Trying to Stay Positive

So, the new office thing has been quite a challenge but we hope that by the time the AAP and AAOMS meetings get here, we'll be ready to host visitors. Right now it's kind of like car camping. We have no fridge, no running water (except for the bathroom sink), no dishwasher, and access to the stove is blocked by crated appliances. We're all a little tired of the delays but we are also counting our blessings. For everything we don't have, there's something that we do have.

What we do have is great private offices for the SSC sherpas, a killer storage room, a nice bathroom, a comfortable "living room" complete with a zoomy modern gas fireplace (no logs, just a strip of flames) and a big screen TV (you know I'm not going to let that one slip by!). Plus a reupholstered sectional (it was the first couch Suzanne and I bought together and it's been in storage for several years....she wanted to recycle it), a great rug from the Costco Home Store, and beautiful hardwood floors. Oh yeah and a forest of palms that create a divider between the living room and the private offices, which are designed to look something like tatami rooms in a Japanese restaurant. Except we're letting people sit in chairs instead of on the floor.

Like any project this one has been all-consuming, over-budget and behind schedule. But we've also had the chance to work with many fine construction professionals that we will miss seeing every day. Great guys, every one of them!

And we have once again been reminded what great employees we have. They pitch in, they don't complain, they just want the best for the office, for us personally, and for their co-workers. It's a joy and a privilege to employ such talented and motivated individuals.

Meeting Dates for Coordinators and Directors Released!

With the 2009 Symposium around the corner can it possibly be time to start thinking Coordinators Conference and Directors Summit? That’s right; the dates are set, so mark your calendars!

Next year’s Coordinators Conference will be held May 13-16, 2009, with Directors Summit following July 23-25, 2009. Both meetings will be held in Seattle’s “satellite city”: Bellevue, Washington. We will keep you posted with more details as they develop. Looking forward to seeing you there!
posted -- 08/05/2008

Allowing for Success
by Greg Tice

We just recently concluded our 9th Annual Coordinators Conference here in Seattle. There were a number of great presentations and a lot of information shared between clubs on how to make everyone’s experience even better.

On Saturday morning during the conference, we had a relatively tight turn between speakers. Fifteen minutes total and an entirely different stage set needed to be established for George Walther who is a long time friend of the Seattle Study Club. Between moving tables, getting materials out and hooking up his presentation, there was a lot to do in 15 minutes and our staff was really on top of it. George kept trying to help move tables, but we just told him to focus on what he needed to do, and we would take care of the rest. As always, George delivered a knockout presentation.

I didn’t really think much further about it until I received a thank you note from George yesterday. Part of it read “That single sentence during the break before my show said it all ‘We’ll take care of your environment, you just focus on what you need to do.” He went on to say that this really allowed him to be successful for our audience and deliver beyond their expectations.

It got me to thinking about how often we are so wrapped up in what we need to accomplish, that we don’t stop and take time to think about how we can make it easier for others to be successful. If those around us are allowed to be successful, it creates an environment that delivers the best to our patients, our practices and our families.
posted -- 05/07/2008