The Nonconformists Guide to EMS Success

8/6/2019 The Nonconformists Guide to EMS Success

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To

EMSSuccess

The

Non‐

Conformists’

Guide

By: Steve Whitehead

ToEMS

Success

This e‐book is 100% non‐commercial and contains no affiliate links.



Can you have a successful career in Emergency Medical Services?Is it possible to find long term personal, lifestyle, and financial

fulfillment in our field?

The answer is yes.I wrote this e-book to tell you how.

What you have before you is a manifesto of sorts. It is not for sale. Youhave my unbridled permission to copy it, post it, link to it, talk about it,quote it, and excerpt from it. I hope these ideas change your life. Nothingwould make me happier than having you send this to all of your friends inEMS. I only ask that you respect the creative commons license bound to it.I do strictly reserve the right to bind and sell this work as a book. You canhave the movie ri hts instead. I re uest to have Matt Damon la me.

The Non‐Conformists’ Guide to EMS Success

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The Non‐Conformists’ Guide Table of Contents

Finding Your EMS Otaku

My Apologies, Have We Met?

What Do I Mean By Success?

What Does Non‐Conformity Look Like?

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

The Fulfillment of Meaningful Work

Go Do Something Amazing

Part I: GROWTH

Holding Yourself To A Higher StandardCommit To Being RemarkableCommit To Something Greater Than YourselfCommit To The Communal Pursuit of Things That MatterThe Case For Optimism

A Few People To Avoid Along The Way

Part II: LEADERSHIP Your Leadership Doesn't Have What You NeedStop Waiting For PermissionFire Your Boss And Hire Yourself

Your Mission StatementYour Annual Performance ReviewYour Continuing Education PlanYour Mentorship ProgramBeing Willing To Have Difficult ConversationsSounds Great But My Boss Doesn't Agree

Part III: CONNECTION AuthenticityI Need Your HelpLetting Go of FearConnectionsWe Change TooThe Value of the Patient is the Value of the Caregiveree

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“Going with the flow is a

euphemism for failing.”

‐ Seth Godin

What does your workmean to you?

What does it mean towear your uniform and do

your job?

Does it mean the samething that it did when you

started?



Findin Your EMS Otaku

The Japanese word Otaku meansthe pursuit of something with almostobsessive focus. The word can becombined with any hobby orinterest to imply that the pursuit hasgone beyond a normal interest.

Someone may be accused of

having a cooking otaku, gardeningotaku or comic book otaku. Tosome, otaku is an honorific word.Others feel it is an undesirable traitand to a few, the concept of otakuis downright insulting.

I'd suggest that otaku can be a

powerful thing, when you set yourfocus and passion on somethingthat is meaningful to you.

Perhaps at one point in your careeryou had an EMS otaku. You feltexcitement about going to workeach day. You hoped forchallenging calls and interestingpatients. You hoped that the nexttones would be for your rig,someone calling for you.

Maybe you still feel that way. Fortoo many of us the initial excitement

of emergency services gives way todisenchantment and regret.

Sure you started out excited butmany of the people you worked withseemed so unhappy. The moreexperienced employees looked atyou as naive or unseasoned. You

felt as if everyone else knew thereal deal and you hadn't been let inon the secret yet.

Then the "real story" started tounfold. Most of the calls were forminor complaints. Bemoaningsystem abusers became an artform. Then there was the low pay,the long hours and the fact thatnone of your friends or family reallyunderstood what you did.

"So you drive an ambulance,that's interesting."

"Why can't you be home on time more often?"

"Why do you need to keep attending classes? Didn't you learn it once already?"

If you've been at this for a littlewhile it's quite possible that

eventually, you conformed. If youdid, let's just make peace with thatright now.

You bought in to the group-thinkand let go of your otaku. And worseyet, when the next bright eyed EMTcandidate showed up in the bay you

looked at them as naive andimmature. Maybe you did what youcould to get them to sell out andconform too, feeling that this wouldadd validation to your owndissatisfaction.

Optimism can be dangerous. Whyshould they be having fun?

Does any of this sound familiar? Ifnot, perhaps you've managed tomaintain your EMS otaku. Icongratulate you. Let’s see if wecan help you build it.

If the story I just told you sounds alltoo familiar, that's even better. Let'shelp you get it back.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otaku



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http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081001212741AAwqYFE

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081001212741AAwqYFE



My blog is enjoyed by thousands ofregular readers each month, and I

consult for some of the leading bio-tech companies in the world.I also happen to be blessed with anabove average income, a lovingfamily, great friends and a homewith an amazing view of the RockyMountains.

I am successful by every definitionthat I have chosen to accept, andnone of this was by accident. All ofthis happened because I chose tolove my job and be open to themyriad of opportunities that werepresented to me each day.

Yes, I’ve run my share of inter-facility transports and calls at thelocal detox center.

I've stood face to face with violentcriminals, comatose drug addicts,and the most self-righteous systemabusers you can imagine, andoccasionally, I still do.

Once upon a time, my story wasvery similar to the one that I toldyou at the beginning. And I chose tolearn and grow from all of it.

That's what made the difference.

So what am I talking about when Isay EMS success? You want toknow what it looks like, right? Whatare we really moving toward here?

I believe there are threerequirements or qualifications to betruly successful in EMS. I'll call it my

three step success formula.

Step 1.) Finding fulfillment in ourwork.

Step 2.) Creating a healthyrelationship with our employers.

Step 3.) Making meaningfulconnections with the people inour lives.

What Do I Mean B Success?

M Three Part Formula

My first requirement asks that youfeel fulfilled and enriched by yourwork. This is what we're going to

talk about in Part I: Growth.

I want you to be able to do your jobwith a sense of service andpurpose, to feel the excitement ofholding yourself to a standardhigher than anyone else demandsof you.

I want you to know that you areliving your own highest values andthat you are making decisionsabout your future based, not onfear, but on your own ideas aboutwhat fulfills your personal vision ofyour life.

Second, success would mean thatyou grow up in your relationshipwith the authority figures in yourorganization and your life. We’lldive in to all that in Part II:Leadership.

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There is only one success,

to be able to spend your

life in your own way.

‐ Christopher Morley

Success here would mean that youtake control of the direction of your

work and the role it plays in yourlife.

Success would mean that you playby the rules, but you also play byyour own rules, knowing that youare the ultimate decision maker inyour life and choosing to show up to

work each day because it is whereyou want to be.

Success on this front would requirethat you stop looking to yourleaders to take care of your needsfor acceptance, approval anddirection.

You take accountability for yourown mission. You evaluate yourown performance and you stopasking for permission to pursuewhat matters to you.

Here, I’ll ask you to let go of theidea that your leaders hold the keysto your future satisfaction, and I’llencourage you to have difficultconversations when they areappropriate.

I’m going to ask you to tear up theold social contract of conformity and

move in the direction of whatmatters to you.

Your leaders want all of this for you,and you should want it for yourself too.

Third, success would mean that you

find balance in your life. You aren'tsuccessful if you need to be at workeach day to keep your head abovewater. Your work needs tocomplement your life, not suck yourlife away in small doses. This iswhat we'll explore in Part III:Connection.

In this section we'll talk about yourwork complementing the values anddirection of your life.

I’ll ask you to consider allowingyourself to be changed andchallenged by the situations thatyou encounter in the workplace.You'll explore how to develop yourcompassion and sense of serviceand how to recognize theundeniable connection between thevalue of your patients and the valueof your work.

Lastly, we'll talk about finding thesweet spot between life and workwhere the two halves complementand build on each other.

I don't want to sound overlysimplistic, but if you aren't enjoyingyour life, you’re failing at life.

I want to help you enjoy your lifemore.

I want you to enjoy working in aservice industry and helping others.I want you to feel comfort instead ofstress when you interact with yoursupervisors and bosses. I want youto enjoy the way your workcomplements your life and makesyou feel connected to humanity.You can have all that. There's onlyone catch. To do it, you're going to have to swim upstream .


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or gal above you. Poor saps.Non-conformity is stepping back

from the speed andthoughtlessness that we tend tooperate under. We manageemergencies. Most of our leadershave grown out of this industry thatspecializes in the fast fix approach.

In our business, speed is king, and

time is the devil. This creates anenvironment that doesn't valuethoughtfulness or introspection.

Asking larger questions about thegreater purpose of our industry isfrowned upon. Those who followthis path get labeled as pie-in-the-

sky dreamers.

Non-conformity means being willingto take the time and effort toevaluate ourselves, ourperformance, and our purpose. Itmeans being willing to stand forsomething and being willing tostand against something, especiallywhen we stand against themediocre status quo that pervadesour industry.

Are you getting a vision of what I’m

talking about here? Let me be evenmore specific.


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Holding Yourself to a

Higher Standard

“If we’re growing, we’re always

going to be outside of our comfort

zone.”

‐ John Maxwell

I’m going to ask you to

commit yourself to some

things.

Commitment is something

we talk about much moreoften than we practice it.

You know what I mean.



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Nothing speaks to yourcommitments quite like your

actions.

Maybe you can tell me about all thecharacters on your favorite TVshow but you still can't name all theindications for Epinephrine. Orperhaps you could tell me the nameand key stats of every player on the

starting line-up of your favorite profootball team but haven't learned allthe major streets in your primaryresponse area.

What you chose to invest your timein shows. What do you have in yourlife right now that you would

consider your passion? Think abouthow well you understand that thing.How much time are you willing todedicate to that thing? How muchtime are you willing to invest? Howearly are you willing to get up andhow late are you willing to stay upfor that thing?

I'm going to ask you to commityourself to the following in the sameway.

1. Commit to being remarkable

2. Commit to something biggerthan yourself (With noexpectation of return)

3. Commit to the communalpursuit of things that matter

Remarkable doesn't necessarily

mean that you're amazing or thatyou get gold stars on yourpaperwork. Remarkable doesn'thave to be a comparative orcompetitive equation.

Remarkable simply means thatwhen your name comes up in

conversation, people havesomething to say about you.

Remarkable is what happens whenyou break out of the mold of socialconformity and go your own way.It's a sign that you're living some

aspect of your life by your owndesign, without fear of what others

are saying about it.

What you do isn't that important.Just make sure it's remarkable(preferably in a good way.)

• Apply for your supervisor’s

job, or his boss’s.• Better yet, find your ideal job

and apply to that.

• Start a journal club.

• Invite all the EMTs from arival agency to a party.

• No rival agencies? Inviteyour coworkers.

• Start a “firefighters vs.paramedics” UFC type fightclub and donate theproceeds to charity.

• Write your insights andcomments in the margins ofthe station’s EMS

magazines.• Start a blog or publish on

another blog.

• E-mail Nancy Perry or AJHeightman and tell themyour article idea.

Commit to Being

Remarkable

#1



• Start a monthly prizecompetition for the crew with

the most inter-facilitytransfers, most miles, ormost calls in a shift.

• Go to a conference. If youalready go to conferences,apply to be a speaker at thenext one.

• Pick a place in the world you

really want to see andcommit to visiting that placein the next three years. (Itisn’t as hard as you think.)

The point isn't what you do, thepoint is to get you to take yourexistence off of cruise control andstart showing up to your life eachday. Not the life someone elsewants you to live, your life. The lifeyou were meant to live.

If you don't know what life you'resupposed to live, we’re going tohelp you find out.

The most important part of startingto live your own remarkable life issimply seeing the world differently.

You can’t help it. You begin seeing

the world around you in a differentlight than average people do.

Congratulations, you've decided tolive a life less ordinary in a world ofaverageness. The great news isthat the more you learn to live andenjoy remarkableness the moreyour vision will expand.

Once you see how much fun it is totry remarkable ideas, just for the funof it, you’ll become addicted to it.The simple decision to beremarkable may do more to changeyour life than any other decisionyou make.

(With no expectationof return)

It's interesting that when I ask thisof people, their greatest resistanceisn't to the idea of a grandcommitment.

The resistance is to the idea of noreturn.

Note that I didn't say there would beno return. I asked you to let go ofthe need for something in return.Holding on to the idea of greatreturn for great investment is likeholding onto Jell-O. The tighter yousqueeze, the more you lose.

We are socially conditioned to buy-in to the barter system of oursociety. We commit to thingsbecause of the positive return weexpect from our investment. We goto work because they pay us. Itdoesn't matter if the work fits our

values or goals.

It's easy for our employer toobjectify us because we objectifyourselves when we voluntarily buy-in to the idea that our labor issomething to be bartered. I'd likeyou to choose a commitmentwithout concern for what's in it foryou, just to see what it feels like tonot be bartered.

Commit to Something

Greater Than Yourself

#2


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There are countless ways of

attaining greatness, but any

road to reaching one’s

maximum potential must be

built on the bedrock of

respect for the individual, a

commitment to excellence

and a rejection of

mediocrity.

‐Buck Rodgers

Baseball Hall of Fame

While you’re out there finding thoseremarkable goals or tasks, look for

one or two that serve your valuesand add value to someone else’slife and then pursue it without anythought about what it means foryou.

It doesn't matter what you do aslong as it is in line with your values

and there is no clear, definedbenefit to you personally when youbegin.

The work you're holding in yourhands is the culmination of over twodecades of my personalexperiences in EMS as well as

hundreds of hours of writing andformatting.

It is the largest writing project towhich I've ever committed myself.When it's finished, I'm going to giveit to you for free and encourage youto pass it on to others. I wouldnever do that if I wasn't fullycommitted to the idea ofdetachment from the return.

If I were committed to the bartersystem, I would go looking for apublisher. I would put this work on

Amazon and talk with e-publishersabout price points and margins. I'd

be concerned with proper Kindleformatting, release dates, andmarketing. But that isn't what this isabout.

This book isn’t part of a marketinggimmick. It's part of my big,audacious goal (We'll talk more

about those in a little bit).

I want to change your career for thebetter. I want this book to have apositive lasting impact on thequality of your life and the lives of alot of other people. The best way todo that is to give it to you with no

expectation of return.

When you’re done reading it, it willbe your turn to figure out yourunique contribution and set your bigaudacious goals and go dosomething remarkable. But notbefore you make one morecommitment.

Oh, and by the way, you werevolunteering all along.

If you’re still trying to wrap yourbrain around the idea of expecting

nothing in return, consider thatyou’ve been volunteering all along.

I don’t know if you are paid by youremployer right now or if youvolunteer, but it doesn’t matter.

The truth is you’ve always been a

volunteer. Your employer can barterfor your back, for your labor, and

your skills, but the best of you,

those things that can’t be bought,

you’ve always offered those

voluntarily.

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The truth is, we create the culture.We drive morale. We decide each

day what our workplace will be andnobody else.

The moment we stand fullyaccountable for creating ourworkplace is the moment webecome citizens. It is the momentwe become owners instead of

visitors. And it is the moment weseize control of our future.

From the vantage point of citizens,we see clearly that we create ourleaders.

The students create their teachers.

The field personnel create theirmanagers. Long before the script iswritten, the audience creates theperformance. They always have.

We create it all, in our image,through the individual lenses of ourperception. And we can change it

as well. We can create anenvironment of widespreadaccountability and ownership.

Optimism is a fantasy. That'sprobably not what you wereexpecting to hear from an optimistso I thought I'd put it out there firstthing. Now that I got that off mychest, I'd like to point out that

pessimism is a fantasy as well.

Neither optimism nor pessimismare based in reality. Therefore,they are both a matter of choice.

Let me say that again because it isimportant. As reality flows forward

on its unstoppable journey throughtime, it is neither optimistic nor pessimistic about where it isheaded. We choose optimistic orpessimistic viewpoints when wemake decisions about what weshould focus on. It's as simple asthat.

Regardless of what we choose,reality will provide us with plenty ofexamples to confirm our chosenbelief.

Right now, as you’re reading this,EMS workers around the globe are

underpaid, overworked, andvirtually unrecognized as aprofession.

The Case for Optimism

We struggle for identity andconsistent standards. We areweighted down by our lack ofhistory and lack of a political voice.

Training standards are oftenmiserably low and many workingEMT's fall below even that. Veryfew people outside of the medicalfield can explain, with any accuracy,what it is that we do. And we arestuck in the middle of it. There hasarguably never been a worse time

to be a part of pre-hospital care.

Feeling down yet?

Right now, as you are reading this,emergency care is advancing at anunprecedented rate.

Survival rates for critical trauma,cardiac arrest, and sepsis areimproving thanks to advancementsis care. Research is demonstratingthe effectiveness of improved CPRtechniques, better airwayprocedures, and therapeutic

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hypothermia.

Advanced monitoring devices likelactate meters and capnographyare pushing the envelope of patientassessment. Cardiac, stroke, andsepsis alert programs are bringingthe pre-hospital provider togetherwith hospital emergency staff tocreate a true high performance

team.

And we are an integral part of all ofit. There has arguably never been amore exciting time to be a part ofprehospital care.

Feeling up yet?

I could go on. But I think you cansee my point. There is amplereason to believe what you wantabout the future of our industry.Like every other complex systemthat you will encounter in yourlifetime, EMS has plenty of

challenges and plenty of greatness.

You have to make a decision aboutwhat you want to focus on. Whichoutlook will serve you best?

What belief system will feed yourmotivation for the next twenty to

thirty years?

If you’re going to dedicate yourselfto ongoing growth and fulfillment,you’re going to need an outlook thatsustains you.

You can't do that if you’re focused,

all day, on what isn't right. Thechallenges are there. (Would youhave it any other way?) Don't wasteany more time bemoaning them.Get to work succeeding in spite ofthem.

I know some folks have a tough

time swallowing this optimism thingbecause they feel some deep

commitment to seeing the world

realistically. They’re going to tell

you that you’re fooling yourself. I’m

not about to tell you that you need

to feel good all the time or that you

need to pump yourself up with lame

affirmations.

There is a lot of pain and tragedy

and grief in the world. We see

plenty of it in our work. Optimismisn’t about denying that reality. It’s

about choosing to have power over

it.

It’s about deciding to work for

change. It’s about choosing to be

proactive and claim a role in makingthings better instead of feeling

powerless before the negative

aspects of our lives.

A Few People to Avoid

Along the Way

Don't expect everyone to cheer youon the path to non-conformity.People tend to like the status-quo.The status-quo is comfortable andpredictable.

Once you go your own way andseek a non-traditional path, you canexpect some folks to throw up somehurdles. The three people you canexpect to see are critics, the oldguard, and the bottom feeders. Letme tell you a little about all three.


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Third, they invent the barriers ofentry to positions of authority or

influence. The old guard decideswho should be granted influencewithin the organization, so they setthe standards.They tend to value seniority aboveall else, experience in the industrythat they are experienced in, all ofthe degrees and certificates that

they already hold, respect for therules, and strict adherence to theproper progression through theranks.

When you run up against the old-guard, keep in mind that they fearyou. The more that you push the

fringe, the more fear you will createamong them.

I find that it’s best to respond totheir fear with a combination ofunderstanding, pity, and politerespect. Just don’t ever fall into thetrap of seeking their approval.

Bottom Feeders:

These guys have usually beenaround for a while, but they haven'tdone much. Bottom feeders staydown low and try not to move,

make waves, or be noticed. Thebottom feeders of the organization

are the defenders of the status quo.

They are frozen in time so theydon't want anything around them tochange or grow, including you.They often find a critic with whom topartner so they know what to thinkwithout having to form their own

opinions.

Bottom feeders tend to stay wherethey are for a long time so they willoften have experience andseniority, and they will make sureyou know about it. They might tellyou they know better because

they've been doing the job for 20years. They haven't opened textbook or learned anything new sinceJohnny and Roy were on primetime.

When you ask them how they aredoing, they say catchy, depressing

phrases like, "Too old to work, tooyoung to retire," or "Another dayanother dollar." They're the oneswho are going to tell you that yourambition and motivation are signsof your inexperience.

They think you are naive. Theyneed to believe this to justify their

own lack of motivation.

Bottom feeders tend to beharmless. Don't let them discourageyou. You can try to inspire them.You can also entertain them withyour antics and your joy for the job.

I tend to appreciate the bottomfeeders more than the other twoenergy drainers. They don't tend towork as hard to bring you down asthe critics and the old guard. Justdon't be fooled into believing thattheir "just fill the seat and do the

job" attitude is the way you should

do your job. You're better than that.


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“The supreme accomplishment is to

blur the line between work and

play.”

‐ Arnold Toynbee

Regardless of how you

feel about theircompetence, their

qualifications, or theirwork, you need to let go

of the idea that you can’tbe happy in your workuntil you get something

you need from your

leaders.



Not only do your leaders not have

what you need, they may not even

have what they need.

Your leaders wake up eachmorning just as flawed andimperfect as you. They will spendtheir day sorting through their ownneeds and trying to live up to theexpectations of their jobs.

If you’re lucky, they will make good

decisions about the future of yourorganization. Your needs and wantsand desires are not their priority,nor should they be. Stop waiting forthem to come around and provideyou with what you think you need.

Even if they gave it to you, it

probably wouldn't help.

It's time to take responsibility foryour own happiness. It's time todecide that your growth, yourdevelopment, and all of theinformation that you need is withinyour grasp.

It's time let go of "If only..." If only they would keep us better informed

about what's going on around here.If only they made decisionsdifferently. If only they understoodmy job better. If only they would justlisten to me.

Each time we think in this way, wegive our power and the keys to our

happiness away to the faceless"them."

When we come to the realizationthat our leaders don't hold the keysto our future, we can start about thebusiness of building our own futureby our own design. The first step is

to stop waiting for permission to dowhat matters to you. Then you fireyour boss and put yourself incontrol of your growth anddevelopment.

Next you pick the right mentor (It'snot who you think.) And finally, you

choose to have the difficultconversations that are currentlyholding you back. We'll even take aminute to address what to do if yourboss doesn't agree with all that.

Your Leaders Don’t Have

What You Need

Stop Waiting for

Permission

Why are you still waiting forsomeone else to tell you that it'stime to do something that matters toyou? You don't need permission tostart acting on what matters.

Are you still showing up each daywaiting for the nod, the go ahead,the OK from the people in the knowthat your time has come. You don'tneed a ticket to the big leagues.You just need to decide.

I want to teach you a magicalquestion. A phrase that will reframehow you decide to take action onthe things important to your life.

The phrase is, "Who's going to stop me?"

Now, just to make sure you're notmisunderstanding. There are manythings you can choose to do, andsomeone will certainly stop you. (Orat least try.)


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If you're planning on breaking thelaw or violating established policy,

there are plenty of people who willbe more than happy to stop you.But, surprisingly, the answer to thisquestion is often, nobody.

If there's something you've beenwaiting to do, and nobody isstanding there waiting to stop you,

then you're probably just waiting forsome meaningless permission.Waiting for permission is yourexcuse for not going out and takingsome action.

Nobody is going to show up andhand you your dreams on a silver

platter. You're going to have to do itfor yourself.

I don't know if you've noticed thisyet, but

I'm Angry.

I'm angry about how this industryuses up its human resources andthrows them away.

We count on the fact that there isalways going to be a new batch of

young hopefuls drawn to the brightlights and the promise of a heroic job where adventure and humandrama promise to fill each day.

When I look at the amount of reallytalented people who walk awayfrom this career used-up I feel just

plain pissed off.

I feel pissed off when privateorganizations sacrifice competenceand fair pay looking for a cash cowat the end of thehealthcare/insurance maze.

I feel pissed off when publicorganizations treat medicalpersonnel as second class citizenswhile they perform 80% of theservices requested by the public.

I feel pissed off when volunteeragencies tolerate bad behavior,

abysmal performance and lowtraining standards out of fear oflosing the few personnel that theyhave.

I feel pissed off when talentedcaregivers are forced to suffer

under poor leadership, awfulmanagement, infrequent training,long hours, low pay, and miserableworking conditions.

That's what you and I are going tochange by demanding better andvoting with our feet.

If you've read this far and you're notwilling to change anything aboutwhat you do each day. I'm going tosave you some time right here. Youcan stop reading because this bookisn't going to help you. Frankly, I'monly interested in having this

conversation with people who arewilling to act on their convictionsand change their lives.

If you're not willing to move and actand grow and learn, you can stopnow. Thanks for coming.

At the beginning of each concertBruce Springsteen asks the samequestion. "Is anybody alive outthere?" If I could ask the EMSindustry just one question, thatwould be it. It's a valid question.

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If something inside you wants toscream, “Yes”, here's what you cando to start.

What if I told you that you couldhave a new boss right now? Youcould start working for a newemployer this instant with bettercompensation, a better benefitspackage, and a culture perfectlyaligned around your values?

From this moment on, let's decidethat you work for yourself. Call it“corporation you”. I know it's chintzybut stay with me. We just created anew corporation and we've gotsome important work to do.

I'm going to give you back some of

what you lost when you dove intothe conformity pool at your currentplace of work. I want you to take afew of the things that your employerdid for you without yourconsultation, and I want you to dothem for yourself.

We're going to do some projectsand take back some control overyour future.

First I need you to write yourself amission statement. You know a

mission statement right? Yourorganization wrote one once.

They probably hung it on the wallsomewhere in the lobby and put itat the front of your policy andprocedure manual. They did it forgood reason. The problem is, most

organizational mission statementsare dumb. It's true.

They didn't start out that way. Yourleadership team went on a retreat.They all practiced trust falls andwrote on big white pads of paper.Then they passed a talking stick

around and talked aboutempowerment and accountability.

After days of scribbling andscratching they had it all workedout.

And the end result was something just worthless enough thateveryone could be happy with it.

"Or challenge is to assertively fosterworld-class empowerment througheconomically sound methods ofcommunity, integrity and valueadded service to meet the needs ofthe customer and the ever-

changing future." What?

Fire Your Boss and Hire

Yourself

Your Mission Statement

Even the short sweet ones can beequally worthless if nobody buys in.For example, Enron's missionstatement was, "Respect, integrity,communication and excellence."Nailed it guys … great job. Buy in is

both essential and rare in today’sorganizations.

Some mission statements areworthwhile, especially the ones thatput big audacious goals on the line.Microsoft set out with the mission,"A computer on every desk, in

every home, all running Microsoftsoftware." That's the kind of missionstatement that can inspire.


24



“Only one who devotes



y

himself to a cause with his

whole strength and soul can

be

a

true

master.

For

this

reason mastery demands all

of a person.”

‐ Albert Einstein

Really take a minute, close youreyes and think about yourself inevery detail. Don't worry aboutbeing realistic. I want you to thinkabout your ideal life. Where do youwork? Where do you live? What isyour income? Who are the peoplearound you?

Before we start mapping out goals it

helps to get a good idea wherewe're going. This little visualizationis going to give us the clues weneed to start figuring out what weneed to be doing in the comingyear.

A decade is a long time, but it's

going to pass faster than you canimagine. You can accomplish a littleor a lot in the coming ten years, buteither way, the future is coming.You're going to have to decide ifyou want to arrive in your future orsomeone else’s future.

Be certain of this. If you aren't clearwhere you want to go, someoneelse will be more than happy to takeyou down their path instead.

If you'd like to spend the next tenyears helping someone elseachieve their future there are plentyof people willing to line up and leadyou down their path.

Step Two: A general review ofthe year

Let’s start with a list of the five

things that really worked this lastyear. What are they? List your fivebiggest successes oraccomplishments. What things thatwent really well?

Next, write out five things that didn'tgo well. Five things you wish had

gone better. You don't need to writethis next part down but look overthe list for a while and think aboutthe things that made the good stuffgo well and what factors made thebad stuff go poorly. Be honest withyourself.

Step Three: Goals for the comingyear

Now write a list of five to fifteenthings you would like to accomplishin the coming year.

Don't get bogged down with thedetails. Think about this person whoyou want to be and what you wouldlike to do.

More money?More influence?

More time?More friends?

It doesn't matter how...just yet.Write them down. What's importantto YOU in the coming year?

In their book, Built to Last:Successful Habits of VisionaryCompanies, James Collins andJerry Porras first coined the term“big, hairy, audacious goals.” I lovethat term and I think about it whenI’m creating my goals each year.


28



Remember that they didn't have toagree with the path you chose totake, but did the people you careabout feel respected by you? Didthey feel needed?

This visualization should bring youin touch with your closest valuesand check if your stated goals arealigned with them. If you struggle

with this, your goals may not be inline with your values.

What's your continuing educationplan? I don't mean your employersC.E. schedule. I'm not talking aboutthe minimum required educationcredits to renew your certificationevery few years.

I mean what is your plan forgrowing and developing your skills,your knowledge, and yourcompetencies. Continuingeducation isn't a one-size-fits-allprescription.

If your employer already providesyour continuing education for you,that's great. But that's their plan foryour ongoing education. You needa plan as well.

In today’s world of e-learning,amazon.com, EMS magazines andwebsites, state and nationalconferences, in-hospital education

and a long, long list of potentialcertifications, you can find theeducation you need. You can findthe education that interests you,appeals to you and supports yourparticular needs.

Too many EMS providers get into

the lazy habit of absorbingcontinuing education like a cow at atrough. Like everything else in yourcareer development, you're going toneed a more proactive approach.

Your education and developmentisn't someone else’s responsibility.

Sure you should take advantage ofcontinuing education when it'sprovided, but don't get toocomfortable being fed youreducation by a single organizationor, worse yet, a single person.

Let's put another continuingeducation myth to bed. Continuingeducation isn't a mandated reviewof the information you've alreadylearned. Yes, the information you'vealready learned is important toreview, but medical knowledge is amoving target.

As my web site says, “medicine

moves fast. It's your responsibilityto keep up.”

There is a stream of research andnews that is changing the face ofthe medicine we practice weekly.Scratch that, daily. If you've decidedto make this your career, you're

going to need to take responsibilityfor keeping up with it.

Your Continuing

Education Plan

If you have the resources to get thise-book, you have the resources tokeep up with the knowledge vital toyour career.


30



Mentor programs are big deals inorganizations these days.

Leadership teams feel incompleteor out of date without some sort of

formalized mentorship program.Employees feel entitled to amentoring process. The act ofmentorship is recognized asbeneficial, and we rush tocompartmentalize and formalizesomething that can't be so easilyforced.

If you’re going to look for a mentor(and I recommend that you do) Iwould look for someone outside ofEMS entirely.

I know that's counter-intuitive to

everything you think a mentor issuppose to do for you, but you canget advice on how to do your jobfrom anyone.

A mentor who knows little ornothing about your job will be morelikely to focus in the questions thatyou really need to answer. How areyou progressing on your goals?What are your working relationshipslike? What's holding you back? Areyou staying true to your statedvalues and purpose?

This is the guidance you need froma mentor. Someone who can helpyou work on these questions. Amentor who doesn't know the firstthing about a head-to-toeassessment is more likely to bekeep you focused on the bigquestions.

If you feel like you simply musthave a mentor in this field, try tofind one that doesn't work in yourorganization. If you must violate allof these guidelines, please, pleasedon't pick a mentor who has asupervisory or boss role above you.

Understand that your desire to havea supervisor or boss act as amentor speaks directly to a desireto have your bosses fill a parentalneed.

This is just another way of lookingfor your boss to fill an unspecifiedneed for information, skills, insidersecrets...something that you feelthat you're missing.

Your Mentorship

Program

Mentorship isn't about you missing something vital.

www.theemtspot.com



You might damage yourrelationship and invite their anger.You can't control that. You mightalso gain their trust. If you act froma place of respect and truly havetheir best interest in mind, you mayfind yourself viewed as a trustedfriend.

Throughout your career in EMS you

are going to have manyopportunities to have difficultconversations with your coworkers,and patients. If you choose the pathof fear and avoidance, you'll missthe opportunity to have real, honestand meaningful relationships withyour coworkers.

www.theemtspot.com



Sounds

Great, ButMy BossDoesn’t

Agree

I sense that some folks who read this are going to become excited. The

non-conformists have been waiting for someone to say this all along. Theysee the match of personal freedom in their hand, and they're searching for

somewhere to strike it.

On the other side of the coin, the conformists are shaking their collectiveheads.

“Sure Steve, maybe that works for you, but you don't understand what my workplace is like. You don't know my bosses. My workplace would never

tolerate individuals claiming this kind of personal freedom. This all sounds good here, but it wouldn't work in the real world.”

So let’s just address that resistance right now. What if your supervisors,your bosses, or your institutions don't agree with the idea of you claiming

your personal freedom?

So what?Are you going to choose your path based on what is right for them or the

path that is right for you?

Not everyone is going to be able to accept that. Part of personal freedom isthe right to deny the existence of your own personal freedom. Crawlingback in to the cave of conformity is the safest option. Inside the cave wecan't be held responsible for creating our lives. Conformity does have its

advantages.


34



www.theemtspot.com

“Once in a while it really hits people

that they don’t have to experience

the world in the way they have

en told tobe .”

‐ Alan Keightley

You’ve probably heard alot of advice about how to

develop patient rapportand influence.

Here’s the truth.

You can’t fake it.



common cause of jobs stress andfrustration in our line of work. It'spervasive.

When the tones go off you can tellthe difference between the peoplewho feel a call to action and thepeople who feel inconvenienced.

The patient isn't an inconvenience.They are the reason why we exist.If you want those interactions toflow, if you want to your patientrapport to be a breeze, you don'tneed any of the tricks andtechniques. All you need is to strivefor authenticity.

You need to feel the call to service

and the desire to be there for othersin your heart. There is nothing moreimportant to long term success.Everything else can be developed.Authenticity needs to be decided.And only you can decide foryourself.

Once we've decide to be ourauthentic selves we open ourselvesup to the possibility to live andexperience our deepest values inour work. I don't want to sound toomuch like an army recruiter butEMS needs you. Not another warmbody...you.

Being your authentic self issomething more than just a highschool cliché or a chapter in a selfhelp book. When I say be yourself, Imean to say that you havesomething specific and unique to

contribute and only you can takeresponsibility for that unique thing.

Choosing to be yourself means thatyou’re going to have to step up tothe plate in a big way and recognizethat there are some good thingsthat are not going to happen in the

world without your help.

Don't look at me. I don't know whatthose things are. If I did, I'd tell you,but only you can decide. I can onlytell you that I'm certain they exist.There is something that you can

bring to EMS that will allow you toleave it better than it was beforeyou came.

I Need Your Help

If you walk away or bury your headin the sand pit of conformity, it won'thappen. It's that certain thing thatneeds you to step up. It's thatcontribution to the world of EMSthat we need you to make.

You don't need to know what thisthing is right now. But know that ifyou choose to show up and bepresent in your job, if you choose tolive your deepest values each shiftand each call, you are on the path.

www.theemtspot.com



Fear mediocrity.Fear irrelevance.

Fear the status quo.

Fear stagnation.

And fight anyone whochampions it.

Everyone likes case reviews, aslong as their trips aren't beingreviewed. Only the most confident

of the bunch seek to have theircases reviewed.

Especially if they've made mistakes.

When was the last time you saw anEMT or a medic get up at a reviewand say, "I'm really glad that we'rereviewing this trip because I didsome things that I could have donebetter and I wanted to talk aboutthem?" Maybe at the next casereview, you could be that person.

While we're at it, let me give you a

few things worth legitimately fearingin your life.

When paramedic Jeff Forster struckup a conversation with thewheelchair-bound patient in theback of his ambulance, he wasn'tlooking for ways to improve theman’s life. He was just makingconversation. And he was open topossibilities.

Jeff's not the kind of guy who letsother people make the rules forhim, and he certainly doesn't waitfor permission from someone else.But that's getting ahead ofourselves.

That sunny afternoon the man inthe wheelchair just wanted to talkabout hot rods. Souped-up streetcars and chromed out classics werereal passions of his. Jeff knew thisby the display of hot rods on theshelf in the patient’s room.

And this particular patient wasprobably fairly skeptical when Jeffsaid, "We should go to a car showtogether."

ConnectionsHis skepticism turned to convictiona few weeks later when Jeff called

to invite him to a car show inDenver.

Jeff and few friends picked him upin a wheelchair-van, and they spentthe morning wheeling him aroundthe enormous show-room floor.They had arranged for the eventstaff to open the doors early fortheir special guest, and everyonehad a great time learning about hotrods from the middle-aged manwho lived in a nursing facility andrarely went anywhere outside ofhospitals.

You can go your whole careerinteracting with the public and nevermake any real connections like theone Jeff made that day. Beingwilling to truly connect with a patientrequires more than just awillingness to observe, treat, and

provide care.

It requires a willingness to let thepatient/caregiver relationshipschange us. It requires us to reachout beyond what's comfortable andredefine who we are and how we

www.theemtspot.com



choose to inhabit our work.That's the real defining difference

between a caregiver relationshipand a connection. When we make atrue connection with a patient, wechange too. We open ourselves upto the idea that we can be changedby the relationship.

Instead of delivering care behind awall of detached observation, wemake the choice to fully engage,and in doing so, we bring our wholeselves to the task and therelationship.

Occasionally, we create the

possibility of a connection, amoment in which we are foreverchanged.

That possibility isn’t something welearn to accept or invite in EMS, butit’s a possibility that’s worthexploring.

That’s a scary prospect for some

folks. We get this idea that the best

way to survive in a job where we

interact with so much tragedy and

death is to build up a shield and

make certain we don’t feel anything

regarding our patients, their lives,and their own personal calamities.

If we allowed ourselves to care

about those things, wouldn’t it make

us less effective caregivers? People

want our help and our competence

not our compassion, right?

I disagree with these fearful

sentiments. When we create these

artificial barriers and make up

fearful excuses why we’re not

supposed to make real connections

with the people we serve, we setourselves up for a tremendous

failure.

The problem we create when we

create barriers of detachment

between ourselves and our

patients, is the problem of

eliminating the possibility that we

might grow from our experience

with the patients we serve. We

never come to learn the

tremendous appreciation that we

can develop for our lives byempathizing with the losses of

others.

We Change Too

We never come to learn about the

rich history and life experiences

carried around by our patients, our

family, and our friends and lovedones until we develop the skills that

let us tap into them. Through EMS

I’ve learned how to take a complete

stranger and make them into a life

teacher in less than 15 minutes.

I can get an 80 year old great

grandfather to tell me secrets about

being happily married for a long

time. I can get a disaffected

teenager to explain which bands

are the best deals on iTunes.


40



I can get a anxious soccer mom to

tell me all about gardening, and I

can get a five year old to expand on

what makes a really good peanut

butter and jelly sandwich.

I can connect with just about

anyone, and my life is

immeasurably richer for having

learned how to do it.

Once you’ve opened yourself up to

making these connections, it

doesn’t just happen in the 15

minutes between the scene and the

hospital. It spills over into your life

in amazing ways. You become

more connected with your kids,

your friends, your relatives, and

your neighbors. You can’t help but

make connections with people.

You begin to instantly identify the

difference between small talk and

real human interaction. Regardlessof how short the conversation, you

refuse to talk about the weather and

who won last week’s football game.

You’ll find yourself exchanging real

conversation with people you meet

on an elevator. And it’s fun.

Here’s a big hidden secret of EMS.For those that choose to develop

the skill of real patient rapport and

connection, their lives become

deeply richer.

• They appreciate more.

• They connect more.• They learn more.

• They love more.

• They grow more.

• They feel more fulfilled by

their work.

•

They feel more fulfilled intheir lives.

But before you can start tapping in

to that vast ocean of personal

meaning, you have to recognize the

immeasurable value of the patient.

The Value of the Patient

is the Value of the

Caregiver

Before we wrap this up, I want toshare with you the single mostvaluable lesson I've learned in

EMS, the one single belief that youcould adopt immediately andpossibly reframe the entire way youlook at emergency services. Thefailure to understand this principle isresponsible for more grief andfrustration among people who workin our industry than any other single

thing.

The value of the patient is thevalue of the caregiver.

You need to recognize that thevalue of your work is directly andirrevocably attached to the value ofthe patient being served. You can'tavoid that.

It may sound obvious, but it's easyto forget. And when we do forget,we begin to devalue our patient,

www.theemtspot.com



For as long as you choose to wearthe uniform of a trained E.M.T., youkneel at the feet of humanity and

humbly ask the question,

“How can I help you?”

You’ll never have to question your

value again.

www.theemtspot.com




44

The Fulfillment of

Meaningful work

“It’s a sign of mediocrity when you

demonstrate gratitude with

moderation.”

‐ Roberto Benigni

What does your work

mean to you?

What does it mean towear your uniform and do

your job?

Does it mean the samething that it did when you

started?



Fulfillment is a big word. Meaningful

is even more (How should we say

it?)…meaningful.

Before Victor Frankel’s pioneering

book, Man’s Search for Meaning ,

popular psychology believed that

most of man’s motivations were

centered in the “will to power.” We

do what we do primarily to gain

power and influence. Period.

Viktor’s experience in the Nazi

concentration camps told him

something different. Viktor came to

believe that man searches, more

than anything else, for meaning.

We desire to know that our life hasmeaning and purpose.

He also took us to task on being

accountable for our attitude. Viktor

saw that even in the harshest

possible human conditions, the

human spirit can rise abovecircumstances.

"We who lived in concentration camps can

remember the men who walked through

the huts comforting others, giving away

their last piece of bread. They may have

been few in number, but they offer

sufficient proof that everything can be

taken from a man but one thing: the last

of the human freedoms—to choose one's

attitude in any given set of circumstances,

to choose one's own way ."

- Viktor Frankel

I agree with Viktor’s model of

human motivation.

I’d like to think that many of us in

EMS are cut from this same cloth

as the men who gave away their

bread. I believe that finding that

spirit is key to our fulfillment. To do

that simply requires us to recognize

how deeply meaningful our work is.

I don’t mean to say that those

dramatic moments of life saving

intervention and dramatic rescues

are meaningful. I mean to say that

all of our work is meaningful.

Sometimes, when I look at the work

I do each day and feel that my

impact is insignificant, I’m reminded

of the story of the man and the

woman walking on the beach.

As the story goes, this man was

walking down the beach one sunny,

early morning, looking at the

thousands of starfish that the

evening storm had washed up on

the sand.

Now, in the heat of morning, these

starfish were clinging to life. Not a

one would survive to see the next

high tide.

Farther up the beach the man saw

a woman walking his way. Every

few steps she would bend, pick up

a start fish and throw it as far as

she could into the water. Stunned

by her naïveté, the man couldn’t

help but address her when she gotcloser.

www.theemtspot.com



He smiled and gently chastised her,

“Madam, certainly you must

understand, there are literally

thousands of starfish on this beach.

And even if you could throw them

all back in to the water, tomorrow

night’s storm would likely wash

them back up. And even if you

returned tomorrow, this same thing

is happening on beaches all overthe world. Your efforts can’t

possibly make any difference.”

The woman smiled back and then

reached down and picked up

another starfish. And as she threw it

far out to sea she exclaimed, “I

made a difference to that one!”

Our work is meaningful one patient

at a time. We cannot say what

impact our kindness, our patience

or our competent care will ever

have on the people we serve. It’s

not for us to know. But we can

certainly walk away from each call

and say, “I made a difference to

that one.”

We should be gracious to our

patients for providing us, each day,

with such meaningful work.

Remember that “match” of personal

freedom that we talked about backon page thirty-four? It’s still right

there in your hand. Now it’s your

turn. It’s your turn to strike it. It’s a

“strike anywhere” match. It doesn’t

matter where you begin.

Begin anywhere. Just begin.

You may have been denying and

hiding from your personal freedom

to be amazing for a long time. But

now your time has come.

Don’t be cool. Cool is social fear

dressed up in fashionable clothes.

Cool is conformity in a cardigan.

Maybe start by making some

mistakes. Go have some grand

failures. And then celebrate them.

See them as right answers to other

questions, they usually are.

Celebrate your failures like you

celebrate the Fourth of July. Love

them like you’d love an ugly child.

Go do Something

Amazing

Sure people will stare, so what.

Get off the path and jump some

fences, even the ones with warning

signs on them. Innovate and use

your innovation as an excuse to

study and learn and grow.

Then study hard.

Forget about being good. Choose

to be growing over being good.

Good isn’t a recipe for growth, and

not all growth springs from our

“good” moments. Strive to be

excellent. Value growth. Ignoregood. Good is a waste of time.


46



Appreciate the weirdo’s, the misfit’s,

and the freaks. They are living their

lives outside the lockstep of

normalcy, and for that, they deserve

our appreciation. Besides, life

around them is so much less boring

than being around normal people.

Expect that, if you are living your

life with purpose, the spaces

between you and others will be

filled with conflict and frustration

and joy and laughter and the entire

rich fabric of human experience.

I want you to know that I wrote this

book to speak to the dissatisfaction

that you may be experiencing inyour work right now. I know that

dissatisfaction because I lived it for

far too many years.

But more than that, I wrote this

book to speak to the part of you

that’s searching for somethingmore. The part of you that senses

that you are close to something

extraordinary.

Something amazing that you need

only open yourself to and

everything in your life would

change.

If there is one idea that I’d like you

to carry away from these 46 pages,

it is this. Meaningful lives don’t

happen on accident. You aren’t

going to stumble into a meaningful

existence. You’ll find meaning when

you make a conscious decision to

seek it. Grounded in your values,

understanding what’s important to

you, planning the road ahead, seek

your meaning.

It’s there.

You don’t need permission.

Go do something amazing.

www.theemtspot.com



If you feel like you’d like to saythank you, the nicest form ofappreciation I could imagine is to

have you pass this on to a friendwho you think might enjoy readingit.


48

One of the best things about taking

on a major task like publishing your

first e-book is that you need to call

on resources outside of yourself if

you have any chance at success.

To that end, there are several

names that need to be included in

this work.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my

wife Peggy for her support and

assistance in creating this work.

Without her there would simply be

no website, no e-book, no

newsletter and no success story to

tell. Thank you my love.

I’m also indebted to my brother

Brian for offering his design

experience.

Thank you to everyone who read

the rough-draft and gave valuable

feedback, especially Greg Friese of

Everyday EMS Tips.

Finally, I owe a fantastically big

thank you to the editorial staff of

The Lawson Currant. Without them

you would have just read 47 pages

littered with spelling, grammar, and

punctuation errors.

This book is immeasurably better

because of the efforts of:

Editor in Chief: Jason Oncay,

Assistant Editors:

Finally, I’d love to hear yourthoughts and ideas on everythingyou just read. Feel free to contactme any time at

[email protected] @stevewhitehead (on twitter)Some.guy.named.steve (on skype)Steve Whitehead (on facebook)

I thank you in advance,

Steve

Vinitra, Janice, Gene, Hari, Mihir, Manasa,Mrudula, Jennifer, Jen, Sanika, Yeshwanth,Alex, Pradnya, Illina, Dennis, Anirudh,Rachel, Fiona, Dhairya, Nina, Archita, Bili,

Neil, Meena, Elizabeth, Yashashree, Akhila,Suprith

Acknowledgements

http://www.everydayemstips.com/

http://thelawsoncurrent.com/

mailto:[email protected]



http://thelawsoncurrent.com/

http://www.everydayemstips.com/

The Nonconformists Guide to EMS Success

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