September 23, 2018 | (94) Comments

“Leadership always influences or determines outcomes, not some of the time, but all of the time.”

Over the course of many years of dedicated effort and thoughtful consideration, I have refined and developed a list of ten leadership maxims. You hear me share them often, in person, Connect stories and on this blog. These maxims guide me daily and represent my leadership philosophy, and they are the core of our leadership culture.

Every day, I see employees bring these maxims to life. Whether or not you have a formal leadership title, I see you discovering ways to make Texas Children’s better every day. You take personal accountability for making sure our patients and their families have the best possible care and an exceptional experience. When you see a problem, you work collaboratively and thoughtfully to identify solutions. There are so many moments, where I have seen you challenge yourselves and others to think bigger and address situations, sometimes before they even happen.

You are the leaders who have made Texas Children’s successful for so many decades, and you are the reason we will continue to thrive and find ways to provide the highest quality care for our patients, when and where they need it for years to come.

It is immeasurably rewarding to hear about employees who boldly and deliberately embrace leadership at Texas Children’s. So for the next few weeks, I want to share just a few of the countless stories of shining leadership at Texas Children’s.

When we posted this series last year, we focused on Maxims 1-5. This year, we are focusing on Maxims 6-10. These posts are especially exciting to share because they give us a chance to highlight the outstanding teamwork we have across our system.

Thank you for taking every opportunity to improve the experiences and outcomes at Texas Children’s and for playing such a vital role in enhancing the lives of our patients and families.

Take the leadership challenge, and score a spot at a Houston Texans event!

Over the next few weeks, Mark Wallace’s blog will highlight employees who demonstrate his Maxims of Leadership. Each blog post will pose a leadership question that you may respond to in the comments section.

In October, the Corporate Communications team will randomly select 75 people from the comments to attend a private event with the Houston Texans, including a behind-the-scenes tour of NRG Stadium, an autograph session with two Houston Texans football players and photos with the Texans cheerleaders.

September 17, 2018 | (183) Comments

It’s that time of year again – football season. The regular season kicked off a couple weeks ago, and for the next few months, football will dominate our weekends.

Whether you’re a fan of the pros or a little league parent cheering from the sidelines, I think we all recognize the faithful dedication required for any sport. And personally, beyond the excitement of the actual game, what I appreciate most is the incredible tenacity of any athlete to return game after game with renewed determination.

I see that relentless spirit every day at Texas Children’s. It takes an incredible amount of energy and dedication to do what you do across this organization on a daily basis. Every child and woman in our care is precious, and everything we do, directly or indirectly, touches them, renews their hope or delivers an answer for which they’ve prayed. That’s infinitely powerful, and it’s why every single day at Texas Children’s is game day.

Click here for the Texas Children’s-Houston Texans “Every day is game day” video

With that power comes the responsibility to be ready, for everything, every day. Because every day, we have a chance to take actions and make decisions that prepare us to be catalysts for something amazing or to help someone in need. As the President and CEO, I’m very deliberate about how I ensure I’m game-day ready. Without fail, this is what I do every day:

  1. Pack my positivity. I don’t think in terms of a glass being half empty or half full – I simply appreciate the contents and believe whatever the amount, it’s enough to nourish someone or to give life to something. In other words, I am perpetually positive. I believe you can extract goodness from any situation and that this outlook removes doubt and worry, and makes more room for creativity and to dwell in possibilities.
  1. Seek ways to learn. The opportunity to grow intellectually or emotionally every day fascinates me. As soon as I get up, I start reading – combing through emails, reading the news, reviewing the financial markets. I enjoy the immediate jolt of engaging with new information. I read as much as I can, and I talk to as many of you as I can. Honestly, that’s where I learn the most, because when I talk with you, I’m exposed to all the insightful and innovative ideas you have.
  1. Manage my energy. Years ago, there were lots of books, articles and seminars about how to manage time. I’ve seen that shift is now focused on managing energy, and for me, this has been life changing. We all have a maximum pool of energy, and we must deploy that energy at the right times and in the right places. I’m a morning person, so I try to tackle my most important or toughest tasks in the mornings. I make mindful choices about how my time is spent, whether at work or at home. And I try to engage and surround myself with people who have a warm and positive energy.
  1. Take care of my body. Because I am a pretty early riser, I’m able to exercise most mornings. Whether I swim or lift weights, I feel great satisfaction from being active and doing something that’s good for my body. Throughout the day, at the office, I make sure that I’m eating well. Even when I have a day packed with meetings, I plan accordingly so that I provide my body with what it needs for me to think, feel and be at my best. And as many of you know, I walk the hospital often. This is always a good way for me to stay on the move and also to connect with many of you.
  1. Pray. Prayer could easily be at the beginning and the end of this list, because I do it very often. Prayer and meditation insulates me with a sense of peace and calmness throughout the day. Subsequently, my mind is clearer when I must make difficult decisions, and I am reassured about the direction in which to lead our organization.

We all have a game day plan – it’s why we are one amazing team and how we do so many amazing things every single day. I want to hear from you below. Tell me how you get game-day ready. How do you prepare your mind, body and spirit to be the very best for our patients and our people every day at Texas Children’s?

Share your A-game … win tickets to the Texans vs Cowboys game!

Mr. Wallace wants to know what you do to make sure you bring your A-game to Texas Children’s every day to help us provide the best care possible to our patients, their families and our colleagues.

We will randomly select two winners from the comments below to each receive a pair of tickets to the Houston Texans vs Dallas Cowboys football game on October 7, 2018.

The two winners must be Texas Children’s employees. The drawing will be from comments posted between September 17-23. Winners will be notified by the Corporate Communications team by September 25.

August 20, 2018 | (0) Comments

Almost a year ago today, Texas Children’s faced one of the worst weather disasters in U.S. history – Hurricane Harvey. The storm dumped more than 50 inches of rain across the Greater Houston area, submerging parts of the city under record-setting flood waters. The storm lasted a solid week as it made landfall twice, once as a Category 4 storm and then again as a Category 3 hurricane. Sadly, some lives were lost in the storm. And others were forever altered.

As I look back on that harrowing time, I remain thankful that Texas Children’s weathered the storm without significant damage, and I am so proud of our one amazing team for its commitment to keeping our organization and people strong. Because of our resilience, we were able to help our existing patients and families, and many more who came to us by way of other health care organizations that did not fare as well during Harvey.

Our employees worked tirelessly at patients’ bedsides and calmed families worried about the storm raging outside. Their colleagues set up more than 700 employee cots and connected them with available hotel rooms to make brief moments of rest as comfortable as possible. And team members accustomed to sitting behind desks and behind computers got behind the serving line and dished up hot meals to weary co-workers.

Texas Children’s leaders ran a 24-hour planning command center monitoring weather updates and ensuring essential employee information was constantly communicated. Their decisions and timing on when to bring in employees, when to send them home and when to close and open our flood gates were impeccable, especially in light of the unpredictability of the storm.

Our decades of preparedness and vigilance paid off and didn’t stop once the storm passed. During Hurricane Harvey’s aftermath, we continued to act compassionately, supporting our colleagues on the long road to recovery, a journey that, for many, is ongoing today.

Through employee donations and funding from the Texas Hospital Association, our Employee Financial Assistance Fund administered by the Employee Assistance Program provided more than half a million dollars in cash grants and nearly $75,000 in gift cards to 672 employees affected by the storm. Texas Children’s also established a Harvey My Day Donation Program to provide a way for team members to give as many as 24 hours of their own Harvey-related paid time off to colleagues. In total, employees donated more than 2,500 hours of disaster paid time off to help colleagues attend to their affairs after the storm.

To commemorate the courage, resilience and generous spirit of our people, we have created a special website that takes a look back at the lessons we learned from the storm and the diligent recovery efforts of some of our families. As we prepare for another season, let’s keep them in our prayers and always remember the strength and sturdiness of our one amazing team.

Click here to visit Texas Children’s Hurricane Harvey website

July 26, 2018 | (21) Comments

Yesterday, I learned some truly exciting news. Forbes released its first-ever ranking of America’s best employers for women, and Texas Children’s is ranked at no. 11 among the best 300 companies in the nation. And we are THE best in Houston!

This was most surprising because we didn’t expect it or know about the debut of this survey until it was released. There wasn’t an application – the recognition is driven by Forbes’ work with independent market research company Statista. Statista surveyed 40,000 people, including 25,000 women, who work for companies with at least 1,000 employees. Those surveyed anonymously and candidly rated their companies based on work conditions, diversity, discrimination, parental leave and pay equity.

It’s truly an honor to be recognized for setting the standard for our employees in regards to their working conditions and diversity, but this survey also considered gender diversity among boards and executives in their analysis. I am so very proud of the staff, faculty and leadership team and the wonderful work we do here every day.

The final list ranks 300 companies nationwide. So seeing Texas Children’s on this list – at no. 11 at that – was such an amazing feeling. It’s no coincidence that Texas Children’s has enjoyed year after year of success. Women comprise 81 percent of our workforce and dominate our executive leadership (71 percent), senior leadership (72 percent) and manager-level leadership (75 percent). And we are the force that we are because of innovative, determined resourceful women who have driven so many of the milestones in our 64-year history.

Click here for the Forbes article and list.

I have for years believed that Texas Children’s is a place where women have boundless opportunity, and I am truly ecstatic about what this survey says about our organization – that this is a place where women flourish and lead exceptionally, a place where women have a voice, and are valued and celebrated. That’s not just amazing news … it’s our culture, and that makes me incredibly proud.

What a wonderful recognition for Texas Children’s. Congratulations and thank you to each of you for your outstanding support and leadership to help us achieve this distinction.

Help me share this great news – simply copy and paste the link to my blog post on your LinkedIn or Facebook page. And I’d love to hear from you below!