Blog

By: Krissy Fuller

I’m a natural observer of things, I always have been. “People watching” is a favorite pastime of mine.  I watch the way clocks work, the ocean moves the seaweed, clouds moving in the sky and the shapes they weave in and out of.  This is my natural state.  What I wasn’t expecting was how this tendency of mine would show up during a particularly rough few months.  I’ve had a loved one in and out of the hospital with some pretty serious things happening.  The unknown of it all, the comings and goings, the lessons, the sleepless nights have impacted me in ways I’m not fully aware of — and in some ways has changed me forever; in an instant.

[This post might twist and turn a bit, but I promise there’s a strong business point that will shine through.  Plus, tangents can be fun, especially if you yell SQUIRREL when they happen.  I encourage you to do that for yourself while reading this when I take one.  Let’s make it fun.]

I had 4 “stays” at the hospital, and each one was a different experience.  Some of that was due to the severity of the reason, and the other was due to the staff.  Being an observer, I notice things.  The natural flow of how each piece and component works together and intertwines.  Timing of when blood draws are done so they have time to be processed and ready before the doctors start their rounds in the morning.  Specialist visits, meals, meds, shift changes…I watched it all.  I observed the nurses that followed the rules to the letter of the law, and those who were flexible in certain situations.  I observed the nurses who were on the edge of burnout, deep in the sands of burnout valley, and those who were living their best lives. (There is no judgement here on which stage they were/are in – we’re human and the stages can be fluid and change hourly, daily, weekly etc).   I watched my loved one and how they responded to each staff member.  I was looking to find anything, a common thread that would give a sign to steady improvement.  It’s easy to start assigning value to inconsequential things when you’re grasping for hope.  I had to remind myself that correlation does not equal causation.  Geez, that’s a hard one when you’re sleep deprived and emotional.  When you feel like the ship is sinking and there’s no lifeboat or safety vest to save you.  Nevertheless, some innate knowing kicked in.  “Look at the data”, crept in.  First it was a whisper, and then it was a scream.   It felt easy to look at the vitals, and labs to indicate if things were going in the direction we wanted.  There were days the numbers matched what we were witnessing. And then there were days it didn’t.  That’s a hard pill to swallow.  While I lay awake at night watching the machines, and the rise and fall of my loved one’s chest, I started noticing that my gut had been right.  Every time.  I knew something was off before the “big” things happened.  My brain was locked in and on and registering things my conscious mind was not aware of.  But I trusted my gut and spoke up.  I advocated.  And I acted quickly.  It made a difference.  Truly.  It wasn’t screaming for me to look at data. It was screaming at me to listen to ME! 

So where’s the business point? Here it is:

As a leader, we’ve all experienced highs and lows.  We’ve learned how to weather the storms, what worked and what didn’t.  We’ve experimented and we’ve stuck with the tried and true.  We’ve learned to not make decisions based on emotions or believe that the single frame picture in front of us is the entire motion picture.  We use numbers and data to drive the business.  ANDDDD, there’s also this huge element of trusting your gut.  You have to access that.  It can tell you when there’s a shift in the environment (your team, your industry, your geographical location etc) long before the data shows it.  It can start subtle, and if ignored it will hit you with a scream.  The gut is an invaluable tool you have in your leader arsenal.  It needs a seat at your table.  I encourage you to start looking for ways to follow your gut.  To listen to the whispers.  The knowing. 

I’d love to hear your “gut” knowings that you followed, and the outcome!!  Share below.

**My loved one is home and well into recovery.  Thank you all for the support and prayers!