Time to shut up and run....

For those of you who know me, I run (or at least I attempt to run).  Due to my asthma every run is a challenge and involves a great amount of faith that my lungs won't fail me. Are there days that the lungs fail me? Yes! Are there days that I want to quit? Yes! Are there days that my husband finds me on the porch sobbing from the absolute frustration? Yes!

Have you ever watched everyone around you excel while you grow more frustrated? Well, welcome to my life! There are days I don't even want to look at my running shoes. Most weekends, particularly at this time of year, my family participates in one running race or another. Every year my husband gets faster. Every year my daughter gets faster. Every year I don't!

To add to my running frustration, I loved to see my students (and former students) excel, not just in school but also in extra-curricular activities that make them well-rounded. Many of these activities involve running - I must be sadistic. I am amazed by their speed! I am so happy for them. I am so proud of them. But, why, oh why, can't I have just some of their speed and strong lungs??

Whenever I think I am going to give up running to spare my lungs (and my nerves), I "run" across the moments that push me on.  Today was the third such moment in just the last month (somebody must really think I need them right now...and they would be right). Let me take a minute to share these moments with you....

Today at the duathlon my husband was in, I decided to volunteer to assist on the course. The most amazing 80 year old man was participating in the race. Despite requiring more than 30 minutes to complete his first 2-mile run and then falling off this bike, he insisted on completing his second run. When we were all convinced he must have given up on his run, I offered to jog the course to find him. When I found him, he was happily jogging along, not wanting my help and not caring how long it took to finish. What will we all be doing at 80????? I hope I am pushing forward like he was.

A few weeks again, I ran with my daughter for her first 10k race. By the end I wanted someone to put me out of my misery....then the one participant in a wheelchair came across the finish line. Everyone applauded. Even the first place finisher went over to congratulate him. He looked so happy to have finished! I immediately told myself to stop complaining since I had been able to start and finish it on my own two feet!!

The third event (or actually the first chronologically) happened on Labor Day weekend and as soon as I saw it I knew it was a memory that would stay with me. As my daughter and I waited after our run for my husband to finish his much longer run, a man came across the finish line carrying a flag. I don't mean a little flag the size of an index card or a flag draped across his shoulders. This was a full size flag on a pole. He had run 20k (more than 12miles if you need help with the conversion) carrying this flag on the hottest, most humid day ever. When he crossed the finish line, he dropped to his knees and started praying aloud. In this prayer, he named all those who had died in service of our country that he was running in remembrance of.

During my tough runs and days I don't even want to try, I hear these memories calling out to me, saying, "Lauren, shut up and run...."

Always a student...

Last week I spent an incredible 5 days in Virginia for the first session of the AACP Academic Leadership Fellows Program (ALFP). The ALFP is a year-long program designed to "develop the nation's most promising pharmacy faculty for roles as future leaders in academic pharmacy and higher education." The sessions focus on self assessment, peer assessment, in-depth leadership development, team building, exploration of legislative and public policy issues critical to pharmaceutical and higher education, administrative competencies development, and application of leadership experiences. 

The first session primarily focused on self and peer assessment. And boy did I ever assess myself!! I have often considered my "personality traits" (such as overachieving, structured to a fault, etc) as faults. This week, particularly through our discussion on our StrengthsFinder results, demonstrated that those are my strength that I should not hide from, but recognize and utilize. I started the week wanting to not always feel "guilty" about my "weaknesses" (aka those talents I see in others that are not my talents). In reality, "weaknesses" should only be addressed if they cause a problem. We all have different talents. That does not mean that one set of talents is better or worse than another. We just need to recognize our talents in order to maximize them.

The ALFP cohort is divided into 5 groups of 6 fellows plus a dean mentor. My group included a very diverse group of individuals - a group that I might never have picked for myself. By the end of the week I knew these people better than I know many of my dearest friends. This is in part due to our appreciation of and recognition of each others strengths...and maybe also in part to our 6am walks and 11pm pub time. I miss them already and can't wait for our conference call in 2 weeks and our next session in November.

It would take me pages to tell you everything I learned and felt (especially when I was at the top of an 80 foot pole!!) last week and hope to continue to carry in my heart for a long time to come. So, I will just share some important (at least to me) ideas that I have been reflecting on:

1. Do not look at leaders as their titles

2. Communication, trust, and relationship building are key

3. Avoid technical answers to adaptive problems

4. Is it lovely or lonely at the top?

5. Focus on weakness prevents failure; focus on strengths leads to excellence

6. All "strengths" have a balcony and a basement

7. You can't do it all! You may need to give up something that makes an impact in order to make a bigger impact.

Oh, in case anyone is wondering, my signature themes are: strategic, learner, achiever, individualization, and context.

Reaching out beyond the "ivory tower"

In many ways I am not even sure how to summarize my day yesterday because I learned so much, saw so much, and felt so much that all those memories, thoughts, ideas, and feelings are mixed together and giving me an overwhelming feeling of "Wow!" Yesterday Dr Mike White (our department head for pharmacy practice) and I spent the day meeting with the UConn School of Pharmacy alumni who work at Norwalk Hospital.  Adam Wilbur (our foundation guru) joined us later; Drs Kevin Chamberlin and Charlie Caley also joined us for the dinner portion of the evening.

We went down to Norwalk with 2 items we wanted to tell them about (the Pharmacy LEADERS Track and the Advancing Pharmacy Transformation initiative) but we also wanted to hear from them if we at the school were "going in the right direction" and where they see the profession of pharmacy headed. So it would be some talking on our part but also lots of listening. I definitely learned more than I educated yesterday!

Maybe I am just as guilty as other people in considering Fairfield county as more New York metro area, rather than part of our little state. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized how aware our alumni are of what we are doing at UConn, that they have strong views on the impression we are giving them and on pharmacy organizations, and that they are very aware of what challenges pharmacy in Connecticut (and nationally) will be facing in the very near future. I would have expected it of the leadership within the pharmacy department but was floored by the insight of our new graduates.

Within the pharmacy, I was amazed by the extensive technology and the opportunities for the pharmacists. Gone are the days of shuffling paper orders and fax machines sending orders for the pharmacist to enter and of u-shaped pick stations for cart fills! From CPOE, to robots, to carousels, to electronic cabinets, the pharmacy was impressive. Even more impressive was the willingness of pharmacy management to be innovative with the services offered by the pharmacy. They have 4 clinical pharmacists - now remember that this is only a 220 bed facility. They are also sending pharmacists to the nursing units to establish new services, allowing the pharmacist to identify areas of need within that unit. 

You may be wondering how this all relates to the Pharmacy LEADERS Track.... 1) One of my slides on the track discusses the traits/skills needed for the leaders of today and tomorrow. Skills included ability to collaborate, to coach and mentor, to be innovative and risk-taking. As I progressed through my day yesterday I was very aware that the pharmacy leadership at Norwalk Hospital, especially Bob Bepko and Keith Shuster (yes, of course they are UConn alumni), truly possess those skills. Seeing those skills in action confirmed to me how leaders in possession of these skills can advance pharmacy. On a smaller level, bringing such leaders to UConn for Leadership and Latte events would benefit so many of our students.  2) As Keith reminded me, everyone needs their 3 minute elevator speech (guess what the track students will be doing this fall). 3) Our alumni can provide so much experience and insight to our students, especially the track students. I had been debating establishing a mentors/ambassadors programs with pharmacy leaders in the state. Now I realize that this is not a maybe but a definite need.

What was the most awe-inspiring aspect of my day?? That is easy!! I went down there thinking they were doing UConn a favor by giving us their time and providing us with their input. We monopolized the time of different members of their staff from 1pm until 9pm! Yet, they were adamant in their thanks for giving them our time to listen to their thoughts and show us what they do. Really?? They were thanking me?? Truly the thanks should be all mine for reminding me to get out of my "ivory tower" to get "back in the trenches" to see what our alumni leaders can teach us.

(Dr. Brian Bachyrycz, UConn alum, with his idol, Dr. C. Michael White)

The beginning of the journey

After reviewing applications and learning more about these students from my colleagues, I officially (and unofficially) have 8 students who will begin this journey with me through the first year of the leadership track. I have always known that we have wonderful students but even I must admit that I am absolutely floored by the quality of leaders that are on this journey with me. Despite not really being obligated to do anything until the fall semester, these students have already jumped in with both feet! They participated in a health fair - and when I say "participated" I mean they selected the topics to educate on, developed brochures, created a poster, gathered freebies to give away, and spent an entire day at the fair. Many have even begun their projects. This week 2 students spent 3 and a half hours with me in the evening discussing, planning, and researching for a technician-checking-technician project. Next week 3 more students will be meeting with me to develop a public speaking project - both for the leadership students and for the school as a whole.

I have so many exciting ideas for the fall semester with these students.  I think it is fair to say that I will learn just as much along the way as they will!