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President's Message from Nathan Hanson PharmD,  MS, BCPS

Let’s Make 23 the GOAT! 

Greatest. Of. All. Time. 

Whenever a columnist wants to stir up some lively conversation, they can pull out the question:  “Who is the G.O.A.T.?”  For example, there are several basketball players you could argue to be the greatest of all time.  Chamberlain.  Olajuwan.  Byrd.  Johnson.  LeBron.  Kobe.  If you ask me, I grew up in Illinois, watching the Bulls win 6 championships, so of course I think that Jordan is the GOAT.  Michael Jordan immortalized the number 23, so I think that we should make ’23 the Greatest Year of All Time.  

How would we do that?  A good start would be to sign up for the Spring Meeting, invite a colleague to join MSHP or get involved with a committee, and ask for April 5^th off so that you can attend Legislative Day. Let’s take some lessons from Jordan for how we can make this year amazing.    

Focus

Whether you are working on MSHP initiatives or on a patient care issue at work, we have to stay focused.  There are so many distractions in the ‘whirlwind’ of daily life that it is easy to lose sight of our big goals.  This can lead to discouragement and burnout.  It can also lead to delays and disruptions.  At MSHP we need to stay focused on our biggest goal this year: inviting more people to become members, and inviting our members to get involved. 

Hard Work

Love him or hate him, no one questioned Jordan’s work ethic on the court.  At practice, in games, and even in exhibition games, he worked hard.  He pulled off one of his legendary wins while sick with the flu (Infectious Disease Protocols anyone???), and he wasn’t willing to sit on the sidelines, despite the barriers.  This is a challenging time to be in healthcare and we are all working very hard.  I am so grateful to the many leaders who volunteer their time and energy to make MSHP what it is!  MSHP is made up of some hard working people!

Teamwork

Jordan was not necessarily the type of leader that I strive to be, and some of his personal attributes had negative consequences.  But, he was always focused on making his teammates better so that they could win.  As a team.  For each of the 6 titles he won, he had a solid cast of teammates who played their role and helped the Bulls win.  And keep winning.  Jordan knew that he was the star and he could win games by himself, but he also knew that he could not win championships if his team wasn’t working together.  In the last newsletter I discussed how we are better together, and if we are to make 2023 the best year ever, we have to get there as a team.

How About Those Chiefs?! 

As the Chiefs make another run to the big game, we get to watch as Mahomes is earning the right to be included in that conversation.  He’s not there yet, but he works hard so that every game can be evidence of his greatness.  Let’s stay focused, work hard, and grow as a team as we make 2023 our best year yet!