By Beth Allen
A few weeks before Christmas, a group of our leaders spent the morning volunteering at the Salvation Army in Phoenix at its annual Angel Tree toy drive for children. For a few of us, this was the second time we had this very rewarding opportunity. I was lucky enough to be one of the special “elves” that got to shop through the donated toys to fill a bag with items from each child’s special Christmas list.
In doing so, I came across the cutest children’s book. I used to love searching for those unique stories for our kids so I couldn’t pass up the chance to take a break from helping Santa to read this book that caught my eye. I figured Santa would cut me some slack. I am pretty sure all elves are allowed a couple minutes for a cookie and cocoa break.
“The Day the Crayons Quit” written by Drew Daywalt and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, tells the story of Duncan who just wants to color. When he goes to his crayon box, he finds a pile of letters written by the crayons who each have concerns they would like him to address. The crayons are on strike! Gray is worn out because of Duncan’s love of elephants. And don’t even get him started on rhinos, hippos and humpback whales. Purple is a perfectionist and wants Duncan to stay inside the lines. Green just wants Duncan to know that yellow and orange are not speaking because they both think they are the color of the sun. Red is worn out from coloring fire engines, apples and strawberries. Red even works on holidays to color Santa’s suit and hearts on Valentine’s Day.
It reminds me of our team members. Each of them has specific priorities, opinions, needs and wants. Each of them sees the world from their own point of view and may not take into consideration what it may look like from where others are sitting. What about those priorities, needs and wants for our patients and our business? How can we make everyone happy?
In order to keep harmony in the crayon box we call medical imaging, there must be a way for all of us to work together and use each color to its greatest potential. This takes communication and collaboration. No idea is a dumb idea. An inclusive community allows all of us to contribute to our success. If we can convince each team member, no matter what the role, to help identify how meeting their individual needs supports attaining our collective goals that is a win-win! There will be compromise but it is important to understand why. We need to clearly communicate the target and the reason for it.
Duncan had an idea. *SPOILER ALERT* He took each of the concerns to heart. He used his imagination to create a beautiful, colorful, unique picture that used everyone in the box. There was an orange whale, a black rainbow and he even made the often-ignored pink crayon happy by using it to draw a massive dinosaur rowing a boat. In the end, Duncan’s teacher gave him an A for coloring and an A+ for creativity.
What opportunities do we have to make sure everyone gets to be a part of the masterpiece in the way that makes them fulfilled, engaged and supported? Our leadership teams need to demonstrate this idea for everyone. High tide raises all boats. If we prioritize supporting and lifting others, in return we each will reap the benefits.
I recommend this book to all ages. It is funny, cute and inspiring. I hope the deserving kid I gifted it to likes it as much as I did. I really enjoyed my time volunteering at the Salvation Army and this discovery was just the icing on the Christmas cookie.
Let’s be creative.
Thanks for all you do.
Beth Allen is the director of clinical operations for Banner Imaging.
