When Crisis Strikes, Hold on to Your Purpose with Isaac Mitchell

[00:00:00] Isaac: There might be traditional things that you might measure, you know, things like turnover, but we don’t have turnover. We do, but not like, you know, major turnover because they’re part of a team and they see my long term commitment, how I want to grow them to be successful leaders at Ballard and grow them into other areas.

[00:00:15] So we’re seeing longer employment with, with the company. We’re seeing better relationships with the team, working more closely together, challenging each other, helping each other along the way. building a more positive working culture where people want to come into work, they want to do their best. It’s not something that they dread or avoid coming into.

[00:00:35] Katie: Welcome to the chain of learning where the links of leadership and learning unite. This is your connection for actionable strategies and practices to empower you to build a people centered learning culture, get results and expand your impact so that you and your team can leave a lasting legacy. I’m your host and fellow learning enthusiast, Katie Anderson.

[00:00:54] Is your organization stuck in a constant state of crisis, where everything is, or seems, urgent? In reality, not everything is a true five alarm fire, but rather, we’ve been habituated to respond as if everything must be fixed now. How you differentiate situations across the spectrum of urgency, between real crisis, where all hands on deck and immediate response is needed.

[00:01:20] and perceived urgency, maybe a deadline or feeling overwhelmed by too many goals or things to accomplish is critical to your ability to effectively lead, prioritize, and align you and your people’s efforts. In this episode, I’ve invited Isaac Mitchell, vice president of project management and operational excellence at Ballad Health System to Chain of Learning to talk about how he and his organization have managed through actual crisis, Hurricane Helene, which caused significant flooding, leading to washed out highways.

[00:01:49] And the evacuation of one of his health systems, hospitals, Isaac shares what he’s learned through his career, including early roles as an engineer at companies like Toyota and taking on progressively more senior operational excellence and leadership roles in healthcare. And through his experience with me on my Japan study trip leadership program in May, 2023.

[00:02:10] About how understanding purpose, creating alignment to priorities and demonstrating commitment to people has helped him and his team members both respond to actual crises, as well as build the organization’s capability for continuous improvement and operational excellence. During our conversation, Isaac also flips the tables and asks me what my next big goal is.

[00:02:31] So listen in for the big reveal that I haven’t shared publicly until now. Isaac and I started off our conversation with a question about what he learned about leadership and operational excellence through his experience leading through a real human crisis just a few months ago. Let’s dive in

[00:02:48] Isaac: just to get some background on the event that happened where I’m based is, uh, in East Tennessee, uh, Southwest Virginia, really Western North Carolina, uh, kind of the region.

[00:02:59] That our, uh, our business serves as a health system, large rural health system, Ballard Health. And we were severely affected by Hurricane Helene. We don’t normally see category four hurricanes in, in this part of the country. So, you know, I read on the news, it was a one in 5, 000 year event. So incredibly rare.

[00:03:21] thing to happen for our region. But, you know, we were prepared. When I was thinking about, you know, how we responded, I think it goes back to a lot of the training that our team has had. And you think of the quote, you know, plans are worthless, but planning is everything. Uh, I think Dwight Eisenhower said that.

[00:03:39] We’d had so much planning, not necessarily for this particular disaster, but just for a crisis disaster. You know, think about all the The bad things that happened in COVID. But we got, we got really good at emergency response to, you know, major changes or, or, uh, devastating lapses in service. So we really just went back on our training and attacked the problem.

[00:03:59] Basically what happened here is we’ve set, we got so much water from, uh, the hurricane that there was massive flooding. One of our hospitals actually had to be evacuated. The water came so fast that we had to move patients to the roof of the hospital. We had to get them out by helicopter and swift boat, but actually came so fast that we deployed ambulances to the scene before, you know, it got really bad.

[00:04:24] While the ambulance was going to the hospital to evacuate the entire hospital, the Interstate literally collapsed into the river, uh, so you couldn’t even access the, uh, hospital. Uh, we were very fortunate that, uh, we got swift boats to the facility, so they had boats on site already. But by the time they were able to evacuate patients on the boats, there was so much debris in the, in the water, they couldn’t, they couldn’t have boats in the water because it was too dangerous.

[00:04:47] And the wind was too powerful that even helicopters couldn’t get in, but we had the staff on site. They were moving patients. They had evacuated some patients, still moving them. And, uh, working together, uh, we eventually were able to evacuate patients via Black Hawk helicopters with a local National Guard.

[00:05:07] And when the water did reside or calm down through boats, those kinds of things. But, you know, going back to the training, when we were planning for the Events like COVID, uh, we had systems in place. We had corporate emergency response teams. Uh, we spun those up overnight. That was something that my project management group, well, they didn’t run it.

[00:05:27] They created that back in COVID and we were able to spin up those teams quickly, get the right people in place and start to address those issues. So, you know, I think there’s lots of things that we learned, but the whole planning process is important. And then once you have that in place, you can work through all the different Issues and crises that come around it.

[00:05:46] Some of the biggest things we did is we had great transparency about what was going on. We had great communication because we had this emergency group, this committee up and running, and they were talking in real time to local agencies. We were able to reprioritize what was going on in our world, right?

[00:06:00] We knew exactly all the projects, things that were going on. Uh, what was important, what was not important. If we shut down certain projects, we knew what was going to, what the effect was on the entire system. And we could really make those, uh, those, uh, decisions because we had standards in place and standards about going around things.

[00:06:17] And we knew, uh, if the decision was this, then it had this effect on the other one. So, I think having standards and processes in place certainly helped the communication, certainly helped with the, The evacuation where we lost, uh, no, no patients during this crisis. So,

[00:06:31] Katie: Wow. I remember you sent me some photos of all the roads shut down and of your region.

[00:06:36] And it was just astounding. The, the real, the rapid onset and the impact across everywhere. How has your community doing? Now, a few months after the flooding and the crisis,

[00:06:48] Isaac: there’s still a lot of recovery. You know, the community is rebounding. That’s one of the great things about this region. We had team members from ballot hospital.

[00:06:56] We started up, uh, distribution centers to get aid out to different areas and agencies throughout, uh, the region. I was really proud of my team. Uh, they actually. Worked to manage a distribution center of things like generators, food, clothing, water at the Bristol Motor Speedway. Used their project management skills to get people the things they needed in the right place at the right time.

[00:07:20] On top of all of this, we had an IV fluid shortage. There was actually a Baxter IV fluid facility in North Carolina that shut down. And they make about 60 percent of the IV fluids for the region. So my team led that project to talk about how we’re going to deal with these shortages, how we’re going to work on provisioning and making sure we have fluids to maintain service.

[00:07:43] And then just little things like laundry. People needed laundry done that were doing things and we set up. Projects and processes to, to set up, uh, you know, a request for laundry to be done for personal needs that people don’t have power or water. Put that process in place, uh, to help them with basic needs like laundry.

[00:07:59] So it was just a wide range of things where the community and my team came together to, to solve any type of problem that was out there.

[00:08:05] Katie: That’s incredible. And the power of community and, and coming together in time of, of, of real genuine crisis. And you mentioned, you know, COVID. As well, I, I would imagine having gone through that just, you know, four years ago, four and a half years ago, gave some preparation on how to respond to these types of situations and urgent needs.

[00:08:25] Isaac: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we ran the same playbook that we did with any emergency response, but we really. Practice our muscles, uh, during COVID. And it was, you know, everybody knew exactly what to do when we spun up the corporate emergency response committees, the teams, uh, they knew their roles and we knew how to communicate and across our 20 hospital system.

[00:08:43] Katie: Yeah. So you had the muscles already, already built in, particularly cause you work in healthcare, but this, this is true across. You know, a variety of different industries is that we have different types of crises that we experience in organizations or for ourselves individually. There’s like real genuine acute crisis like you experienced with the flooding or with COVID.

[00:09:05] And then there may be lesser crises, but still are perceived as really urgent of a business crisis or something, a deadline that we need to meet. And this spectrum of sort of the impact of real genuine crisis, five alarm fire versus maybe a proceed crisis or something that is urgent, but maybe not, you know, we can, we can adjust around staying in that state of crisis can also impede us as leaders.

[00:09:30] What do you see in the work that you do? And from your own personal experience on the spectrum of urgency, that if we’re staying in this constant state of seeing everything as a real crisis, five alarm fire type of crisis.

[00:09:43] Isaac: There seems to be, not just in healthcare, but all industries, like you said, a constant state of crisis, right?

[00:09:49] There’s always something perceived going on. Some are larger, some are smaller. I think it comes back to understanding what’s essential versus expendable at that time, um, this changing environment. You’ve got to take care of yourself so you can take care of your patients or your, your, your team, things like that.

[00:10:05] You have to surround yourself with people that give you different input and help you with the decision making process. I think at the end of the day, to get through this type of environment, you have to have good intentions about your purpose and what you want to do. It kind of goes back to some of the, the teachings that We learned about in Japan with you, you know, the Daruma dolls and setting intentions and purpose, decide what you want to accomplish, you know, connect it to your purpose, to your goals, and keep that at your center to help drive your other purposes going on and don’t get distracted by all the crises around you.

[00:10:39] So. Uh, that was one thing that stuck to me as, as I was thinking about this as well.

[00:10:45] Katie: Yeah. I was really seeing that as anchoring on your purpose and your impact is your North star, that, that, that guiding point to filter out what’s the genuine crisis or a thing that needs your attention and what, and what can be sort of let to the wayside, I also want to.

[00:10:58] Talk about something that, you know, I’ve experienced when people are in this state of crisis is that we are a sense of urgency is that we fall into that like expert trap or like, let’s just, let’s just do our best thinking right now, but we don’t have time for a lot of problem solving or a lot of coaching and development.

[00:11:15] time. And so in that genuine crisis, we do need all hands on deck and we need a leader that’s more there’s more telling and directive. But if we stay in that crisis mode, we’re seeing everything is this urgent thing that has to be fixed. Now it actually can take us away from that bigger purpose that might be around developing people and cult, you know, nurturing creativity and curiosity in our organizations.

[00:11:38] What’s your experience about that, Isaac?

[00:11:41] Isaac: I think a good to have. A leader that knows the end goal, but we also have to have. And be open to different perspectives and have that deference to expertise and relying on the people that we have surrounded by the table or around the table to help in that decision making process.

[00:11:59] You need people that challenge you and bring in new viewpoints, but it’s also a fine line, I think, of not getting distracted by everything and getting into analysis paralysis. And I think that’s worse. It’s good to have, you know, what’s your North Star, what are your intentions, what are your goals, and keeping that in the center of the room in front of mine as well.

[00:12:18] Katie: I would love to explore more of how, you know, this, this concept of intention, which is, you know, such a key word for me about, you know, what’s the impact you want to have in your purpose, and Actions and behavior is really aligned with that and how you’ve been linking that concept to the work you’re doing with your team and your leaders around strategy deployment and organizational goals.

[00:12:41] Isaac: Setting intention was one of my favorite things that I read about both in your book and on the study trip. There’s been a couple ways that we’ve done it in my role at Ballad. The first way is we’ve been really focused on Hoshin Conrey and strategy deployment at Ballad. And that’s something that we partnered with our strategic planning department.

[00:13:05] Uh, I don’t necessarily get involved with the strategy, but what’s. I want to do is help with the strategy deployment and aligning everyone’s role, their purpose, their intentions to that strategy from, uh, bottom up, top down. And we’ve done that a lot of, you know, most of the work that we do within my groups, project management, operational excellence, uh, over 75 percent of that is tied directly to the strategic plan.

[00:13:28] And we want to continue to improve that and drill it all the way down to the front line. One of my favorite things, and I saw this firsthand, and I knew that there’s always ways for improvement. Uh, I believe it was at Ina Foods.

[00:13:41] Katie: Tsukakoshi. Mr. Tsukakoshi. He’s the managing director of the company that was founded by his father.

[00:13:47] Isaac: Yes. You know, we learned so many great things on that tour. But the thing that I love with more than anything, he started the day, um, sharing his purpose and his, Vision and Northstar goal. And he said, happiness is our purpose and let’s create a good company. And they talked about it at the beginning of the day.

[00:14:09] And we went through the training session. We did, you know, the site tour, the Gemba visit. We had a wonderful lunch. And it was at the very last part of the day, we were at a board, um, on, in their factory and they were showing off their Kaizen, uh, and their improvements. At the end of the very, very end of the day, he asked the plant manager what the vision and purpose is, and he responded verbatim, happiness is our purpose, let’s create a good company.

[00:14:35] I just loved how that was translated throughout the entire organization there at Ena Foods, and that’s something that, Has been huge learning that I’ve taken with me that I want to create at Ballad Health as well. We, we know our vision missions and purpose at the top corporate level, but does everyone in the organization know that vision mission purpose statement and how does it relate to their, their daily job?

[00:14:58] And that’s what we’re doing with Hosh and Connery and strategy deployment. We’ve taken our, uh, our four Northstar goals at, at Ballad Health. And we’ve started creating our Ocean Connery, our strategy deployment throughout the entire system and tying that from top down, you know, what, what are you working on this part of that Ocean Connery and starting to build that, that, that culture that I saw at ENA Foods, uh, where they’re able to effectively do that.

[00:15:22] Katie: I love that story. And I learned something new every time I go to the company. I’m recording. This was just, I’m recoming back from my November 2024 cohort and the sixth study trip that I’ve led. And ENA foods is such an inspiration around, around that. And Mr. Tsukakoshi also said something that I talked about in episode four of this podcast, where we have to focus more on being than on doing, and this gets back to that sense of purpose and impact.

[00:15:49] If we can like truly have that be our guiding. Principle, then we’re more effective in all the doing. So achieving the goals, aligning to the organization’s policy, um, and mission as well. But like, what’s that person we want to be first and foremost, what are some things I think that you’ve been doing with maybe with your team or other sort of more frontline, you know, in people touching the work individual contributors to really create that connection between individual purpose and organizational purpose.

[00:16:19] Isaac: One of the very first things I did when I came back. I loved the Daruma doll, uh, visiting the temple and learning about the Daruma doll. You can see my Daruma doll behind me here that I, um, received on the trip. And I’ve got some other ones behind me and I’ve got several at work. The first thing I did was I wanted to share my experience about the Daruma doll.

[00:16:37] And. How it was used and what I learned.

[00:16:40] Katie: I’m so passionate about Daruma dolls and love that you have become passionate about them too. But some of the listeners may not know what a Daruma is. So I’m curious on your, uh, your take on what the Daruma doll represents and what you’ve shared with your team.

[00:16:55] Isaac: Yeah. So what I shared was, you know, The Daruma Doll is a, almost a process you go through where you set intentions, uh, your goal, and you fill in the left eye of the Daruma Doll. You share that with the team, and then you work on that goal, and the Daruma is a constant reminder of that goal once you fill in the left eye and you have intentions.

[00:17:17] And it’s sitting there and, uh, it’s actually designed like, like many I’ve seen to tilt over and it goes back to the Japanese proverb, uh, fall down seven times, get up eight and, you know, that relentless, get back up, improve, continuous improvement, being intentional and driven about what you’re trying to do.

[00:17:36] And then once you’ve met your goal, um, you get to fill in the right eye and it’s a great celebration. So, uh, you’ll see, I have two behind me. One of them has both eyes filled out. That’s the one I received. Uh, on your trip, the other one does not this one that I’m working on. So you can see, I just have one.

[00:17:53] I filled out on this, this little guy and, uh, I’ll share my intentions and goal on the first one. My first Daruma was to complete all of my journal entries about your trip and then share it with, uh, through a presentation, uh, at a major conference. And I did that. So I got to fill in that goal and it was more less about sharing it at a conference, but being intentional about, I want to sit down and reflect on my learnings from this trip.

[00:18:16] And write down everything I learned so I have something to look back on and share with the world. So that was been, that was my first intention. And then this other guy is a more of a personal one. I’m a big backpacker and I’m working on section hiking the Appalachian Trail. And, um, I’ve got a small section I’m working on right now from the Smoky Mountains up to Virginia that I’m trying to complete.

[00:18:36] So that’s on my shelf, keeping me Focused on completing that section. So yes.

[00:18:40] Katie: Awesome. I

[00:18:41] Isaac: see you’ve got yours as well. Do you, do you wanna share your, oh my

[00:18:43] Katie: gosh, I have, so

[00:18:44] Isaac: would you be willing I,

[00:18:45] Katie: yes. I, so for those who can are watching on YouTube or clips or have seen me other places, I have many, many, many Darma dolls.

[00:18:52] You know, I have one that it was actually. I, I had commissioned for me. That’s very large.

[00:18:59] Isaac: I love it. I

[00:19:00] Katie: have a very large one, which I’m holding, holding up right now. And actually this was, I had this commissioned for me at the Daruma temple. Gosh, it was before the pandemic actually in 2019, when I was there, when I, of course, thought that I’d be leading two sold out trips in 2020, but have done four in the last, uh, Uh, 24 months.

[00:19:16] So that’s amazing. A hundred leaders now have come with me. Uh, but this, what this Daruma says intention on it, the Shiko, the, the SIG, the, the sort of the word that’s my guiding principle, which is what’s your, you know, what’s your heart and your actions directions there, but I haven’t found a worthy enough goal to use for this Daruma that’s even huger than my, than my own head.

[00:19:35] But this one says intention on it in Japanese Shiko, it’s the The same as the calligraphy I have behind me and the, the monks put in a little extra energy here. So this one saved for a really special goal, but a Daruma that I’m going to fill in very soon is, uh, out of a goal that’s been percolating the last few months and actually probably this whole year, but I’m ready to, to put a stake in the ground and start working on my next book.

[00:20:01] And I don’t know what that book exactly is going to be.

[00:20:04] Isaac: Oh, I love it.

[00:20:05] Katie: And I don’t know what the timeline is, but it’s. I feel like all things coalescing and one of the reasons I started this podcast a year ago was because I wasn’t quite ready to start a new book, but I wanted to still have a way to be thinking and processing and engaging with others.

[00:20:19] Now that this, the podcast is stabilized in a year in, I think it’s ready for another challenge. So I’d love to hear also all you listeners, What would interest you about what I could write about and how could I be helpful? So please send me a message or make a comment in LinkedIn to help me achieve my goal.

[00:20:36] But having written a book before, I know it can be a multi year process and it will be a multi year process. So it’s just about getting started and truly making, stop talking about it in my head. Um, but so. Starting to make it. So there you go. New Daruma goal. Katie Anderson’s going to write another book.

[00:20:52] So we’d love to hear more from you.

[00:20:54] Isaac: Love it.

[00:20:54] Katie: Maybe it is a big goal for my, uh, my big Daruma.

[00:20:57] Isaac: That’s a big goal.

[00:20:58] Katie: Maybe it’s time to make my new year’s, uh, make, make it. It’s not, I don’t like new year’s resolutions, but you know, a Daruma resolution, yeah, thanks. And I love seeing the Daruma that I gifted you behind you.

[00:21:09] Um, I think you, you know, and I, I hear you told me too, that you gave your team to help them stay focused.

[00:21:17] Isaac: Yes. So, uh, that was another thing, you know, I shared my experience and I wanted to apply it to my team goal setting, exercise, uh, setting intention. So at the end of the meeting with them, uh, I gave them their own Daruma and, um, uh, it was something to put on their desk and think about their goal, uh, their intention.

[00:21:39] And then, um, I took it, uh, one step further. I don’t know if I was, uh, following the rules or not, but we actually wrote down our goals on, uh, a little piece of paper and we put it in a frame on our desk, uh, so it was front and center and people kind of knew what everyone’s goal was. And another great thing that I loved is learning about, uh, the Honko, um, and, and Japan, I actually added that part of the process is I want them to share their idea with me as their leader.

[00:22:08] And review of me and part of the review would be my understanding of it, that I would actually stamp up on their, their, their document, my hanko, uh, that I saw it, um, as a, a form of communication. So then we have that, and then they have, their room is on their, their desk and as they’re working towards ’em, they get to fill off the right eye as well.

[00:22:25] So, um, the hanko, for those that maybe don’t know, it’s just a wooden, little wooden stamp. Actually got this one on my trip in Japan. It was on my, on my bucket list. And this is the. I guess the Japanese phonetic way to spell and say my name. So that was a fun, uh, little gift, a souvenir from my trip that I keep on my desk.

[00:22:44] And then, uh, I actually used these before when I worked at Toyota. So I’m familiar with them. This is actually my Toyota Honko. And, uh, I still have it with me, and I used to use this to stamp off on drawings. And basically what we were doing, uh, both through drawings and, and, uh, Toyota 808 problem solving, you would go present your, uh, document to your leadership, and you would have to explain your problem solving process, and it would be a dialogue back and forth as they’re coaching you through the problem solving.

[00:23:14] And before I could take it up to the next leader, to the next step, uh, they would have to stamp their hanko on it that they, uh, agree with this document. And it was just a great way to work through the problem solving process, the, the Nemawashi, the buy in process. And I just love this tool, the honko. And it’s another one that I’ve actually taken with me and used for, for my team as kind of a formal way to say, Hey, we’ve met, we reviewed, we’ve talked.

[00:23:38] We have the same intentions and goals and, uh, we’re ready to move forward. So that was just another great thing that I enjoyed as part of the trip and have taken into my, my day to day.

[00:23:48] Katie: I love that, Isaac. I actually had a wooden stamp made for me too, when I lived in Japan and it has my initials, KBJA. On it, and I hadn’t had a business logo, and when I moved back, I’m like, Well, I might as well use this.

[00:24:01] My website is KBJ Anderson. Those are my initials. And so it’s sort of that connection between Japan and then my business as well. You highlighted something that’s really, really important. And Mr. Yoshino talks about this in my book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, about how, you know, too often, We see problem solving or like we give someone a problem to solve or say go fill out an A3 which is just a size of paper but it’s used at Toyota and other places now for a problem solving process or a strategy deployment process.

[00:24:30] It’s like you go do that but actually by either stamping your honko or you could just sign your name, your signature, it shows your role as a leader in the process. It’s not just like you go do it but I’m coaching and developing you and ensuring that you’ve gone through all the right steps. So it’s owning the The thinking process, not the thinking itself and like how we can sort of then give ownership to others, but still be guiding and supporting them at the same time.

[00:24:57] And that’s too often missed in sort of our application of lean tools and other things that have been brought over. Like we focus on just the tool side, but not the human development side.

[00:25:09] Isaac: People development was another big thing that I’ve taken back to my team and took very seriously about the trip.

[00:25:16] When you first get into lean, most people are learning about the tools and things like that. Uh, the first thing that comes to mind are maybe efficiency or different lean tools or, or, uh, you know, 5S, Kanban, things like that. One of my biggest takeaways from the trip too is the leadership focus at all of these companies was around people development.

[00:25:35] It caused me to pause and said, what am I doing to develop my people as well, right? And I took that back and not only through the Darumadol and the goal setting and using the Honko, but what are other ways that I can develop that? Uh, my people, uh, that I work with, they’re things that I took back. We now have really well defined, uh, career ladder system for my team.

[00:25:56] So they know how to move up and move into different roles and to the different area. I think Mr. Cotto said, or Kato said it, uh, ENA, you know, as people grow, so does our company. I love that. That’s important to me as well. As my people grow, so does our, our company and our, our group. Getting intentional about people development and career development is something that I’ve taken back to my team.

[00:26:16] The other thing that we learned from Mr. Yoshino is that, and I saw this firsthand when I worked for Toyota as a, my first job out of college. Uh, Toyota focuses on people that are eager to learn and show long term potential based more on just mastery of skill. And that’s another thing that I thought about.

[00:26:34] How, how do we hire people that maybe don’t check all the boxes on the job description, but we can see that passion. And their willingness to, to learn and, uh, and learn new skills. So, you know, I went back to my basics, my, my tools, you know, like what are we looking for in an employee? What, what are the skills that they need and if they don’t have it, how do we get them to that point?

[00:26:54] So we actually started what we’re calling a, uh, manager and training program, and we have all the skills that they need. To learn and grow and show that potential. So those are two things that I really took back around, uh, people development, uh, that have stuck with me, uh, from the trip.

[00:27:10] Katie: That’s that’s fabulous.

[00:27:11] You know, you’re, you came with me on, uh, the third cohort of the Japan study trip. And that was at the time of this recording, almost 18 months ago. Of course, I want to put a great experience on, but my real goal out of these is that you’re making different impact when you come back. So I loved hearing that you practiced Hanse or self reflection to really synthesize and crystallize your, your learnings and you’re doing something with it.

[00:27:33] And I’m curious, Isaac, what are you seeing as the impact of the, of you taking this actions and having greater focus on people and actually You know, not just saying, Oh, I’m focusing more on people, but, but really showing that you’re, that you are through this career ladder and working with them on their personal goals.

[00:27:50] Isaac: There’s lots of things, but more than anything, you start to see a culture that the team feels comfortable and safe in this environment. They trust each other. Uh, we’re seeing. There might be traditional things that you might measure, you know, things like turnover, but we don’t have turnover. We do, but not like, you know, major turnover because they’re part of a team and they see my long term commitment to me and how I want to grow them to be successful leaders at Ballad and grow them into other areas.

[00:28:20] So we’re seeing, you know, longer employment with, with the company. Uh, we’re seeing, uh, I think better relationships with the team, working more closely together, challenging each other, helping each other along the way. You know, there’s not maybe a quantitative measure, but it’s just building a more positive working culture where people want to come into work.

[00:28:40] They want to do their best, and it’s not something that they dread or avoid coming into joy and work. I guess it’d be the best way to say it, right?

[00:28:49] Katie: Well, and there is quantitativeness around that. Yeah, the joy, the happiness. And by creating that culture, you’re actually retaining your employees. You do have less turnover.

[00:28:58] And as we started off this conversation, you’re able to come together. in those times of crises to, to really get things done, um, and, and know you have that trust and teamwork already built in there.

[00:29:09] Isaac: And I think, you know, the byproduct is that we’re growing future leaders at Ballad as well. My goal is, you know, if somebody wants to move into bigger roles at Ballad Health, uh, we’re preparing them for those roles and they can take on Bigger things and have a greater impact on our community.

[00:29:26] And that’s been another great thing out of the MIT program or the manager and training program. You know, I kind of also stole that idea from the con pro program. Like let’s build our own program to string. That was another big learning from your book that Mr. Yoshino did. Around creating, uh, training, having study, you know, steps, things like that, uh, that he did with his con pro program.

[00:29:46] Katie: And they did that in house and Toyota for those of you who haven’t yet read my book, I encourage you to do so. There’s so much wisdom in there for Mr. Yoshino’s 40 years at Toyota, but they, they put together this two year manager retraining program about how to focus on not just how to get results, but how to develop your people as the way to get the results.

[00:30:03] And to do it in your own style for your own way, and it’s not cookie cutter, just copying what someone else has done, but taking inspiration around what do we want to achieve and how are we going to do that? I think you shared something recently on LinkedIn, which I was really taken by and excited about, about your North star for the year.

[00:30:23] And again, this was something that was inspired by a comment that a leader that you, a Japanese leader you heard on my Japan study trip. And I’d love for you to share this. Uh, with, with the group and, uh, what you’re learning so far.

[00:30:36] Isaac: One of the goals that, uh, I learned from Mr. Cotto at AVEX, um, he shared that at AVEX manufacturing management has to spend 50 percent of their time at Gemba, uh, 30 percent of their time on Kaizen and 20 percent of their time on growing their team.

[00:30:54] And that was my Northstar goal. My Northstar goal is. Even though I’m a senior leader, you know, at the vice president level, I still should be sending half of my day at the Gemba learning from not only my team, but the, the, the projects that my team are working on, the improvements they’re working on our customers, our patients, our families, and getting close to the work.

[00:31:16] So I can understand, uh, where we can be most effective. And that’s something I’ve really taken to heart. Um, I actually, to keep myself honest, I scheduled time at Gemba and almost blocked my calendar. So I. I’m intentional and dedicated to going to Gemba and seeing what’s going on with the 20 different hospitals with the different team members on my team and learning from them.

[00:31:39] And as part of that, that develops me. I’m getting closer. I’m understanding their problems, their issues, how I need to support them as a leader, what I need to work on for my team’s Kaizen. And how I need to grow and shape the team. So they’re, they’re prepared to take on these amazing or these incredibly tough challenges in healthcare, being intentional about that, blocking time on my calendar, going to Gemba and really learning as close as I can, uh, to the source, uh, the frontline.

[00:32:04] That’s been a huge goal of mine, North star goal. So you think about 50 percent of your time. That’s a lot of time, but, uh, I’m working slowly towards it. So,

[00:32:11] Katie: yeah. So, I mean, I imagine, so that’s a super commendable goal. And also for, uh, listeners who don’t know what the word Gamba means, it means the place that something happens.

[00:32:19] And so usually in a work environment, it’s the place, the work that happens, or it could be an office place. It could be out in, you know, a nursing unit in a hospital. It could be leading an event, uh, you know, facilitating a meeting. Any or, or on a remote session, like. Sitting in and seeing how someone’s participating in a meeting.

[00:32:36] So it could be manifest itself in many different ways when I was internal and organizations. I was one of the things when I was a similar role as you like, how do we help leaders get out of their offices and spend maybe not 50 percent of their time in Gemba? But even like. 10 percent of their time in Gemba.

[00:32:52] I saw that there’s a lot of barriers. Like, how can I do that? So how are, you know, I love that you’re, that you’re blocking the time on your calendar. What other, what other tips do you have for other leaders, maybe in your organization are like, Isaac, you’re crazy. There’s no way I can do that. Like, how are you helping them get over that, that, like, I can’t, how can I possibly even do that?

[00:33:13] Um, even if I schedule time, things are going to come up, all these urgent things.

[00:33:17] Isaac: I think it goes back to one of our original questions around we’re in constant crisis, and not just in healthcare, but other areas. By going to Gemba, you’ll seek clarity around what’s essential and what’s not essential of what you’re working on, right?

[00:33:33] And it really starts to create focus on what you should be spending your time on. So there’s no clear answer, but going to GIMBA helps clarify what’s your purpose and what is essential to your job as a leader and what you should be focusing on. And I think by doing that, you’ll see and start to free up time, say, is this essential?

[00:33:52] Should I be doing this? Um, and start to really gain that focus. So you, you can work on more pressing problems and get more, more work, work done. So it’s, it’s almost like a trap. Like I don’t have time to go to Gemba, but then I’m working on things. I’m not sure if they’re important or not to the organization.

[00:34:07] Go to Gemba, talk to the frontline, talk to your staff. You can see right away what’s important, right? What’s truly meaningful. I used to go to Gemba a lot in my previous role. And you just find so many things that you didn’t realize were problems that were so important. You would go sit in the ER waiting room and just watch how things work.

[00:34:24] Uh, you’d go sit in the OR, uh, waiting room and see how the process works. You would, and naturally people would come talk to you, um, Patients, families, staff, and you can learn, learn firsthand from just going and observing. And, uh, it’s just a great way to be connected to, uh, the true purpose, uh, and the value add of whatever your business is delivering.

[00:34:44] Katie: It’s a way to get facts and not just rely on data and reports and, and, and make assumptions about what’s actually happening. And it’s a great way to see how your team is actually doing too. So not just your customers and what’s happening that way, but what maybe they need from you, what help they need as well.

[00:35:00] And, you know, I think what’s important is, you know, you have your, maybe your North Star is to get to 50%, but it doesn’t, you don’t have to start there. You can start with like, what is, you know, two hours this week look like, and how can I fit that in? And then, and then build in there. So, you know, not to be so overwhelmed by letting perfect be the enemy of actually getting started.

[00:35:19] Isaac: You know, I’m, I’m not there, so I, I don’t want to allude that I’m spinning. 50 percent but that’s my goal and being intentional about spending more time at GEMBA is where I want to be.

[00:35:28] Katie: You know, as we’re talking, I’m reminded of another quote from Mr. Yoshino that I include in my book that targets should be set based on what’s needed, not just what we think is achievable, because that stretches us and we have a bigger gap.

[00:35:42] And then we can say, well, why is there this gap? So you’re making a target based on what you believe is needed for your team and for your organization. And you might not be there, but then you can ask Well, what’s getting in my way? What’s, what’s not there. And it’s far too often like organizational goals or even personal goals.

[00:35:59] We, we kind of stop at what we, maybe it feels a little stretch, but we feel like it’s probably possible. And, and so that’s actually not pushing us into that real learning zone, uh, that we need to have to really create market improvements. Yeah. I

[00:36:12] Isaac: think that’s a great quote from Mr. Yoshino. You know, setting big targets, uh, pushes you to that or helps you analyze, you know, why you might not be getting there.

[00:36:23] Katie: Isaac, there’s one other thing that, uh, you brought back or actually I brought back from, for you on another trip of mine, uh, from Japan, which is, yeah, you’re welcome. We both have it hanging in our offices, which is the a hundred year calendar that, uh, you know, food uses to remind people that. Life is precious and don’t waste a precious life and, and that our days are limited.

[00:36:45] Our days of our death are all on this hundred year calendar, at least in our current lifespan. And not to be morbid, but to be a reminder that, you know, one, if you have a bad day, it too shall pass, but really like, Use our life with purpose and intention. And you, you shared something with, so actually our, our two calendars came back rolled together in one and then I sent yours to you, which is great.

[00:37:08] So we’re, we’re connected in our a hundred year calendar, but Isaac, you shared something that was really meaningful to me. And especially, um, in this anniversary of what’s going on. going to be the eight years of my dad’s death. You know, you’ve lost your father recently, and, and you, you’ve used the calendar in a really meaningful way, and would you be willing to share sort of, uh, what you’ve done to help you stay connected to Purpose?

[00:37:29] Isaac: Yes, um, absolutely. I mean, first off, uh, I got back from Japan, and it was like, man, I should have bought that calendar. That was, that was the so fascinating about Purpose. Not just the calendar itself, but how they use the calendar and how they share the calendar and they’re displayed all over the company to show what you’re talking about, the purpose, you know, we have so much time left on this earth and so much time together, let’s make the best of it.

[00:37:58] Right. Let’s make the most of it. And you’re so kind to drag a, you know, two foot by three foot calendar, uh, across the world, come back to me. So thank you, Katie, for that. But. It’s actually sitting, um, in my work office. Uh, so, uh, I’m in my home office today, but if you were, if you were to see me on video from my work offices and right behind me, and it’s the very first thing I look at when I walk into my office and you can see it there in Katie’s background, and I love it because it’s a constant reminder.

[00:38:31] Like you said, of our time together, how we do need to be intentional. And it refocused me every day on what’s important. And like you said, you know, I know, you know, we both lost our dads at early ages to diseases that took them before they were, uh, you know, too young. And I’ve done something special in my calendar.

[00:38:55] Uh, I’ve put little dots on different dates on my calendar and the dots represent different things. Um, I have some dots that represent when my children will turn 18 and, uh, after they turn 18, you don’t get to spend as much time with them as you do. You know, it’s a very limited time. So I’m very intentional about the time I have left, um, with my kids, which is getting, uh, smaller and smaller, uh, four years with one and, um, you know, seven years with the other one before they turn 18.

[00:39:25] Uh, but the other one, uh, a big one I put on there, um, was how old I would be if I passed at the same age as my father. And that’s also had a profound effect on me, both at work and both with family, uh, being more purposeful in the time I spend with my family, uh, uh, you know, not getting distracted by things that aren’t truly important.

[00:39:48] And um, it’s just been a great reminder and lesson just to look at it and say, Hey, this is the visual. This is where I’m at today. This is where these major life events could be, and how do I make the best of my time together? And thank you again for bringing that back and, and sharing this amazing piece of, it’s almost artwork to me.

[00:40:09] It’s something that’s very intentional that I love looking at every day to help me. So Huge, huge thing that has definitely shaped not just my work life, but my personal life from this trip.

[00:40:18] Katie: And thank you for sharing that with me too, because I, you know, when I, when I went back, our kids are the same age.

[00:40:24] And so I was like, Oh gosh, that’s not a lot of time. And it’s like, how do I stay intentional about all my work goals and writing my new, a new book and doing a podcast and traveling around the world and being present and making sure I’m spending the right time for my kids. I was thinking about that, how old I would be and how many more years I have left if I died at the same age of my dad.

[00:40:43] And that’s only 21. And I think back 21 years and like, that doesn’t seem that long ago. I mean, it’s enough, it’s time, but it’s not that much time. And so thank you. And so one of my intentions before this podcast releases is that I’m going to do the same and mark some important dates on my calendar too.

[00:41:00] So thank you for sharing that with me.

[00:41:02] Isaac: Oh, love it.

[00:41:03] Katie: You know, Isaac, before we were talking, you were, you were sharing how you wanted to highlight. Just so how profound this trip has been the experience the whole going to Japan has been for you both personally and professionally and and why it was an important investment for you both of time and money and I love you know to share maybe a few things here and I know it’s not something that everyone can do but it’s still and I that’s one of the reasons I share so much on the podcast and other places on LinkedIn about the trip so that people can glean those golden nuggets but nothing beats going to Gemba.

[00:41:34] Isaac: Yeah, I agree and. Uh, I never got the chance to go to Japan. You know, I’ve studied Toyota production systems, uh, Lean 20 plus years. And, um, I just wanted to go see firsthand with my own two eyes. So I decided to take the plunge and do it. But one thing I loved, first of all, about your trip is. It’s such a holistic, cultivated approach to Japan.

[00:41:58] And it’s not just about going into factories and taking factory tours. You know, we’re learning about business culture. We’re learning about Japanese culture. We’re learning from our peers. I mean, I’ve met so many amazing friends from your, your trip. Every time I’m in a city close to one of these people, we get together and we catch up and we have dinner.

[00:42:18] And it’s just like this whole new family that I have all across the country. Uh, and even world that I get to talk to, but it’s the learnings that happen in between, because you’ve got other people just as passionate about learning and Japan on these trips, going back to it, it’s, it’s, it’s the holistic approach.

[00:42:34] And I think that’s important when you’re truly want to understand more about Japan and more about the Toyota production systems. Learning all the different aspects that have evolved into their approach, their, their philosophy, uh, you know, respect for people, quality, long term decision making. And there’s just, that’s just one thing that I loved about, you know, your trip has seen all sides of, of, of Japan, not just factory tours, learning about, or seeing tools, not even learning about tools, seeing tools, you know, I can see tools and.

[00:43:04] Factories that are, you know, 20 minutes from my house, but it’s the, the intentionality and again, looking at everything about where these origins are coming from that really congealed my learning and continued learning of TPS. Every time you learn more about Toyota in Japan, you know, you need to learn more.

[00:43:21] That’s why I have a book of a shelf, a shelf full of books on my, behind me that, uh, I keep on learning more and learning more from people going back to the original quote. So many great things I learned, but what I love seeing firsthand is just how people focused. Every leader was at the company that was like their biggest takeaway was how focused they are on the joy and happiness of their people.

[00:43:47] And as a result of focusing on that joy, that happiness, that being purposeful and they’re learning. Business almost took care of itself. It was, it was a by product of their focus on employee happiness and joy, and they were able to meet their, their business goals. So that was probably one of the biggest things I loved.

[00:44:09] And not to get too off topic, it was fun. You know, it was a fun trip. You know, you do lots of fun things and you have a great time. And I, and I think when you’re having fun, you’re learning also, and that’s just as important, right?

[00:44:19] Katie: Well, that’s, it’s such a huge part going back to this Concept of joy and happiness in our workplaces, too.

[00:44:24] I mean, not that everything is fun. There’s crises that we have to hand do with and there’s other stuff, but if we can like be centered on this foundation of fun or joy and happiness, we’re going to be able to pull together through the hard times as well and, and create those, those human connections. And also, I want to point out that Isaac runs an awesome book club and takes advantage of not only all those books on his bookshelf, but he pulls together community to learn and talk about them.

[00:44:50] So I’ll put the links to Isaac’s book club in the show notes too. So check that out and go learn alongside of, of Isaac. So I want to go back and wind up our conversation going back full circle with where we started around managing through crisis and leading through crisis, kind of feeling like maybe sometimes everything is a crisis when in fact, you know, there’s a spectrum of, of, of true crisis versus perceived crisis.

[00:45:16] And how can other. You know, executives or change leaders start making headway of getting focused and having clarity on like, what’s the most important during this, like state of perceived crisis.

[00:45:29] Isaac: I think for any business leader, we need to connect what we do with the North star goals of the company and making sure that.

[00:45:38] We have aligned what our practices are and what our day to days are with those North Star goals. And then on the other side, you know, what are your personal goals and, uh, passions? And how do you weave those into your daily work, uh, so you can help deliver on them? You talk about warp and web threads in your book.

[00:45:56] You know, the warp is the, is the known and the weft is the discovered. I think that’s helped me deliver my, some of my goals, even though I don’t get to choose the goals of the company, but I do have to execute on them. But how do I use my warp and my weft, uh, to help with that? And my warp goal that I’ve learned and really written down as I’ve come through this is, um, I love working in rural healthcare and helping people in my community, uh, it’s a different.

[00:46:22] type of healthcare than you see in large urban areas. You know, I’m from this area, and we’ve all heard that quote, bloom where you’re planted, and that’s what I want to do. So I’m here, my purpose is to help. The region with my skills and talents, uh, for rural health care and how can I do that from my perspective to help the company with their goals, but my left is, you know, lifelong learning, uh, creating a passion for learning, creating networks and building that into my team, that passion for learning, creating good networks through things like book club reading on my internal team.

[00:46:53] And creating their passion to help solve goals within our organization as well. But going back to your question, I think, you know, knowing these things, knowing True North and what your purpose is, uh, helps clarify and focus around what’s essential, what’s not, and what we need to work on versus not. So.

[00:47:11] Katie: Thank you, Isaac. And I, and I know one of the reasons we’re so connected in a line is with this shared purpose about lifelong learning and helping others grow and learn as well. So thank you for being a really important link in my chain of learning. We’ve known each other for over a decade now. A little side note, Isaac was there at the same conference when I met Mr Yoshino the first time back in 2014, right before I moved to Japan when I was still intern.

[00:47:38] Well, actually I wasn’t internal at HealthCenter. system anymore, but I just left working for healthcare systems for a long time. So we have a lot of shared purpose there and you’re, you’ve become a great friend to say, I hope your, your community continues to heal from this crisis and that you and your team are able to continue to move towards your purpose and achieving your organization’s goals too.

[00:48:02] So keep it up.

[00:48:02] Isaac: Thank you, Katie. And, uh, Same. I’ve greatly enjoyed our friendship over the years and being a part of your chain of learning and growing my network as well. So looking forward to the future,

[00:48:15] Katie: knowing how to come together and respond to an actual crisis or emergency and how to cut out the noise during perceived urgency and focus on prioritizing is a key skill for you as a leader or change agent.

[00:48:28] How can your understanding of purpose help you differentiate between real crisis and perceived crisis? While critically important to rally around and respond to actual emergencies, when you’re in a constant state of urgency, you’re never going to be able to rise above the now and develop the organizational capability for ongoing improvement and growth.

[00:48:48] Isaac shared some great examples of how he and his teams responded to a severe emergency, Hurricane Helene. And leverage the systems and capabilities they had developed over years around decision making, problem solving, and collaboration. And he shared how deeply understanding his purpose as a human being and as a leader to develop people’s learning and growth, to be able to deliver high quality healthcare in his rural region has helped him prioritize his time and align his actions with that purpose.

[00:49:16] In doing so, he’s helped his team and ultimately the broader organization do the same. Be sure to connect with Isaac on LinkedIn and learn more about his lean book clubs at IsaacBMitchell. com. I encourage you to really connect with and understand your purpose as it can help you tune out the noise of perceived urgency that can often exist at work and in life to focus on the behaviors that matter to achieve the impact you want.

[00:49:41] This is what I call living with intention, knowing your purpose. And aligning your actions to achieve it. Our time is limited. And precious. It’s how you manage through the good times and the crises and stay true to your purpose. That will be the legacy that you and each of us leaves. If you want to learn more about how to identify your purpose or how you can help your team discover their purpose.

[00:50:01] In episode four of this podcast, I share an exercise I’ve used with tens of thousands of leaders and leadership teams around the world to start the exploration around what matters most. If you’re interested in going deeper into your purpose, I also explore the concept that Isaac highlighted here about the warp and weft metaphor, the weaving of the known and the discovered in my book, Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn.

[00:50:23] I also give additional practical exercises and reflection questions in the book’s companion workbook and on my online programs. And I can help you and your team work through aligning your purpose and your actions through custom learning experiences. Of course, if you really want to go and see and experience what organizational culture is based on respect for people can look like, I invite you to join me on my executive Japan study trip leadership learning program and experience the transformational takeaways that Isaac and other podcast guests.

[00:50:52] like Brad Toussaint, Patrick Adams, and Stephanie Bursick, and more, have shared here on Chain of Learning. I’ll put the links to learn more about all of these in the full episode show notes. If you’re enjoying the show, please rate and review it on your favorite podcast player. Your review and comments about what you find valuable can help others discover it.

[00:51:10] Thanks for being a link in my chain of learning today. I’ll see you next time. Have a great day.