This past Sunday, Mother’s Day, we were in church at our home church, Southeast Christian in Louisville, KY. Our senior pastor, Kyle Idleman, opened his message with these words:
“Taking Care of Yourself is NOT being Selfish.”
He then went to tell about being on a recent airplane flight, and sitting behind a young mother and her little girl. As he was talking with the little girl, the flight attendant began giving the pre-flight safety announcement.
It caught his attention when she came to the part about the oxygen mask.
“Should we experience sudden lost of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drip down from the compartment in the ceiling. Pull the mast down and extend the tubing. Put the mask over your nose and mouth and adjust the straps. If you are traveling with a small child or someone else who needs assistance, put on your own mask before helping the other person.”
An interesting thought. It is natural for mothers to take care of their children before themselves. In this case, however, it is important for Mom to put on her own mask first so she has enough oxygen to help her child. It is not being selfish for the Mom to put on her own mask first, but essential for both Mom and daughter to be safe.
We must do Well, before we can do Good
Many years ago, I was engaged by a large Catholic hospital system in Louisville, KY to lead their board and senior leadership team through the process of strategic planning. The process took place over several months, and included an assessment of their current situation, focus groups with employees and managers, an in-depth Executive and Board Strategy Retreat, and follow up action planning and implementation sessions.
At the opening of the retreat, the President of the system who was a wonderful Catholic nun, and an amazing leader, gave an inspiring opening message about the history of the system going back to an early order of nuns, the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. She talked about the importance of their charity care, and of fulfilling their mission. Then she gave the admonition:
“No Money, No MIssion.”
For many years after that, the hospital system did well. They provided excellent care to the local population, and continued to fulfill their mission. However, as healthcare changed and competition increased, it became more difficult to do well. Eventually they merged with another larger not-for-profit system with new leadership. Some unwise decisions by the new leadership team led them to a condition where they were not doing well, and they were sold to another system, and eventually taken over my a large university health system.
Today, the original name has been changed, and they are no longer focused on their original charitable mission.
Scale Your Home Care Business to do Good
One of the reasons I am dedicated to working with owners and CEOs of Home Care companies to help them scale their business is that I have seen first had the good they do when they grow into thetop 10% of our industry.For a dozen years I have focused on leading Mastermind Groups of CEOs in the top tiers of Home Care, and I have watched them grow their business, serve more clients, employ more caregivers, and serve their communities.
It is these larger companies who are doing well that make the biggest difference by doing good.
Stay Tuned. We have some exciting news coming from Leading Home Care and the Home Care CEO Forum about new opportunities to grow your business and get ready for the future.
