Leadership, whether of a country or of a nursing unit, can be healing. It becomes poisonous when infected with distorted ambition.

   Once again, the timeless wisdom of David Whyte (left) comforts & strengthens: "Ambition left to itself…always becomes tedious, its only object the creation of larger and larger empires of control…"

   Gladly, there is an antidote for this tedium. Whyte's teaches that our best energy arrives when we realize that "…a true vocation calls us out beyond ourselves; breaks our heart in the process and then humbles, simplifies and enlightens us about the hidden, core nature of the work that entices us in the first place."

   Ambition informed by compassion & justice is among humanity's finer energies. This version of ambition motivated Jesus to walk among enemies, love them & spread that very love by sacrificing his life for ours.  

   The best leaders in healthcare always appeal to the best in us. These are the people who show by word & example that caregiving is a calling, not a power grab. 

   The worst leaders wield Fear not Love. So much trouble is caused by males raised to value dominance over munificence.     

   That is why I often suggest that hospitals would be better served if more women were leaders, or if the men that are would balance toxic competitiveness with enlightened strength. 

   Whyte offers the best coda: "A true vocation always metamorphoses both ambition and failure into compassion and understanding for others."

-Erie Chapman