A famous quote from the sports world says, “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
As is commonly the case in quote attribution, who actually said it is up for debate. In this case, Michael Jordan or Wayne Gretzky. I have heard it attributed to each, so I turned to the Internet, the ultimate arbiter which is surely never wrong. The Internet verdict? In favor of hockey great Gretzky over basketball great Jordan.
So what does shooting pucks or basketballs have to do with healthcare facility’s employment? Listen to our latest High Reliability podcast to find out!
In High Reliability, our guest Tom Elliott speaks to a unique career path he followed and how he found himself landing a facility management leadership position upon transitioning out of the United States Air Force.
Tom tells his story, paraphrased below, in full on the pod. His story is instructive for all.
I had the military drop me off in Colorado at the ASHE conference. I went booth to booth, asking people if they were hiring. After a week, I had one lead and then decided to move to Sacramento. My family (wife and children) was in Virginia, and I don’t know that I was thinking of difficulties, but I thought it was finding a job or be homeless and unemployed.
I got a call from a friend, which shows the importance of networking. My friend said, hey Tom, you have to apply for this position right now. I looked up the facility and told him I don’t qualify for this. My last facility was 86,000 square feet, and this is 1.5 million square feet and 523 beds!
But my friend kept at it, and sure enough, I said ok, I would put in an application. The hiring manager from CBRE called me and his first question was … tell me, why should we hire you other than we have been told we should hire you?
I answered the question and then came in for an interview, a full 8 hours in one day. I was seldom that worn out, but I got the job. If it had just been up to me, I probably would not have applied for that position. I didn’t qualify.
But Tom took a chance, and therein lies the point of this piece: You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take in healthcare facilities employment, life, and sports.