Direct Line from Max Buetow for 1/19/2024

Jan. 19, 2024

Behind-the-scenes crews make our work possible

When you have a week of unpredictable weather, you have more appreciation than ever for the unsung heroes who brave the worst to keep operations running smoothly.

I am so thankful for the working environment that is provided for us by the incredible efforts of our Engineering and Grounds crews.

We battled HVAC and mechanical challenges in the extreme cold Monday and Tuesday, and our teams quickly found solutions that kept patients and staff safe as they got our systems back running normally.

These teams are doing their work at all times of the day and night. Our Engineering crews worked on boilers and heating systems in our facilities – including working on roofs to ensure the heat stayed on.

Engineering and Grounds are constantly faced with unpredictable conditions. While unpredictability is something most of us don’t deal with well, these teams thrive in it.

For several days this week, as I was coming into and leaving the office, I saw our Grounds crew colleagues making sure our parking lots and sidewalks are clean and safe to travel on.

When you think about the thousands of people that are visiting our facilities – many with their own health issues, and some with challenges walking – providing safe passage to a door is no small feat.

I think about that when I spent even a few minutes outside this week. I used to think of myself as a tough person in the cold – growing up in Colorado, Minnesota and Buffalo, New York. But this week, I have come to realize that I am not that anymore! And I am definitely not the person who can fix a section of pipe on the top of one of our buildings in the middle of the night when there is a wind chill of 20 below.

There’s a base level expectation of comfort that when you walk into a facility – an expectation that we take for granted. On extreme weather days, you are reminded to stop and look around and see who is providing that to you.

And in health care, this work goes far beyond just comfort – the care of our patients is truly in the hands of every single team member. The fact that our clinical people can get to work and do what they do is a direct result of our behind-the-scenes team that is here 24/7/365, caring for the caregivers.

Each time I encountered one of these titans of the unpredictable this week, I could see the generosity of their hearts, doing the work they do in the elements on the coldest and the hottest days of the year.

The work they do really matters, and it has a direct impact on the well-being of our community. The next time you come out on a winter morning and you see one of our great teammates literally plowing the way for us, please stop and say, “thank you.”

‘Seeing others with love’ – presence and wisdom from a 40-year professional

I was reminded of the work our Engineering teams do for our environment again this week as our Refresh Team began work on the walls in the hallway outside our offices.

One night as I was leaving, I stopped to talk with Jack Hagen, a painter on the Refresh Team who has honed his craft for 40 years. I get to be around some of the most brilliant people every day, and the guy whose perspective really made me pause and think this week was Jack.

In addition to being an incredible professional who makes the work look effortless (I know from my own home projects, painting is not as easy as Bob Ross made it look on TV!), Jack also has a lot of wisdom.

There’s a fullness to Jack’s perspective that indicates an elevated mindset, especially when it comes to working with people.

I say it tongue in cheek, but there is some truth to it: People are the best and worst part of your day, every day. Those who are closest to us – family, friends, colleagues – can be our biggest support, and they also know how to push our buttons!

Jack has a patience and a peace about the way he views relationships. He's adopted an attitude of constant development and investment in the people around him. I asked him the secret to his approach, and he had a simple answer: You have to see others through a different set of eyes. No matter the situation you are facing, you have to see them with love.

There is something special about that statement and something special about the man who sees things through that lens and is truly present when talking to you.

I asked him if he still liked his work after four decades in the field. He told me he did. I assumed that the good parts outweighed the bad and that he had found ways to ignore the tougher, more repetitive, challenging parts of the job.

He told me that wasn’t the case. “I have learned to embrace and enjoy the parts of the job that I don’t like,” he told me.

I don’t know if I have ever gotten there. I have found ways to power through with a positive attitude, but I don’t know that I have yet learned to truly embrace and enjoy the parts of work that the least enjoyable part of my day.

Loving the person who is in front of you is akin to embracing the tougher parts of your job. There’s so much value in each person you meet whether they are having a good or bad day, and it parallels finding the joy of a challenge or the “mundane” parts of the job.

We are surrounded by exceptional people who do exceptional things. And there is so much we can learn from one another if we take the time to stop and talk and develop those relationships. It’s a good reminder for me, as someone who is thinking about the next meeting, the next phone call, the next signature, always “the next,” to stop and pay attention to the person in front of me.

If you’re looking for thoughtful advice, my recommendation would be to find out where Jack is working next and take a few minutes to listen to the wisdom of a true professional.

Voice of the patient

Adapted from inpatient feedback at Cox Branson: “The staff could not have been more compassionate. I was on the medical wing in the original hospital. Joseph was the attendant and he was top notch, as were the others I encountered.”

Thank you for all you do,

Max