Healthy Change (and a last word on Ukuleles...)

Issue 26 – February 2014 www.facethemusicblues.com       IN THIS ISSUE It's All Changin' All the Time Thank You for the Inspiration!   It's All Changin' All the Time   Health Care Adapts to Rapid Change and Uncertainty As well as being a part of a global culture that is on an accelerating train to its own uncertain future, the American health care industry has its own set of extra complexities to factor in as they make the changes necessary to keep pace, deliver quality, and attempt to keep costs (somewhat) under control. Love it or hate it, the Affordable Care Act is challenging the whole health care system to retool, even though the organizations cannot be fully sure what it will all look like when the whole thing is up and running. The goal of the legislation is to make affordable health insurance available to more Americans, and reduce the number of uninsured. Hospitals, insurers, outpatient facilities, provider offices, are all getting ready for whatever this next phase brings. Here at Face The Music we don't know a lot about the in's and out's of health care, and we are only about a third of the way through reading the 974 pages of the ACA bill, but we found out we can help. Some of our cutting edge clients in the health care field anticipated the needs for innovation, culture and process change, adaptability, change management, and strong leaders to lead the whole thing. Several health care organizations have come to FTM recently to help them in doing all of this in a way that would enroll employees and leaders throughout the organization into a positive context of taking on the change enthusiastically while staying focused on their purpose–the organizational purpose of taking care of the sick and helping everyone to optimal health, and each individual's purpose; why they got into health care in the first place. The band members and other FTM personnel have found that there is a lot of true commitment and caring among these professionals, and it came through in the program process and their songs.   Satisfied Clients "It was a fantastic evening – we received great feedback from the group. Thank YOU and the band for your energy and rhythm. The event was a huge success!!!" –  HR Director large aerospace organization "In addition to the fun of it all, we got many insights into the way we collaborate and communicate as an organization – as well as great ideas about what we can do to improve. Participants bonded, walls came down, creativity flourished and, collectively, we took the next step to go beyond our business blues. I was especially impressed by the skillful ways in which FTM facilitated the process of all 325 of us addressing 'company culture' issues that emerged, real-time, at the conference. Well done!" –  Peter Jung Sr. Vice President, Sales, Moen "Based on the survey feedback we received, the Face The Music segment of the 3-day retreat got the highest marks, not only for the enjoyment factor, but also for relevance – and coming from a bunch of scientists, that's saying a lot! The program was well-designed to (appropriately) take people out of their comfort zones, allowing them to have fun while surfacing real issues. Who knew we had so many budding musicians??? I very much appreciated your careful preparation of the event. You asked insightful questions about our culture, showed sensitivity and respect for our unique situation, and were an engaging partner in developing lyrics for our NIBR song. And you made the process fun! " –  Kathleen Asta Associate Director Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research     In one example, a client brought a personal approach to the process where leaders created a "map" of their personal perceptions, assumptions, biases, beliefs, etc. and then shared them together. They made agreements to challenge their own maps in situations where they need to evaluate, brainstorm, and make decisions, and to challenge each other's maps as well. The designer of this process realized that doing something outside the participants' experience to express and process the new ideas and insights would reinforce and accelerate the learning. Enter FTM. The maps and all the themes they encompassed made great ore for lyrics, and supported further dialog and ownership around the mapping process. Music, creativity, experiential learning, getting outta their heads, and having some fun with it all was just what the doctor ordered. And the leadership team walked the talk by performing an FTM-written custom song to get the program going. That modeling of taking a chance and putting one's self out there helped take the whole program to a new level of enthusiasm and ownership. That program turned out to be one of the most passionate FTM groups in our 14 years in business. The music and songwriting gave everyone a place to express that passion, speak their truth, and interact to create something special–just what they want to do in their business.   Thank You for the Inspiration!   Your Work is Your Song newsletter reader, Don Todrin, got inspired by last edition's article on ukuleles: I did it. I just went out and purchased a Ukulele and a beginner's book. Plus I signed up for a ukulele lesson and a singing lesson. This is a huge breakthrough for me and an extremely exciting mission. I am 66 years old and do not play an instrument, paint, do ceramics, or anything even remotely considered art, or music. However, reading your blog post a month ago about how popular ukuleles are in this country and how easy it is to experience music with one, I was inspired to give it a try. "Why not?" I thought. So here I am sitting in my living room with a beginner's book, learning a few chords and looking forward to my first lesson next Saturday. I am a member of a men's group and I am on a team of 10 men whom I care about and spend much time with. I have promised them a concert in June, with me playing and singing a half dozen songs. I cannot wait and am anxious to begin my journey and become a musician! I write to you to tell you that you have inspired me to raise my personal bar, go way out of my comfort zone, and to experience something really new and different. It was exciting to feel inspired by your article, and to join the many others who have been inspired by your work. I can only imagine the incredible effect you have had with your work, putting whole business teams into team action around music that they have created. It is very inspiring. I will report back my progress and the fun I plan on having. Who knows? I may become that musician I dream about becoming. Even right now it is a huge hoot to simply strum a few chords. I can only imagine singing Dylan or the Beatles. Thank you for having unselfishly given me the inspiration to believe I can do this. Your work is a magnificent gift to so many. Keep it up. Donald W. Todrin Second Wind Consultants, Inc. web site: secondwindconsultants.com       What event, initiative or challenge do you have coming up that Face The Music can add value to?   To reach us: info@facethemusicblues.com           (845) 687-2100