The Morale Mechanic

Every now and then you meet a CEO who really UNDERSTANDS what this is all about.

Margaret Gustafson, CEO of Kewanee Hospital in Kewanee Illinios is just such a person. After seeing me present at the Rural Health Care Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, Margaret immediately hired the Morale Mechanic to boost the morale of her troops.

In what I remember is one of the coldest days in Midwest history, I drove to Kewanee and put on two different programs, one for staff and one for the board. There were worries whether or not such a message would be received well by the board and administration.

It was. In fact, they enjoyed it as much or more than the staff.

Margaret then booked me for a return engagement where I build upon the program I shared before and lightened and enlightened the staff once again in two separate programs. A facility like hers really has fantastic morale and I believe it trickles down from the top. Although it seems that sometimes I am preaching to the choir, a nice reminder of some of these morale boosting principles is good now and then.

And yes, the weather for the second program was ALMOST as cold as the first. Someday I would love to speak in Kewanee in the summertime…