The Travels: Autumn Leaves

Monday, October 22, 2007

Autumn Leaves

Every once in a while I'm really happy that I live in the Northeast, that I get to experience the 4 seasons and that many of my clients are within driving distance of my home. Today was one of those days.

The leaves in the central Pennsylvania mountains are in full splendor. That coupled with a nice clear sunny day having indian summer type temperatures made for an unusually pleasant drive. And to think I get to do this for a living.

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Often the subject matter covered here is contentious. This is to be expected in a field where billions of dollars are spent – sometimes without prudent planning and sometimes under less than ethical circumstances. And the pressure to be the firm that gains those dollars through sales is placed on highly trained and sharply competitive front line sales teams. For that reason some of the comments on articles are not in agreement with this writer’s take or point or view. This is entirely acceptable. I am one man in a huge industry. In my personal experience the greatest growth occurs during periods of discomfort. By definition, growth always takes you to a new, less familiar, i.e. less comfortable place. However, some comments go beyond the bounds of civil discourse. As the moderator of this site I have 2 options with comments: Publish or Reject. I cannot modify. It is frustrating to preview a long comment that is obviously from the writer’s heart that must be rejected for violating one or more of the following rules (of common sense): 1) No comment that libels any individual or organization will be posted – period. You may not like the salespeople from company X or the VP at hospital Y, but on this site everyone will be treated with respect. “Travels” will not be a sounding board for petty or juvenile resentments, nor will it be used to take cheap shots. 2) Facts are facts and opinions are opinions. They need to be framed as such. There is a popular cable TV show that states “The Spin Stops Here”. Think of that when writing comments. Blanket statements without support that appear to be from outer space won’t post. You are advised to advertise opinions. 3) Speak for yourself. Statements of fact about organizations other than your own need to have attribution. If it appears that you have obtained information through paranormal methods there is a strong likelihood the comment will be rejected. Don’t make statements about what is happening at company X or hospital Y, because other than public pronouncements, you really don’t know. 4) It takes character and courage to speak for yourself, to stake yourself to a position publicly – not anonymously - and to challenge the status quo. I try to do just that with this site. Anonymous postings are sometimes, though not always, permitted. An example was when we had the discussion concerning payments to physicians by implant manufacturers. Since this site is visited by both the hospital and supplier communities anonymous commentary was permitted. The simple fact is that an honest dialog on the subject was not possible if someone’s employment status could be at risk. However, when we discuss the disciplines of Strategic Supply Chain Management anonymity is not required. Please, keep commenting. We all learn through dialog.