Writing
17 articles, newest first.
6 min read
Before anyone raises a concern, they quietly ask two questions: Is it safe? and Is it worth it? A poster answers neither. A look at the research behind speak-up culture, the four quadrants of voice and silence, and why the answer is the only thing leaders actually control.
5 min read
Quality of care is proportional to the quality of your questions, multiplied by how often you ask, raised to the power of the integrity of your answers. A walk through the equation — and why honest answers are the exponent that amplifies everything else.
3 min read
The same device can enable compassion or extinguish it, and the difference is never settled in the silicon. Six questions — for leaders, clinicians, students, prescribers, and builders — about where moral responsibility for technology actually sits.
11 min read
I have been mentored badly by generous people and mentored well by people who had very little time for me. If I am being honest, I have probably also been both types of mentors as well. The difference was never warmth, a
9 min read
Independence does not leave through the front door with a suitcase. It slips out through a hundred small exits. A home safety professional on why you cannot subtract your way to safety, and how to negotiate risk without shrinking a person's life.
10 min read
When I was a younger man, I did a lot of stand-up comedy. While I had a lot of fun developing and performing material, it could get repetitive and boring. The jokes were the same every night. The audience was different,
5 min read
Why the foundation of compassionate culture in healthcare isn't a policy or program, but a fundamental shift in how we relate to one another
9 min read
Here's a statistic that should keep every healthcare leader up at night: 44% of healthcare workers worldwide are burned out. In intensive care units, that number climbs to a staggering 74%.
6 min read
In a fascinating RSA talk, author Daniel Pink presents research that challenges everything we thought we knew about motivation. The findings carry profound implications for healthcare, where burnout has reached crisis le
15 min read
Abstract: Research reveals a counterintuitive truth about stress management: focusing on helping others is more effective than focusing on yourself. The "tend and befriend" response, mediated by oxytocin, creates neurolo
8 min read
Abstract: This article challenges the conventional focus on time management, arguing instead that energy management is the key to productivity and fulfillment. Drawing on Csikszentmihalyi's flow theory, Loehr and Schwart
9 min read
The Surprising Cultural Barrier to Self-Compassion
9 min read
Healthcare providers are burning out at unprecedented rates, and we have been misdiagnosing the cause. The exhaustion you feel after a day of patient care does not come from too much compassion. It comes from too much em
18 min read
"Your World is Perfectly Arranged to Give You The Results You are Currently Getting"
10 min read
One of the unfortunate things about being human is that, at one point or another, we all suffer.
11 min read
"If your compassion does not include yourself, it is incomplete." ~Jack Kornfield
14 min read
You chose healthcare because you wanted to make a difference. You wanted to help people heal, recover, and live better lives. But somewhere along the way, the demands of the work may have started taking a toll. The early
