According to a 2013 survey co-sponsored by the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration, CEOs of independent health systems earned a median salary of $750,000, while CEOs at subsidiary health systems earned a median figure of $539,000. CFOs at hospitals and health systems earned median compensation that ranged from about $200,000 at subsidiary hospitals to about $400,000 at independent systems. Median salaries for COOs at health systems ranged from approximately $350,000 to $450,000 depending on the type of ownership. At independent and subsidiary hospitals, COO compensation averaged about $300,000.

This data and additional details are found in an article published by Becker’s Hospital Review (link below). The article also discusses five trends in hospital executive compensation to watch in 2014:

1. Expect modest increases, generally between two percent and four percent.

2. Nonprofit hospital executives need to address the public perception that compensation is not tied to healthcare quality.

3. Compensation plans will be more closely linked to value-based outcomes and physician engagement and alignment.

4. Advocacy groups are pushing hospitals to align compensation with attaining goals.

5. Hospital executives who are physicians are in high demand and receiving greater pay increases.

The bottom line is that there are new factors coming into play with hospital executive compensation – and the more you know, the better you will be able to navigate the changing landscape. To see the article in Becker's Hospital Review, visit
http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/compensation-issues/the-great-pay-debate-5-hospital-executive-compensation-trends-for-2014.html

In a March 10 press release, ACHE reported that CEO turnover occurred at one out of every five hospitals in the US during 2013. The 20% figure is the highest turnover rate recorded by ACHE since they started reporting the annual data in 1981. For 2013, ACHE reported 4,546 total hospitals in the US, which included general medical, short-term and non-federal hospitals.

President and CEO of ACHE, Deborah J. Bowen, said, “The increase in the turnover rate may be indicative of a combination of factors, including an increased number of baby boomers seeking retirement, the emerging trend toward consolidation in our industry and the complexity and amount of change going on in healthcare today.”

On its website (link below), ACHE provides a state-by-state list showing the percent of CEO turnover. States are ranked by high-turnover, medium turnover, and low-turnover. Among states with the highest turnover rates are Oklahoma (33%), Arkansas (30%), Virginia (29%), Florida (27%) and Louisiana (27%). States with the lowest rates include New Jersey (10%), Oregon (13%), Pennsylvania (14%), Wisconsin (14%) and Minnesota (15%).

In 2013, Black Book Market Research reported that the average tenure of a hospital CEO is less than 3.5 years, and that involuntary termination accounted for 56% of that turnover. Other findings reported by Black Book include the following:

A) 87% of Chief Medical Officers are replaced within two months after a change in CEO.

B) 94% of new CEOs who come into their position without extensive hospital experience say they don’t think healthcare expertise is needed when replacing other senior executives during an overhaul of management staff.

C) 89% of board members involved in hiring an “outsider” indicate that “broad business operational expertise and singular vision pays off with fresh perspectives on efficiencies, value, cost savings, and the goodwill to the community.”

Commenting on the accelerated rate of hospital CEO turnover, Ms. Bowen remarked, “The increase in the rate reinforces the need for healthcare leaders to work with their boards to ensure appropriate succession plans are in place.”

The complete list of state-by-state CEO turnover rates is available at:
http://www.ache.org/pubs/Releases/2014/hospital_ceo_turnover_rate14.cfm

I'd like to share a valuable article with you titled “Healthcare Executives in Job Transition.” The author, Dr. Laura Canter, is a Licensed Performance Psychologist. She has worked with professional and elite amateur athletes in a variety of sports, including in the NFL, MLB, tennis and other fields. After completing her graduate studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, Laura switched her focus to concentrate on the mental aspects of performance, sharing her philosophy with business executives, high performance athletes and other top performers. In the article, she addresses key questions such as:

1) What do executives in transition need to work on to be successful?

2) What seems to be the most common challenge going into a transition period?

3) What characteristics mark the difference between those who seem to be most successful in transition versus those who seem to struggle with the journey?

People going through transition always seem to struggle with Controllable vs. Uncontrollables, and Dr. Canter has important advice to share with you on how to approach these factors. Key takeaways from the article include:

1) How to understand and be clear about what you can control and what you cannot control.

2) Internal motivation is critical – you have to discover what inspires you. What do you like about your job? Why do you do it?

3) With every job transition, there are “Seven Elements of Excellence,” which will help guide you throughout your transition.

After you read this informative article, please share it with others who may benefit. The article, “Healthcare Executives in Job Transition,” is available by copying the link below into your web browser:
http://www.wiederholdassoc.com/document-downloads/healthcare-executives-in-job-transition

Historically, hospitals have experienced difficulties managing physicians. But with the new healthcare reform initiatives, employing physicians is seen as critical to reaping new revenue streams tied to greater coordination of healthcare. As a result, health systems have been acquiring physician groups at an accelerating pace.

In the article linked below, “Making Physicians Pay Off,” Beth Kutscher of Modern Healthcare does a great job explaining the cost-benefit factors that hospitals are reviewing when trying to balance the “current costs” versus “future benefits” of employing physicians.

Here’s a key takeaway offered in the article: “Given a median loss of $176,463 for employing a doctor, some analysts are predicting a pullback on physician buys this year.”

However, many hospital executives continue to say that these acquisitions are critical because their current balance sheet numbers don’t reflect the future reality: capitalizing on new revenue opportunities will require much greater coordination of healthcare for patient populations, and having doctors and hospitals tightly integrated is essential in that regard.

Dr. Alan Kaplan, president and CEO of a 12-hospital system based in Iowa, is quoted in the article, saying, “You have to bring them in—and then you have to bring them in as efficiently as you can. It's really a strategic asset that requires investment.”

To learn more about the pros and cons of acquiring physician groups, you can read the article in its entirety by copying this link into your web browser:
http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20140222/MAGAZINE/302229986/making-physicians-pay-off?AllowView=VXQ0UnpwZTVDUGFjL1I3TkErT1lBajNja0U4VUNPUmZFQk1JQWc9PQ==#

Key trends for 2014 have been identified by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as well as Premier, which is a healthcare improvement alliance of 2,800 hospitals and health systems and more than 93,000 non-acute care sites. Both firms analyzed data during late 2013 and have recently announced their findings.

“Top 10” List from PwC:
1. Companies are rethinking their roles in the new health economy
2. Corporate funds are invading the healthcare venture capital space
3. Employers are exploring the use of private exchanges
4. Healthcare industry accelerates the pace of price transparency
5. Social, mobile, analytics and cloud are converging
6. Technology is the new workforce multiplier
7. Advances in scientific tools are transforming clinical trials
8. To truly innovate, be ready to fail fast, frequently and frugally
9. States are pursuing Medicaid managed long-term care
10. New rules are combating the counterfeit drugs

Premier’s “Big 8” List:

1. Chronic Care—more healthcare providers will get involved in ambulatory care to improve management of chronic conditions.

2. Health Coaches—the key to managing chronic conditions is having health coaches who know patients on a one-on-one basis.

3. Home-Based Care—technology improvements are increasing opportunities for patients to receive medical treatments outside of the hospital.

4. Employer Health Incentives—employers are increasingly motivating employees to remain healthy through the use of free online tools and financial incentives.

5. Private Health Insurance Exchanges—employers are increasingly using these exchanges, which allow people to have more options and customize their insurance coverage.

6. CMS Policy Changes—more healthcare policy changes from CMS will address the growth rate in Medicare and Medicaid.

7. Open-Source Software for Big Data—to help drive innovation, healthcare providers will push for “big data” applications that allow more customization by independent, third-party software vendors.

8. Expanding Healthcare Partnerships—these partnerships will increasingly expand to include social service agencies and other non-healthcare service providers such as community-based groups and even fitness centers.

Also noteworthy is news out of CMS… The number of Americans age 85 and older is accelerating and will increase by 300% to 18 million by 2050. As a result, according to an analysis conducted by Truven Health Analytics for CMS, the expansion of long-term care support programs offered by Medicaid is accelerating. The number of states with these programs grew on average by one per year between 2004 and 2012 (from 8 to 16), but the pace is now five per year (growing from 16 states to 26 states in the last two years alone.

Even though it's later in December it's not too late to make the right impression. December is always the month that I focus on my established, new relationships and potential relationships. Take time to thank those that have helped you and that can potentially help you. Be creative in your communications and find ways to differentiate yourself. Whatever you do, personalize it and make sure the receiver feels like this was made just for them. Get outside your comfort zone and always be sincere in what you say. Try to focus on the personal side, don't have an agenda.

It doesn't have to be about business at this time of year.

Please don't hesitate to share some of your creative ideas with me.

What should you do when an opportunity goes away?

The opportunity represents the short term; we now need to focus on the long-term.

How to do this:

FOCUS on the recruiter you worked with, how will you stay in touch; the employers you connected with, how will you stay in touch; the other contacts you reached out to for information about this opportunity, how will you stay in touch?

You now need to think through:

• How will you stay in touch, what will the process look like?
• How did you react to the news, demonstrate your professionalism?
• People feel guilty when they deliver bad news, how will you take advantage of it?
• How can you ensure getting some honest feedback from the people in the process so that you can improve your process?

In 2013, I will celebrate 20 years of being an entrepreneur. In 1993 when we started our focus was on the recruiting side, but over the years our business has become strictly focused on transition. It was initially only external transition, but now involves internal transition as well as executive coaching. A very wise person once said to me, “since you know so much about why people separate or fail in their careers/jobs, why don't you take that information and also use it to help people stay gainfully employed?” We listened and that's when we started the executive coaching part of the program.

In those years, as I worked with executives and senior managers it became apparent to me why in most cases people separate from their organizations. And when I say separation, I am focusing on individuals that have been on some level asked to leave or left through mutual agreement. Those reasons have little to do with performance and understanding the task at hand or having the technical skills to execute their jobs, but around what I would label “soft skills”. Soft skills would include things such as communication, listening, emotional intelligence, messaging, relationship building, and conflict resolution. In most cases as we tracked back their last 60 to 90 days of employment, it became apparent that, first, this was no surprise and second, it had more to do with key relationships and politics.

My job is all about talking with people and the majority of them, despite rising high in the organization, are very much focused on task. I by no means, am saying that that is not important, but it is only half the equation. The other half is the soft skills. And then the next question becomes: why do we not pay attention? Here are some of my observations over the years; this is by no means a comprehensive list:

• Do not see it as important
• Are not comfortable with the soft skills
• They are difficult to measure
• They are the first thing to be neglected in a stressful situation

My point is this: life is about balance and one must strike a balance between achievement and mastering the soft skills. If people would do that, they would be in much greater control of their own destiny career-wise. It's time to start paying attention or continue to repeat the past.

Kyle and I just returned from an eight-day engagement with an organization that will probably be purchased by a for-profit system. This particular hospital is faith-based and has been part of this community for a very long time. I have had the privilege of working with their VP of HR over the last 5+ years with individuals who transitioned out from this organization. He had the foresight to bring us in to work with his executive team and key vice presidents and directors facing an uncertain future. Our focus was to give reassurance, provide new options and give them superior knowledge of the transition process both external and internal. This involved two days of group sessions and 17 individual video interviews with specific feedback for each individual. This not only required a great deal of hours during the workday as well as many hours afterward burning these DVDs and preparing for the next day.

Our takeaways:

• We made a difference. The journey may not always be what we want it to be, but knowing what will happen and how to prepare will make it that much easier. Going into this journey with a positive attitude makes it even better.
• If the way these individuals welcomed us and went out of their way to make our visit comfortable is the way they treat their patients, then the next time I have to be in a hospital as a patient, this is the place I want to be.
• Communication is the key on all levels. People can accept most anything when they are effectively communicated with in a timely manner, without information gaps, and with a focus on sending the right message.
• You would think that 17 people would all look the same after a while, but they all had a unique story worth our attention. Those differences made it easy for us to not become repetitive in our counsel, but to find something unique for every individual. That made the experience even more exhilarating.
• We all need to better understand the difference between what we can control and what we cannot. There are times that we have done all we can do and still the final outcome is not what we hoped. By not understanding this delicate balance we can do irreparable damage to ourselves and our careers.
• What I have always know, but was again reinforced, is there is no more powerful relationship builder than the face-to-face meeting. Other communication options pale in comparison.
• We can always continue to learn. Interviewing has always been the strongest part of my repertoire and doing these 17 interviews back-to-back I learned some things that will make me even more effective.
• The leader sets the tone for the organization. His/her personality is reflected in the leadership team. The leader here, in my estimation, set the right tone.
• These individuals and this organization have faced some serious challenges, much of which have been outside their control yet they have never given up. They have much to be proud of and I wish them the best and we will continue to help them in any way we can. With these individuals this is not the end, but a new beginning.

Both Kyle and I are returning home, feeling good about our efforts. We are hopeful that our newfound friends will end up exactly where they want to be.

Let's call this a sequel to my blog on Adhering to the Process. As most of you are aware I just returned from Denver and a successful completion of my second half marathon. I have attached a few pictures from that event in the charity section of the website. The gentleman that ran with me is Rick Newsome who works with Kaiser in Denver and is a friend. Why was it successful and how does it relate to my favorite subject of transition? First, in my mind the term transition has expanded, it now includes both external and internal transition and both the gainfully employed and gainfully unemployed.

Now back to why my run was successful. First, I made a commitment I kept. Just like anyone going through transition, I stayed the course. Second, I stayed focused on incremental gain. I bettered my last time by approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

I had obstacles that came my way, but I did not quit or blame others. I dealt with and overcame them. Over the last month I developed runner's knee. This made running painful and impacted the frequency of my training, diminishing it considerably. I made the necessary adjustments, but my commitment to the end result never changed. No transition, on any level will ever go exactly to plan and one will have to make adjustments to ensure success rather than blame others for failure. I took responsibility for the injury and moved on. I did not look for excuses. The last two miles were grueling because I had not trained as much as I wanted to because of the injury. I felt like quitting and I know many others have felt the same way under similar situations. In the end I stuck it out and finished the race. What kept me going was that I remembered that feeling, that wonderful feeling, when you accomplish something challenging. On the other side of that, I didn't want to deal with waiting another year to finish the event. That's too long to suffer and deal with that shortfall. We all have these kinds of experiences in transition. We need to stay focused on that wonderful feeling we get when we reach that next opportunity and push on through the pain. Remembering the feeling can keep us going. I also remember someone saying to me, and I'm not sure who to give credit to, but it went like this: when you’re closest to a failure, you are also closest to success. I do believe that.

As I write this, I'm on a plane back to Atlanta from Denver. I'm tired and I'm in a little pain, but I feel good about staying the course. No, I did not injure myself permanently and I am not asking you to do that. There will be those times when staying the course will be impossible because the reward sought does not come close to the potential downside. At those times, one may have to save it for another day. But then I remember another little saying that I adhere to. You don't become a good sailor by sailing calm seas. So remember that wonderful feeling of success and, whenever possible, stay the course.

Transition provides a great opportunity for many changes and I am talking about good changes. A great opportunity to find some balance, and one area to enhance, is exercise. We owe it to ourselves and the ones who love us to get involved. I have personally benefited from exercise without a coach, but would without hesitation recommend the use of one. Before doing so I would ask that you do your due diligence and check references and make sure, if you are a bit more mature, to get one who has experience working with your age group. I found the younger coaches are little bit too zealous with people middle-aged and above.

My job is, as is many of yours and also for those in transition, extremely stressful. The benefits below, I have personally experienced. They have come with consistency balanced with intensity.

• A much better attitude
• Increased confidence
• Higher energy
• Better health
• Sharper focus
• Better self-image
• A greater ability to work through the dips/valleys that we all experience.

Of course we all know the positive outcomes when we produce endorphins through exercise. And, of course, for the older group like myself, a much more youthful look and feel.

We, as a company, have seen the benefit of a consistent exercise program with many of our clients. We are so committed to this component of transition that I have often thought of making it part of our program. Perhaps through hiring an experienced coach to have a one-on-one discussion with each of our clients to help them develop an appropriate program for their transition. We are still giving this serious consideration. Another observation since I started this business in 1988, is that I have seen a real change in the image of C-level individuals. That image today is much more health oriented and image oriented. Right or wrong, it has started to play a great role in candidate selection.

Exercise, like everything else, requires balance. Too little and the benefits are limited too much and lead to possible injury. I also believe it must be a combination of cardio and weight lifting. As we get older, it is a known fact that we lose muscle mass which impacts our metabolism rate which can help us control our weight. Also please do not forget, if there are medical issues, see a doctor before you begin any regular exercise program.

I am not naïve enough to suggest that every process is perfect, but I am convinced that well-thought-out ones, when followed, produce outstanding results on a consistent basis. My question and challenge to you today is why do we ignore them and attempt to circumvent them only to ensure our own failure? I see this so much in career transition where I am focused. In my mind, I see three possible reasons. First one: I have not used this process before so I'm not convinced completely that really works. Second one: I am impatient and I want the results yesterday. Third one: I know everything and I can ignore or change this process and be more successful. Now keeping this in mind let me relate it to a real situation I'm currently involved in.

I am currently in Denver, Colorado, actually about 50 miles southwest of Denver Colorado at about 9000 feet. I am here training for a half marathon on May 19th in Denver. I have some wonderful friends that allow me to stay with them during this two-week period. This is my second year. Let me share with you what I experienced the first year. First, I accepted the fact that I'm not an expert in this area and I needed to seek out experts. Why did I need to seek out experts? I did because most of my running takes place in Houston and in Atlanta. The cities are at approximately 34 feet above sea level and 900 feet above sea level respectively. As you all know, Denver is the mile high city that puts it at approximately 5280 feet. This fact alone created much concern and apprehension on my part. So after talking with many experts I developed a process that would help me adjust and perform at this level respectably. I had never executed this process but I knew I had to stick to it. I had to be patient and have faith in it. Believe me, that was a challenge on many days. When I say many days I felt like I was coughing up a lung, most you would understand that. I didn't feel the process was working for me, but I said I'm going to stick with it because people who knew better said it would work. And in the end, when I ran the event, it was one of the best runs of my life. As I mentioned, I am now back in Colorado and using the same exact process. The major difference this year is that I know the process works. Last year, I had to do it on faith and by accepting my experts’ expertise. Having experienced the process with success also added to my confidence.

What is my point? We cannot be experts in everything, accept that, and find an expert to help you build the process. Now once you are done with the experts, create the process. Then comes the tough part. Adhere to the process without circumventing it or changing it and no matter how impatient you become or concerned over your progress, stick with it. Stay focused on incremental gains not huge ones. Accept that you will have minor setbacks and you will have your bad days but in the end you will have a successful journey. Proven processes are tools for success. Stick with them and you will improve your chances for both significant and consistent success greatly. When you become the expert in that area, then you can make those changes to the process, but not before.

Whether you're in transition or not, the concept of controllable versus non-controllable and desires versus goals is key to your success. When people are frustrated more than likely what they're doing is focusing on what's not controllable versus what's controllable. Here's a simple example; I can control the phone calls I make. The number of calls, the frequency of follow-up, the message I deliver, and the attitude I convey, but I can't control somebody calling me back, I can only influence them. If we would learn to focus this way, we would be much more successful and much less frustrated. I think we can all agree that frustration is a pretty useless emotion.

So the first thing we work on with our clients in transition is to start defining what controllable and uncontrollable is by the use of very definitive examples like making phone calls and receiving phone calls, asking somebody to expand your network and having them deliver a name. We need to stay focused on what we can control and not on what we can only influence. This applies to transition and everything else whether it’s business or personal.

Now let's add goals versus desires. When someone begins their transition we talk about goals that we can control versus desires, which we can only influence, and are not controllable. How does that translate into transition? We focus on four things which are controllable. First, the number of hours you dedicate each week to the search. Second, the number of calls you make each week which does not include those you receive. Third, asking for people to expand your network and not necessarily receiving a name, you can't control that and finally, getting out pieces of paper which translates into resumes and cover letters to recruiters and employers for specific openings. This also includes direct marketing letters to organizations you may have an interest in working with.

If something is a desire, it can always be broken down into specific controllable goals that will get you there. It can apply to anything business or personal. Try it on and see if it fits.

Another thought from my stay in Chicago at the ACHE meeting. Over the years, I have discussed this situation with many candidates and interestingly it has come up several times over the last month.

When you are with an organization and you've reached the crossroads. The crossroads being “I'm not getting out of this position/job what I have in the past, I am no longer enjoying the journey.” You have three choices… But let me preface this by saying, usually when you are thinking in this direction, your work situation has already become somewhat more stressful. So choice one becomes continue on and put up with stress. Not typically a good decision and why? This situation will eventually lead to both mental and physical challenges because it doesn't support or meet your needs or desires. Choice two; Make a decision to leave and transition to a new organization. Not a particularly bad choice, but not always the best choice depending on the situation. We often leave before we should or we leave too late. There is a great deal to be learned by working through these types of situations before you make a decision to leave. I've seen people negatively impact their own stability because of their inability to adjust to these types of situations. And choice three (always the best); work on your own perception of the situation and change it in order to make it work. Will this always be the case? Absolutely not, some situations require a change.

The point I'm trying to make is this – we have three choices but we tend to carry on living with the situation or leaving the organization. Both of these have the potential for negative impact. We are not spending enough time on adjusting our perception and looking at ways to grow within our current organization. Why do we not do this? Because we don't understand the process, we’re afraid or apprehensive about asking the tough questions, we may not like what we're hearing or we may be unwilling to change. But you can learn more from taking this path than you will ever learn from choosing the other two. This choice will force you to be introspective and get a better understanding of who you are and how you're viewed within your existing organization. And even if you still decide to leave, you will do it, knowing that you made the right choice.

I recently came back from the American College of Healthcare Executives meeting in Chicago. I go every year and always enjoy my time there, especially this year when the temperatures reached every day somewhere between 75 and 85°. I always take this time to meet with as many executives I have connected with in the past and I use it as an opportunity to connect with those I have not.

I did meet with one gentleman who provided me with some feedback and even though I was already aware of it, it really struck a chord. He shared with me how people network with some of the things he finds to many to a complete turn off. 70% plus of the jobs are found networking and we spend so little time on it and we do it so ineffectively.

• We continue to circumvent the process and go right for the kill
• We sound desperate
• We expect people who don't even know us to refer us to people that are important to them or opportunities they have a vested interest
• We want it all in one meeting
• We see it as all about us, no concept of reciprocity
• We do not see it as important that we bring value to the meeting also

What we need to remember is that:

• Networking is not transactional, it is relationship driven
• It's only purpose is not just to find a job opportunity
• It's about connecting with people – not just networking. Networking can be very shallow
• It needs to be seen as a process, not a one-time deal
• It needs to be reciprocal, even if it means only asking the question, “How can I help you?”
• We need to cast a wider net, a more informational approach. Make it easy for people to want to talk to you. If you never connect with them you can never build a relationship.
• Be sincere
• Focus on what you can control

Jim, I want to publically thank you for your efforts on my behalf over the years. (This is long overdue by the way.) The network has been extremely valuable in a number of ways. From a professional point of view I have met many network members from whom I have gained knowledge which has been both educational and personally rewarding. Certainly my own network has benefitted significantly as a result.

Over the years I have also been able to tap into your network in order to fill executive level positions. In many cases your personal recommendation has been the key to a final decision regarding a person. It is gratifying to see these individuals grow and mature into talented leaders.

Most recently I depended on the network again in an effort to quickly identify experts who could assist with due diligence. You were able to recommend a number of folks with whom I have been in touch. Although this particular effort did not materialize, I believe you have provided a core group of experts on whom I could call in the future.

You may also remember that, almost 10 years ago, you were the primary influence in assisting me through a personal transition. All you asked in return was that I be willing to talk with others who might benefit from my experiences and knowledge. I hope I have met your expectations in that regard. These contacts have benefitted me as well.

Warmest personal regards,
Dave Bussone

So many of you inquired about my run in Denver that I felt compelled to give a report for those that did inquire, but also for those who may not have known about it. This will prevent me from missing someone.

Rick Newsome and I had run a marathon relay back in October. I ran the shortest leg and was amazed at how much the altitude affected that short 3.2 mile run.   Rick asked me if I wanted to run the Colfax half marathon in May. Though incredibly apprehensive, I appreciated his gracious invitation and accepted. You must understand that Houston sits at 20-50 feet above sea level and Atlanta and North Georgia around 1,000 to 1,800 feet above sea level. Then there is Denver at 5,280 feet and the memory of my short, somewhat painful previous run.

I never could get a straight answer on how to best approach this other than you will probably never adjust to the elevation even if you go out early. The best I could do was to arrive 12 days early and, because of two friends Deb and Bill Pollick, I was able to train at 8,500 to 9,000 feet. I believed at the time that this would benefit me more. What was really interesting was as the event got closer, more and more people stepped up with information and articles on how to best approach the run. The approach I took based on that information and the wonderful people that supplied it was as follows:

• Hydrate – I drank 96 ounces of water and G2 each day
• Minimize or eliminate coffee and alcohol – I chose to minimize
• Run at about 80% of your top mileage speed
• Focus on cumulative mileage but get in one long run each week
• Eat more carbs – which I did
• Fourteen days minimal time to adjust to altitude – I only had 12

My 10 days in training prior to the event were agonizing, both mentally and physically, because when I started I almost coughed up a lung. I told myself at one point when my training was not going well that it was not necessary for me to run. It would be wiser to pull out. But, as is typical both in life and this kind of preparation, all can change on a daily basis if you’re putting the numbers in. And, in this case, it did. Incrementally, it got better daily though there were occasional setbacks. My favorite saying became “in Houston, I never got winded, but my legs got tired, in Denver my legs never get tired, but I do get winded. It makes you feel like every mile was the last mile.

Even up to the day before the event, I had my doubts, but to my surprise I not only never got winded, I ran my best time in the half marathon to date. I want to thank Rick Newsome for inviting me, and Deb and Bill Pollick for providing the perfect place to train and still work with my clients.

What did I learn from this adventure?

• Collect data
• Develop a plan
• Work your plan
• Keep the faith
• Have fun
• Have a support group

I wanted to take a moment and tell you about something I am passionate about and very concerned about. Over the last two to three months, there has been a disturbing trend with organizations who, for whatever reason, are letting executives go and providing minimal to no severance and no transition/outplacement assistance. The cuts have been a reaction to healthcare reform and some consultants who see no value in helping exiting executives

This concerns me for several reasons: First, what message are these organizations sending to their remaining employees when they do not give adequate assistance to exiting employees? Second, they are opening the door to increased litigation. Third, where mission is important, does that mission only apply to patients and not employees? Fourth, these individuals are moving into the most, or one of the most, competitive markets we have seen without tools to be successful.

This mentality seems short term driven with no consideration of the trickledown effect or concern for the exiting employee who, in most cases, served the organization well, but are being impacted by things outside their control.

The solution, to me, lies in two areas. One, we need to voice our concern and be heard and, two, every executive should ask for an employment agreement prior to joining any organization. An agreement that provides adequate severance and funds for outplacement/transition assistance, making sure that they have the choice of the firm they want to use.

Executives are constantly asked to make tough decisions and to do so with the best interest of the organization at hand; they need a safety net and an employment agreement provides that. Additionally, if exiting employees have not put an agreement in place they still need to ask when leaving for severance, extension of benefits and outplacement/transition funds to be used with the firm of their choice. I see too many executives leaving money on the table they could use because they forgot to, or will not, ask. In many cases, it will not be mentioned until you ask.

Thanks for listening.

No, no news, is not always bad news. Kyle and I finished our 40 days without alcohol as planned. We both savored our success with a beer in Austin, TX. For me, I had just completed the 150 mile MS150 bike ride from Houston to Austin. When you achieve anything worthwhile it feels good and it builds confidence, something most of us can always use more of I have learned that you need to savor these moments because they can be far and few and take away something of value.

What I learned is that what I preach in transition works and it’s always good to practice what you preach. Passion for the outcome, a plan, focusing on one day at a time, a supportive team around you, and accepting that everyday will not go smoothly, but that in the end you will succeed. I will add that I also learned the power of balance. I will not return to the way I was, a drink every day, but would have a certain number of days alcohol free every week. Any achievement needs to not only have a short term result, but must bring long term positive change.

A friend had sent me this quote earlier in the week and my thought, as it always is, where does this apply to transition?

When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free. - Stacy Charter

In transition this moment of truth comes in the rehabilitation of ones exit story. Good interviewers always set you up for the moment and know when there is an emotional link to that event. They observe the changes that occur when that emotional link is still present or as I refer to, baggage. More than likely, you will lose this opportunity at that time although on a rare occasion you may survive.

The significance of forgiveness to your own success and when not given, to your own failure, can’t be understated.

Life is about changing perspectives, seeing something in a different light that allows you to move on – successful transition is about successful perspective changes. That’s what we do effectively.