Going to the Ball
As healthcare leaders, we often get to bed late but wake up dutifully early every morning to face the same challenges, meetings, and crucial conversations that make up what we see as the basic elements of healthcare leadership. In some ways, it’s like getting prepared to go to a ball. We dress appropriately, plan our dance card for the day, and make sure we remember all the necessary moves so we don’t trip over our own (or our partner’s) feet. The final touch, though, doesn’t usually come until we’re about halfway to the hospital or maybe even until we use that key card to get into the executive suite. That’s when we usually put on our mask. While ours is invisible, it defines how others see us just as much as the ornate ones worn at all those Renaissance castles by counts and dukes.
My Kingdom for a Mask
So why is it that we get dressed up, mentally and physically prepared, and put on that mask as we transition from the comfort of our own homes to the faraway land of healthcare executive leadership? To answer that question, let’s take a look at the history of masks in society. They’ve been worn for a number of reasons including religious ceremonies, to represent elite status, and for facial protection.
Today we see masks on everyone from children during Halloween, to our favorite superheroes, to our colleagues in the hospital. While it sounds like they serve a variety of purposes, it really all boils down to one thing. They allow us to hide a part of ourselves from the world. Maybe we worry about being judged by others on our team, fear rejection unless we put our metaphorical very best foot forward, or we feel we need to wear the mask of agreement to avoid conflict with our peers or our staff. Whatever we’re hesitant to show, maybe we should consider what we’re willing to sacrifice to keep that mask on. Are we like Shakespeare’s King Richard who was willing to give his kingdom for a horse?
What Mask?
OK, so maybe you’re reading this and saying to yourself “I don’t wear a mask. What you see is what you get.” No one’s going to argue with you because that’s absolutely true. Everyone you work with gets exactly what you let them see and not a bit more. It might be a conscious decision to hold some things back, or an unconscious one. Either way, odds are they’re not actually seeing 100% of who you are. What’s wrong with that?
Well, that brings us back to the question above. What are we willing to sacrifice? If we’re comfortable with the impact of unclear motivations, second-guessing agendas, and wondering who’s got your back, then there’s absolutely nothing wrong with putting on a mask so that everyone gets only what they see. But if you’re looking for an environment where we know what both motivates and frustrates our colleagues, where the only agenda is the success of the team and the staff it supports, and where we stand just a bit taller because we know we can lean on each other, then maybe it’s time to take off our masks. If at this point you’re still asking “What mask?”, maybe it’s the one you’ve had on so long that you’ve forgotten it’s even there.
Breathe in the fresh air
You may remember those Halloween masks that not only made it hard to see, but pretty darn hard to breathe too. If you wore them too long you probably felt like you were suffocating. The solution was always pretty easy: just take the darn thing off. So, that’s where we are now. Take off that mask that you may not have realized you were still wearing. Speak freely so that everyone feels they can do the same. Talk about what motivates you so that you can motivate others. You may just find that clears the air of any assumptions and concerns in a way that makes it a whole lot easier to breathe.
