly annoyed. "Gee. Juan Williams gets canned from NPR. So much for free speech."

Looks to me as if free speech is alive and well. You see, Mr. Williams landed a $2-million-a-year job on Fox News not 24 hours after his firing from NPR. (Don't know what his radio salary was, but I'm guessing it somewhat south of that.)

Second, my friend (and many, many others) shared his opinion. He was tamer than many.

Third, I am sharing mine.

Fourth, I can still listen to NPR, or Fox, or buy The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal (which I do), any time I want. And they can print and air what ever they want.

Only the government can deny free speech. If the government moves to shut down Fox News, even I will howl. Were that to happen, my true liberal colleagues will join me in protest, I am sure. I love the First Amendment, and I believe it even stops the government from squelching speech that I find reprehensible. (The KKK and the pastor whose flock taunted a soldier's funeral come immediately to mind.)

But I also know that individuals and businesses have a right to hire people, pay them, and terminate their employment. That's not violating anyone's rights to speech, and Fox News knows that very well. (I suspect my conservative pal does, too.)

Truth is, I think NPR blew it here; they really overreacted. The better option was to give Mr. Williams a suspension without pay, then let him quit in a huff and snag the $2M job anyway.

But HR blunders (even very public ones, like this) aren't exactly the demise of free speech.

No storm. No work, either. What gives?

The region was bracing for a hurricane as we headed into mid-week. But by Thursday, it was pretty clear we wouldn't get clobbered. Still, a few businesses closed their doors at noon on Friday, sent staff home with pay, and the staff is thrilled, of course. It's become another expectation and entitlement: Nasty forecast = no work.

But yesterday there was no storm, really. We have had thunderstorms worse than this.

Same thing happens every single time snow is forecast. Schools close before there is a flake. At least twice last year, there was no school -- and no snow.

Now, I'm not saying we shouldn't be prepared for bad weather, or that we should put business (or education) above personal safety. But we live in New England, for Pete's sake. We get four full seasons, and we get bad storms -- rain and wind in the fall and spring, snow in the winter. It can get very hot in summer. Go figure.

Here's what I think: When bad weather threatens, have a plan in place to send staff home or close. When it's a coin toss, it may be best to be safe. But when it looks as if there's more hype than weather, let's just go about our lives. We can live with rain, and even (gasp) a dusting of snow without going into a state of emergency.

'Blocking Facebook won't stop stupidity' -- right on

One of my favorite blogs is Paul Levy's "Running a Hospital." How the CEO of Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston finds the time to create thoughtful, compelling and sometimes just amusing blog posts regularly is a mystery. I'm envious -- not of his job (he can have it, $1M paycheck and all) but of his blogability. (Sarah Palin's not the only one who can create new words around here.)

Anyway, I found this post especially interesting. Most hospitals block Facebook and other social media apps from their systems. A few more forward-thinking ones (like the one I work at) make a concession for us folks in communications. But, I've been wondering, what if we expected people to act like adults and professionals instead?

Paul Levy takes a stab at that in this post...
Running a hospital: Blocking Facebook won't stop stupidity: "A couple of people have asked me to address the recent story in California about some hospital employees who took pictures of a dying patien..."

Coming clean about "wayfinding"

"When do you want to pick these up," the usually pleasant lady at the dry cleaner's asked, pointing to the five shirts -- the usual: two blue, two white, one striped -- I had laid in a pile before her Saturday morning.

"Oh, Tuesday will be fine."

"You know we're closed all next week, right?" Just a hint of recrimination in her voice.

I shrugged.

"Well, we've had signs up for the past month. All next week -- closed."

Right she was. Signs everywhere. One each on the counter, the front door, and at the cash register, too. I had actually noticed this, and made a mental note of it a few weeks back.

I suppressed my first two reactions, which were:

-- "I'm sorry, but for some reason your vacation schedule hasn't made its way to my Outlook calendar." And

-- "I'm not so sure it's wise for a service-related business to close for a week. Not in this economy, and not when there's another dry cleaner a quarter mile away."

Instead, I just said, "Well, I guess the following Tuesday, then."

She smiled, probably thankful I was one of the customers who chose not to engage in a debate about this. And I actually wished her a happy week off.

But it got me to thinking.

We put signs up everywhere at the hospital, on every vertical and horizontal surface. This way to registration. Register here first (except during these hours). This area will be closed for renovation. Hours of operation. Other locations.

And we're amazed that people don't notice these notices -- communicated on posters, in stanchions, on walls, elevators, hanging from the ceiling, posted on countertops, in plastic stands, taped to windows.

So we put up more -- and make them bigger, more colorful. We add arrows and artwork, affix them to soffits.

There's sign pollution. Like the dry cleaner's, the sign is not the most important thing on your mind when you're going about your busy day. And, at least there's no anxiety involved when dropping off shirts and pants. You can't say the same about registering for a CT scan.

The dry cleaner did an adequate job of communicating its message, but I was not getting it. They could have done my thinking for me -- by giving out a sticky dot to put on a calendar saying "We're closed the week of XYZ, and their name and phone number." Or handing out a bright red reminder with the same message with pick-up receipts for a few weeks before.

Even then, I may have been oblivious. And the service recovery would be simple: Be as kind and understanding as possible.

How can we help do the thinking for our "lost souls" -- the patients, family members and other visitors who need to get from Point A to B (and sometimes a lot farther down the alphabet)? And, inevitably, when some of our guests still get confused, how can we be sure our service recovery gets them headed in the right direction -- with a positive view?