I'm reposting this from Thanksgiving Week, 2018… see below.
First, please check out these other Thanksgiving-themed posts:
The Original Blog Post from 2018
I'm grateful I had the chance on Monday to spend the day with a health system. I'm grateful that they were interested in Lean and continuous improvement. I'm grateful that we had fun together, doing some exercises that help us learn and reflect on continuous improvement (Kaizen) and performance measures.
Why do I sound so grateful? Is my tone a bit different than usual? Perhaps.
I do complain a lot. I complain about bad service or inconsistent service from airlines… but I am grateful that they get me there safely.
It's Thanksgiving week in the United States. It's a reminder to be grateful for what we have and for the opportunity to get together with family and friends.
At the hospital, a chaplain shared a Thanksgiving poem about gratitude.
It struck a chord with me.
As a Lean practitioner, it's easy to focus on the waste… the problems… the gaps. We think about what could be and the “ideal state.” We strive for perfection, and it's easy to lose sight of what we have.
In healthcare, we might have (or usually do have) broken processes, but we have wonderful, caring, hardworking people. We can be grateful for that… while striving to create better workplaces and perfect patient care. People shouldn't have to work so hard to fight bad systems… and nobody should be harmed by medical errors.
I'm grateful that I'll get time on Tuesday with the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation as they honor and recognize people who are making significant contributions to patient safety (I'll get to that again in February 2023). The videos on this page are inspiring. We can be grateful to those patient safety heroes who serve others.
Here is that poem, which is online as “author unknown.”
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.
Thinking of the first two lines… should we be grateful for the waste? I won't feel thankful for it in the sense of, “Well, it's job security.” Waste and poor workplace systems cause significant harm — poor patient outcomes and poor health for employees.
I guess we can be grateful for the challenge, as it helps us grow and develop so we can be better in the future — and better serve others.
We can be mindful of our limitations, as no one is perfect. We can be thankful for our limitations if they inspire us to improve and strive to be better.
It's tough to be thankful for mistakes and fatigue… but I think the poem is right to say it's easy to be grateful for successes.
2022 Edit: I've learned that I can be thankful for mistakes, as have my guests on the “My Favorite Mistake” podcast.
I guess I'll continue to reflect on this over the long holiday weekend… can we learn to be thankful for our troubles and see them as blessings?
What do you think?
Happy Thanksgiving!
2022 Edit: Why did I make the mistake of using so many ellipses in my post?
As Lean thinkers, we don't have to celebrate waste, problems, or mistakes–but we can acknowledge the role they play in helping us see, improve, and grow. Gratitude doesn't mean ignoring the gaps; it means appreciating the opportunity to close them. This holiday season, I hope we all find a moment to pause, reflect, and be thankful for the people and processes that help us get a little better every day.
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If you’re working to build a culture where people feel safe to speak up, solve problems, and improve every day, I’d be glad to help. Let’s talk about how to strengthen Psychological Safety and Continuous Improvement in your organization.
Here is a related post from the LEI website:
Here are some thank you letters from different hospital and health system CEOs.