Sometimes You Have to Shoot a Hostage to Make a Point

If you know me well–you’ve heard the title of this post from me.  It’s a favorite quote of mine (and no idea where I picked it up from years ago), and it’s how I approach many things in my life.  I’ve never been the quiet one, I’ve never been afraid to say when something is wrong and I most certainly have never been afraid to speak my mind.

Even if sometimes my comments and actions are the equivalent of shooting a hostage to make a point.

I have spent more time in meetings, in my car and on my phone in the last two weeks than I care to revisit.  We had a deal we had been working on for six months change terms at the last second and while it will be good in the long run–it sucks to see 6 months of work put on hold due to politics and decisions outside my control.

And then within 48 hours–the broken deal gets picked up by somebody totally unexpected and allows for more to be accomplished in the last week than the last 6 months combined.  Even if ultimately the deal that got put back together will ruffle some feathers it gives the chance to benefit thousands of kids in Indy immediately and allows for a continued push on the goals we have at work.

In that same time period we brokered a deal to put us at the largest health expo in the region in a way that was beneficial to both us and the expo organizer and we’ll be bringing something totally unique to a pretty traditional Expo format.

And if that wasn’t enough–I spent this afternoon doing a happy dance because we just had a major local media breakthrough that will bring some positive attention to our little non-profit-that-could.

I write–a lot–and I was penning some notes this morning that I’ve been reflecting on all afternoon

“there comes a time in every life, in every company, in every dream where the moment calls for a decision that will ultimately lead to failure, lead to stagnation failure or lead to achievement and success of all goals.  There really isn’t an in-between; failure or success.”

Starting an NPO in the middle of the worst recession in the modern era was not a safe move, tackling it from a health care standpoint in the middle of the largest round of changes in how the healthcare industry operates was not a safe move, working in school districts that are on tighter than ever budgets was not a safe move—and we’ve taken the steps that I believe lead us to achievement and success.  Stagnation is failure and failure is failure; and the stumbles we’ve had helped get us back on an unexpected course that has led to success.

In reading that–I guess I live my personal life pretty much identical to my work life.  Someday–a long time from now–I hope that our kid(s) have the desire to push boundaries and limits and life in ways that will make me want to pull my hair out as a parent. And thanks Mom and Dad…for teaching me how to push boundaries and challenge things that need to be challenged!

Lots of success going on in our house currently….stay tuned.

Cheers

-th