| Fall 2007 | The Canadian Journal of Medical Radiation Technology | Automne 2007 55

The world is moving at the fastest pace ever known to man.Technological advances have brought the world together andinformation is at our fingertips at any given moment. As helpfulas technological advances has been in all aspects of life, one has tostop and question: although technology has brought us a wealth ofinformation and created world wide connections, has it in fact reducedus to mere slaves of the electronic industry? Are we living in a dehu-manized world that devalues the human touch and connection?

No matter who we are, class is in session every day, and at any pointyou will have the opportunity to be either the teacher or the student.And so, here are some values to keep in mind as you go about yourdaily activities.

1. Lead by Example Set higher standards and ethics for yourself, and walk the talk.Treat people as you would want to be treated. This fosters anatmosphere of trust and respect, creating the opportunity foreveryone to grow.

2. Open Mind = LearningLeave your ego at the door. It’s not all about you. Every personyou meet has something to give you. You will learn from othersthat have gone before you, and those around you. You’ll be sur-prised who you learn from! If you ever think you know it all,you will lead a very narrow and unexciting life.

3. ListenYou have two ears and only one mouth. That should say it all!Listen passionately and objectively. Make promises that youcan keep. At the end of the day, ensure you can hold up themirror to yourself. In the end, you reap what you sow.

4. ConnectSurround yourself with people you trust from differing areas oflife. Whether it be professional colleagues, neighbors, interestgroups, associations, friends, family or acquaintances—createyour own advisory board.

5. Challenges = Opportunity for GrowthAdmit quickly when something is not working. Move on—don’t waste time on a process that you thought would work. Thesooner you admit to a poor process, the sooner you can regroupand create a better path. Failure is not meant to point out yourmistakes; but rather to provide us with the opportunity to reexamine how we do things, and the choice of how to do thosethings better. Failure is the first step to success. Try again!

6. Embrace Your WorkWhatever you are doing, you’ll reap more rewards if you lovewhat you do. Remind yourself why you are engaged in thisactivity. How will it benefit yourself and those around you?Ensure you are working from an honest and giving heart.

Ensure you are not doing something in search of fame or recog-nition. Rewards come when you least expect them, and shouldbe humbly accepted.

7. Consistently Renew and Avoid Conventional Ideas Be an inventor. Defy what others are doing and refuse to be afollower. The minute you chase someone else, you have failed togrow. You are far better off worrying about your own path thanthinking about the competition. Creativity is about thinkingdifferently, seeing possibilities and being original. Hang aroundkids—they are full of energy and new ideas. Keep in touchwith the world’s changing environment and lifestyles.

8. Stay in TouchFor any given situation, there are always two sides to every story.Open your mind to ensure you are able to see both. If you area person in an authoritative position, you can only know whatprocesses work and what doesn’t work if you spend some timelooking at all aspects of the business. Firsthand knowledge ofdaily challenges for employees, especially your frontline staff,will help you appreciate and have a greater understanding oftheir needs. This approach ultimately provides you with moreinformation to be consistently innovative and better able toprioritize humanistic needs.

9. BeehiveIn the animal kingdom, the bees in a beehive all have onecommon goal to which they work furiously to attain. The bestmentors are those who focus on their strengths and allowthemselves to realize the strengths of working as a team. Don’tbe afraid to admit you are not good at everything. When weallow ideas to be collectively fostered, and goals set as a group,it is amazing what kind of world we can create.

11. EmpowerFrontline personnel commonly suffer from a high amount ofstress—they are charged with responsibility, but not given anyauthority to make decisions. If you are in a leadership position,trust your staff to make decisions that will improve a situation oreven someone’s life. Empowering people gives them pride. Whenyou empower and trust people, you’ll be amazed at what theycan do. They will go further than you ever imagined, providedthey are given the right incentives, reward mechanisms andacknowledgment. Empowerment can be given in any aspect ofyour life. Try it with your own family.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT COLUMN

Eleven Life Values

AnneMarie Budau, ACR, CT, Fraser Health, Burnaby Hospital, Vancouver, B.C