Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 34: Grating Expectations

There is nothing wrong in having fantasies. Many dream of a multi-million lottery win. Fantasies don’t hurt the dreamer unless they become expectations.
Some might say the only danger is if the expectation is an unrealistic one. I disagree as expectations create a mindset which substitutes a foregone conclusion for wishful thinking. Consciously or subconsciously we develop tunnel vision which controls both our thoughts and actions. We do everything we can to obtain the desired and anticipated result, not considering or reflecting what else is happening. Often, unhappiness or others’ anger or resentment, brings us back to reality. Most importantly, expectations interfere with our ability to adapt, the key to survival.
© 2011
*****************************************************************************
Above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 33: A Two-Question Rx for Doctors

“Every child has to eat at least a pound of dirt before they grow up” is the wisdom many family doctors imparted to parents years ago. A holistic and humanistic approach that is lacking in many of today’s medical practitioners.
It is understandable as there is more specialization, need for greater efficiencies lower reimbursements, many procedures being performed by third parties, greater use of specialized outpatient centers and labs, increased reliance on test results, and higher malpractice insurance premiums. The skilled and trained professional still exists but something is missing that patients find discomforting.
We can’t go back but let me suggest a simply way of making the patients experience better. It is a simple technique used by an accounting firm in Ohio. Just as work is completed it gives clients a prepaid postcard with two questions regarding the engagement. There is a high-response rate and always any needed follow-up is done.
Doctors could give their patients a similar postcard at the close of each visit asking: ‘What did we do well?” and “What could we do better?” Expected responses might be the doctor didn’t talk about the side effects of a medicine or a particular technician made the patient very comfortable by detailing exactly what the testing machinery would do. Of course, there must be any necessary follow-up and additional patient communication.
Adopting this approach might help in a number of ways including awareness of patients’ areas of discomfort, a testing of implementation of “best practices,” and efficiency without sacrificing effective treatment. In the age of the Internet, online reviews, social networking, e-mail, and text messaging, patients will be sharing their good and bad experiences, so obtaining customer (patient) feedback is an imperative. Doctors are not good at this. The medical establishment, including the AMA, should take notice. Perhaps that two-question prepaid postcard is a good starting point.
© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 32: Being Right—An Introspective Examination Is Desperately Needed

Practical Wisdom-The Right Way to Do the Right Thing by Barry Schwartz and Kenneth Sharpe begins by citing Aristotle’s writing on ethics. They immediately state that practical wisdom “demands more than the skill to be perceptive about others. It also demands the capacity to perceive oneself—to assess what our motives are, to admit our failures, to figure out what works or not and why.”

Unfortunately, the authors conclude that many of society’s institutions and the practices by those in a number of professions discourage and penalize the exercise of practical wisdom except by “canny outlaws.” Schwartz and Sharpe believe telos, the purpose or aim of a practice is the key to these individuals’ requisite “moral skill and will.”

I really enjoyed the book, but the title doesn’t seem “right” to me. I would have preferred The Destruction of Practical Wisdom.

© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 31: Bothered by Footnote Two of Chapter Seven

“Take a look as some of these seemingly petty disagreements that grew into full-blown war:
• A dispute between the cities of Modena and Bologna over a well bucket about nine hundred years ago began a war that devastated Europe.
• A Chinese emperor once went to war over the breaking of a teapot.
• Sweden and Poland flew at each other’s throats in 1654 because the king of Sweden discovered that his name in an official dispatch was followed by only two et ceteras, while the king of Poland had three.
• The spilling of a glass of wine on the Marquis de Torey led to war between France and England.
• By throwing a pebble at the Duc de Guise, a small boy caused the massacre of Yassy and the Thirty Years’ War”2

The above footnoted passage in the book I just finished reading fascinated me. Unfortunately, footnote two read “Source unknown.” I had expected to find specific support for these five emphatic statements. I wish the author would have instead said in the text that they reportedly grew to a full-blown war with his accompanying footnote “Source unknown.”
© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 30: “Yes! No. Yes! Has Nothing to Do With Uncertainty

When someone asks for you to agree to do something you can say Yes, No, or avoid responding. Since giving an accommodating yes bothers me and not responding usually upsets me, I have always wished I could say no better.

A “Yes! No. Yes!” may be the solution. In his book, The Power of a Positive No—How to Say No and Still Get to Yes, William Ury explains the first Yes expresses your interests and value. The No asserts your power. The second Yes furthers your relationship often by having a plan B that is at the ready to suggest.

A natural No is seen not as a rigid and inflexible position, but rather a firm stance that flows organically from your interests.
Based on his years acting as a negotiator in economic and political disputes, Ury believes that the key to facilitating a satisfactory agreement is to arrive at one that reflects not just your interests but the other party’s interest as well.
© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 29: “Simple” Rules to Live By?

There are three basic rules that I try to live by. They don’t provide a moral compass or perpetuate any religious belief. But rather allow me to be very comfortable with my decisions and actions.

Rule No. 1: Stay in the Present—The past is to be learned from, not relived. The future can be planned for, but not fanaticized about. Being right here in the present helps me maintain the proper perspective and focus. This concentration prevents my mind from wandering and allows me to perform at my optimum level.

Rule No. 2: Watch for Emotions—Reacting emotionally doesn’t mean that you are right or wrong. But it does reflect a fight-or-flight mentality allowing others to comment on and criticize the emotional outburst, instead of addressing the issue at hand. Putting the emotional component in context and under control brings clarity.

Rule No. 3: Go With Your Gut—We listen to our heart, to our mind, and sometimes to both. Neither one nor the two together are as reliable as the gut. Your heart can prevent you from seeing what you need to see. While you mind might make an out-of-context intellectual decision. Listening to your gut ensures that all conscious and unconscious considerations are factored in.

© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.

Howard’s Inner Circle, No. 28: A Token of These Times

To enter the New York City subway system you must use an electronic MTA MetroCard. It is generally purchased and refilled outside the subway stop entrance. That differs from when I was a wee lad. Then a small token was purchased from a station agent for 15 cents. If you had a problem when you inserted the token at the turnstile, the station agent would help you gain admission.

Unfortunately now at many station entrances there are no longer any attendants. And that’s a problem when the MetroCard machine at the station reads “No Cash Accepted.” The first time this happened to me I called the customer service telephone number on the back of my MetroCard that needed replenishing. To my surprise a recording stated the number was no longer in use and gave me a new number. I called and after following eight or nine prompts I gave up on informing the MTA about that MetroCard machine that wasn’t taking cash.

As I began walking to find a subway entrance machine that would take my cash, I pondered whether my experience was today’s token of the times.

© 2011
*****************************************************************************
The above may be reproduced in full if that fact is stated and Howard Wolosky at http://howardwolosky.blogspot.com is credited as the author.