As I was reading The Hobbit with my son last night, I came across this passage: “There is a lot more in him than you guess, and a deal more than he has any idea of himself.”
Our hospice agency, like a child, is growing and developing. It is understanding more of itself. As such, it sees the good, the bad and the ugly.
Why is it is tempting to focus on the good, and discount or excuse the bad? A Darwinian model would suggest the company would recognize and remedy what is bad in order to survive. But we humans don’t tend toward that activity. I don’t think the Darwinian model always applies.
Jim Collins, to emphasize this issue, dedicates a whole chapter to it in his best-selling business book, “Good to Great.” He entitles this chapter, “Face the Brutal Facts.” One of Peter Drukker’s 10 basic business principles is “Get better everyday,” an exercise which requires paying very close attention to what is not going well.
At Texas Hospice, although we are proud (a good kind of pride) of our service to and affection for our patients, we have noticed that we do not pay enough attention to those people in our organization who spend the most time of any of us with our hospice patients. Those people are our hospice aids.
Bless them. They are the hands and voice of Jesus. They are comfort to those who need comfort. They are the backbone of who we are and what we are trying to do, that is to improve the lives of people who have a life-limiting diagnosis.
Thank you, Dr. B., for reminding us that the Hobbit story shows how small things often make a big difference and no one’s service should be taken for granted. No doubt there is much more in each of us than any of us realize.
Thank you, Gary.