I had a Supply Chain Compliance Committee meeting this morning. Like most of my meetings, they are global – people in New Jersey have a meeting room, but there is also a WebEx conference set up for those not here. When meeting time approached, I debated just dialing in – frankly, so I could multi-task at my desk. But my inner voice said I should go be present – that it’s important to build relationships face-to-face. I almost grabbed my cell phone, but in a moment of true leadership (I thought) I said to myself, “No, I’m going to a face-to-face meeting and I need to be ‘present’; I don’t need to be checking emails; it’s rude.”
I was feeling pretty proud of myself for wanting to give my full attention to one thing at a time, and to show respect to the meeting organizer and other attendees. So I walked into the meeting room with a notebook, a pen and my Dunkin Donuts iced tea. It was then I discovered that every other person in the room (about eight people) had a laptop open – and they stayed open the whole meeting. “Damn. I’m such a dork! What a goody-goody I am!” And as if to put a finer point on my isolation, even the meeting host was using his cell phone during the meeting. With no toys, I was stuck paying attention to the whole meeting!
So here’s your random fact of the day, learned at this meeting: Did you know that 60-70% of US physicians do their residency at government-run health care facilities? Mostly the DOD and Veteran’s Affairs. And most physicians keep using the same medical devices and products they used during their residency once they move on. I’m not sure that interesting fact erased the two hour self-imposed electronic hiatus I endured, but I did, in fact, live.
I was feeling pretty proud of myself for wanting to give my full attention to one thing at a time, and to show respect to the meeting organizer and other attendees. So I walked into the meeting room with a notebook, a pen and my Dunkin Donuts iced tea. It was then I discovered that every other person in the room (about eight people) had a laptop open – and they stayed open the whole meeting. “Damn. I’m such a dork! What a goody-goody I am!” And as if to put a finer point on my isolation, even the meeting host was using his cell phone during the meeting. With no toys, I was stuck paying attention to the whole meeting!
So here’s your random fact of the day, learned at this meeting: Did you know that 60-70% of US physicians do their residency at government-run health care facilities? Mostly the DOD and Veteran’s Affairs. And most physicians keep using the same medical devices and products they used during their residency once they move on. I’m not sure that interesting fact erased the two hour self-imposed electronic hiatus I endured, but I did, in fact, live.