May 2009

The impact one person makes

The growing attention to the ecological health of the planet is gradually teaching us new perspectives.  One is to view economic output differently—to factor in not just what we produce, but the resources we consume to produce it.  Another is to become more conscious of the cumulative effect of small, personal decisions—like turning off a light (or not) when leaving an empty room.

When issues are large and complex, as most of them these days seem to be, they can easily seem so far beyond the control of “ordinary mortals” that people come to feel powerless to change anything.  And though we all recognize the transformative power of certain individuals—our inspiring Graduation speaker Geoffrey Canada and his triumphs with the Harlem Children's Zone being a prime example—I think the question for most of us is: given the magnitude of the challenges, how much of an impact can one person make in the usual course of things?  

Yet any large organization is ultimately the sum of thousands upon thousands of tiny choices. To pick up the orange peel or leave it lying there.  To stop to help a person who looks lost, or walk on by. To give it one more ounce of effort, or quit at “good enough.”
That’s exactly why I’m so encouraged to see the sense of shared responsibility growing palpably stronger at all levels of our Medical Center. Every time any one of us decides to give an extra bit of ourselves, the entire team gets better. 

That’s exactly why I’m so encouraged to see the sense of shared responsibility growing palpably stronger at all levels of our Medical Center. Every time any one of us decides to give an extra bit of ourselves, the entire team gets better.