Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Clinics
This is a course that changes you
I was in the October inaugural cohort of the Heart of Leadership. I know you have received notes from many of my classmates and I had started to draft one as well but had to leave immediately at the end of the course for a very short international trip to attend my father’s funeral which left the message in draft form. Even carrying this fresh grief while attending the course showed me what an amazing team we have at Mary Bridge- my classmates were a source of strength and inspiration. What we learned and practiced live in the course recognized all of us as whole, unique individuals who through our vulnerabilities and empathy can build an even stronger team that just with ordinary leadership skills. What a different approach to a leadership course than typical! It was a course that brings the student through a variety of emotions, asks the student to really self-reflect and begin earnest work on relationship with self as well as with others to bring leadership to a new level. It has been said that a good course leaves the learner with more knowledge but a great course changes you. This is a course that changes you.
As we have Thanksgiving 2022 in our rear view mirrors and are in the thick of this respiratory illness surge, I am finally finishing the draft of this email to express my gratitude to you both for having supported this course even in the midst of a financial crisis. I think the fact that we have had ourselves tested almost immediately with the surge of respiratory illness has shown us again how important this course was, as we have key leaders who attended who are now navigating the current crisis with such skill and grace, remembering to support staff through the uncomfortable. My thanks to both of you for your leadership and support as well as always remembering that your teams are made up of unique individual people, not just numbers. Thank you for that as well.
Andrea Donalty, MD FAAP | Medical Director Primary Care Network
Administration | Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital & Health Network
renewed energy to serve
Thank you so much for making it possible for many of us to attend the Heart of Leadership training. The first meeting started with a group of weary and burned out leaders and after the 5th day we ended with revitalized, passionate leaders who left with renewed energy to serve. There were so many personal breakthroughs and you could almost physically hear a new collective heartbeat in the room. We are open to possibility and ready to embrace the obstacles as opportunities to grow. I know there was great cost to giving us this opportunity but I do believe the dividends will be great. This group of leaders will go back to their work places ready to take stands in important areas that are necessary for the future growth of our institution, and even more importantly we will find new pathways to get children the quality accessible care that our families disparately need. So thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
CHRISTINE BOZICH | MEDICAL DIRECTOR
MARY BRIDGE CHILDREN’S URGENT CARE NETWORK
OSHA PROVIDER SUPERVISOR | WOODCREEK PEDIATRICS MARY BRIDGE CHILDREN’S
a more inspirational leader
I wanted to reach out to you all with a very large thank you. Heart of Leadership was a life changing experience. I am a newer leader that was granted the opportunity of leadership within Mary Bridge, and I cannot tell you how grateful I am for that alone. But the heart of leadership was an amazing turning point not only in my career but within my life. I am now a more inspirational leader for all the possibilities that lie in front of us every day, filled with integrity and empowerment for our Mary Bridge Team.
This experience has greatly improved my life in more ways than one and am so thankful to each of you for making this a possibility even when the path did not seem clear. This truly has built my passion back for life and for the endless possibilities for One Team Mary Bridge.
HEATHER WOODARD CMA, CLINICAL SUPERVISOR
GIG HARBOR MARY BRIDGE CHILDREN’S PEDIATRIC URGENT CARE
Monumental ROI and transformation
I am reaching out to express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the Heart of Leadership. I’m struggling to find words weighty enough to adequately convey what this experience has done for me and to me. I have been with Multicare for 12 years and in my field for 22 years. But, today felt like the first day – totally new, exhilaratingly exciting and full to the brim with possibilities.
I am certain that I cannot fully grasp the strings you had to pull in order for HOL to materialize. I am, however, certain that the ROI will be monumental and transformational in perpetuity . So many of my HOL cohort commented that HOL was right on time, at the perfect time. I could not agree more.
Of the many (many, many) revelations I experienced, one, in particular, was tremendously meaningful for me. I realized I had unconsciously been operating in a fear and scarcity mindset, and had settled into helplessness and hopelessness in regard to the huge barriers and problems the kids and families in our community are facing. I felt disengaged from our patients as people and was going through the motions without my heart being engaged. One MaryBridge did not feel possible.
After 5 days of hard (HARD) work and connecting with my colleagues in ways I could not have imagined possible, I am 100% certain that we are creating One MaryBridge and that our One MaryBridge will create endless possibilities for kids and families and for our teams. I don’t recall ever being this excited about our work.
This experience was such a gift to me, professionally, and to me and my family, personally.
Thank you x 1,000,000.
LISA RYAN MSW, LICSW
DIRECTOR, PEDIATRIC CARE CONTINUUM
MARY BRIDGE CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL & HEALTH CLINICS
Making a Huge Impact, Living Life to the Fullest
I have been extremely humbled by HOL. I have learned more than I can express including to “consciously conversate”, and how to make relationships transformational instead of transactional. I am a better listener. There was a forgiveness component to work with a partner there to forgive people in the past (including myself) that would limit or make me question what is possible for the future. I learned to make a huge impact, live out my vision, and live life to the fullest. I learned how to declare breakdowns and turn them into breakthroughs. I learned to create possibilities or find “another path”. Again, there was so much more learned than I would ever be able to say. The presenter, Amba, looks for miracles every day. It is incredible the time, talent, and “heart” that one person can hold to change the world one day at a time.
Strong relationships were built from all who attended. This is so important, not only for collaboration for MY future projects, but from a different mindset of understanding how I want to be able to help THEIR goals and obstacles as well. If everyone in the organization at some point could attend HOL, the amount of return on investment would be like nothing I have ever seen. Just from the few days I have been back, there has been apologies, meetings, and movement to things that had been stagnant or stuck.
Working with people like Marianne and Ben (and all the rest of you who I haven’t met) who cared enough to make this happen during these financial challenging times to change people’s lives is ultimately a gift to me.
Again, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.
With Gratitude,
TRESA WERDALL
MANAGER, MARY BRIDGE ENT