Lead honestly, with integrity, and always find the “Joy” in work. Love on your people and don’t ever forget to thank them. These are my guiding principles in a nutshell and they tend to get me on the right azimuth anytime I am stressed out and need to be centered. I love Chapter 22 for the principles Marquet is bringing to the forefront. Playing the fine line between being able to be open with criticism, while your people completely understand that you have the best intentions for their progression, is the sweet spot for me! When I was a Commander, and in these post Army Baylor jobs, I promote transparency with my staff/soldiers. I am able to be hard on them when the situation calls for it, but they also know they can come to me any time they need advice, resources, or someone to advocate for them (and in our department now, that happens a lot).

As for tools…this may not necessarily be a “tool”, but I always wish for more time. We have had so many great ideas to restructure our hospital as we prepare for DHA and I have a hard time knowing that I hold jobs for an average of 14 months at a time. We’ve generated great momentum among the staff and I pray that it continues after I am gone. This has taken extensive time and work developing relationships and introducing new concepts in how to run our business. We’ve been lucky to hire some civilian continuity to continue generating that “flywheel effect”. It’s tough to invest so much in our jobs but simultaneously be preparing for the next step.