Nothing comes easy and when it does, its lousy – Cole Porter’s character
in the movie De-Lovely (2004)

   Everyone knows that important accomplishments never come easy. "Easy" is the status quo. Breaking the status quo means overcoming inertia. Cole Porter did that with his music.
   The irony is the way in which the thing that is so hard to create looks easy when it’s performed successfully.
   After a lifetime of work, Tiger Woods swing, plus his string of victories, looks easy. After years of training, a good nurse can make a tough IV placement look as easy as a fish jumping back into the water. And whether you agree with him or not, after years of hard work, Senator Barack Obama can make an inspiring speech in a fashion that looks as easy as walking down the street…

   One of the hardest and most important things to do is to create a loving culture in a hospital, nursing home, hospice or other charity. We at the Trust work with this challenge each day.
   And the irony is painful. Everyone agrees that a loving culture is important for an organization grounded in the mission of caring. Yet barely two handfuls of hospitals are successful in creating the kind of loving culture that commands both excellence and compassion in patient care.
   Patients and first line staff members deserve the kind of loving leadership that will be a home for Love. Yet, a stunning number of organizations are led by people intent on preserving mediocrity.
   Of course, is does little good to rail about this. What is needed is a new kind of courageous leadership in healthcare. Every leader should be out there every day working alongside his or her staff. It is the first line staff who deliver care. And the presence of leadership on the front lines is the most powerful symbol there is that a leader lives Love.

-Erie Chapman