Sometimes we get caught off guard and our vulnerability pours out. That’s what happened to Sergio Barrios, MD when we interviewed him for Mark’s Story. Patrick Lencioni in his most recent book, The Advantage, says vulnerability is one of the most important characteristics of a great leader. We are just learning how powerful vulnerability is in creating meaningful relationships. Great organizations are led by a team that is connected to a mission and to each other. Vulnerability is a popular subject these days. Brene Brown’s TED talk on “The Power of Vulnerability” is one of the top 10 most watched with over 9M views. http://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability.html
So what does this have to do with a patient story on a website? Everything! Because we want doctors are brave enough to be vulnerable and care enough to connect (and maybe even cry). We want to go to a hospital that has doctors that care enough to cry. And we want to work for organizations with a heart.
We were all surprised when Dr. Barrios “lost it.” But we knew that something important had happened. He didn’t lose anything. He found tenderness in himself and in doing so revealed his authentic self.
Louisiana Heart Hospital is a small hospital on the North Shore. This small hospital in this small town has some of the best doctors, nurses and staff we’ve ever worked with. We produced a series of six stories and it was hard to pick only one to feature but Mark’s Story is a great example of how telling your story can change your story.