A fellow member of the Navigating Change media think tank, Neil Ducoff wrote  the book, “No Compromise Leadership” which really is a great read. Although written as a business leadership book about how to identify problem behavior of company management, and how to rectify the same, it is also a book that all of us can benefit from. Many of the answers hold true to our own lives. Sometimes, the best decisions are the toughest to make, yet we do not make them, we find a compromise, or we justify not making them because of the cost.  Many times we don’t realize there is a problem, because we are oblivious, or do not want to face reality.

I am absolutely buried on the site redesign, and all the work that is required to make this site the best that I possibly can, so, I read what I can, when I can.  But there are two things that stick in my mind, and I constantly refer to them.  “Clarity of Thought“, and ” a Sense of Urgency“.  Very simple statements, but amazingly enough, we have to read them, before we understand their significance. Look at the world that surrounds us, think about these two statements, then ask yourself this. What if we as a society applied these on a regular basis?  Where would we be?

Now I am going to add back in the title, ” No Compromise Leadership” And put a primary emphasis on leadership. Let’s do a simple application here, because my target with this article can’t seem to do even simple arithmetic on this. Health Care. Funny how such a huge issue, can suddenly become a “lost cause“, a “tough sell“, another Washington fiasco.  Now the application.

“Clarity of Thought” How about can you really apply legislation to what amounts to a business problem without first determining what’s wrong with the system, who is responsible, determining how to bring all the players involved to the table, and what the fix should be?  How about how do we cut costs, hold the respective industries accountable, and make health care more affordable.  Availability was never a question. Affordability is.  I think that these are all reasonable thoughts, and furthermore, it would probably be more obvious, if the powers that be actually thought about this in a reasonable manner. One that did not involve polls, caucuses, and most importantly back room deals.

“Sense of Urgency” I’ll keep this one real brief. A family member gets sick. Doesn’t matter, it could be as simple as a case of strep going through a household. Now what if, the families insurance had a high copay, typically five grand. Now what if  the family had to pay 5 grand a year to have this insurance? Suddenly this family is paying 10 grand before a single cent is covered. Think this is unrealistic? Ask any small business owner, and this is a lot more common than one thinks. So on top being 10 grand short a year, this one case of strep may well cost six or seven hundred dollars due to doctors visits, medication, and possible lost wages. It’s called Medical bankruptcy, and the amount of them is staggering. Helping the middle class family avoid a situation like this seems pretty urgent, don’t you think?

“No Compromise Leadership” Yeah, I know, we are talking Washington DC, and at some point there has to be compromise. But not backroom deals, and pork barrel politics.  Here’s an easy bill to pass.  I will even write it. ” A person shall not be denied medical insurance due to pre -existing conditions”.  That’s it.  No compromise,  no bullshit, no reason that can’t be passed.  The option for a person to change to a lower cost policy does not exist because of this.

So, in closing, as soon as I am done with my copy, I am sending it to DC. Anyone want to donate a few hundred copies? I will even hand deliver them.

Related posts:

1. Time For Change….
2. Okay, Time To Get It Going