February 2015

How About a Little Humor From Dr. Fidler (Josh sent me these this week) ARAPROSDOKIANS (Winston Churchill loved them) are figures of speech in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected, frequently humorous. 1. Where there’s a will, I want to be in it. 2. The last thing I […]

Nice By Leonard Zwelling          Is being nice a virtue? Nice is pleasant, agreeable and satisfactory. Is it good to be nice?          It depends.          Human endeavors often consist of adversarial relationships that are not intrinsically bad or good. Athletics, academics, business, and law are all characterized by competition where there are winners and

Regression to the Mean in Oz By Leonard Zwelling          This concept was first described in genetics by Sir Francis Galton. The idea of the regression to the mean or to mediocrity is essentially this. If a test is given to a population and the results of that test appear to be a normal distribution

The Non-Verbal Communication of Organizational Leadership: Is It Communication If There Is No Listening Or Feedback? By Leonard Zwelling          After yet another in a series of stays in Memorial-Hermann Hospital, receiving first-rate doctoring facilitated by texting (Rx-Ting-http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Zwelling-Texting-doctor-puts-health-care-in-6049527.php), I thought, what better thing for a 30 year New York Jewish Texan with a liberal upbringing

A Scorecard for the Factions: How to Explain What Is Going on at MD Anderson To Your Friends (With thanks to the Cancer Letter of February 20, 2015) By Leonard Zwelling          The Chronicle is no help and neither is the rumor mill.          For several years now, at an ever-intensifying rate, the public is

First, What’s the Problem?: Generating a Problem List and SOAPing to the Solution By Leonard Zwelling          Reading the latest reports from Anderson via the Chronicle and various emails that I have received, I continue to be struck by how poorly the cause for the turmoil at Anderson is understood or articulated. It’s really not

Judgment By Leonard Zwelling          Once again I found myself flat on my back in Hermann Hospital with a partial bowel obstruction. For those of you who have never had the pleasure, an NG tube, IV fluids and being NPO for a few days can really suck. Fortunately, these rather primitive surgical maneuvers appear to

I Don’t Get What They Don’t Get By Leonard Zwelling          Todd Ackerman’s piece in yesterday’s Chronicle might leave anyone who is not a faculty member at MD Anderson scratching his head. Or better yet asking, “what the heck is going on over there?”          That latter response makes a great deal of sense. I

The Hurt Feelings of the CMO By Leonard Zwelling Important dialogue from the Godfather: Kay Adams: Michael, you never told me you knew Johnny Fontane! Michael: Sure, you want to meet him? Kay Adams: Well, yeah! Sure. Michael: My father helped him with his career. Kay Adams: How did he do that? Michael: …Let’s listen

Why I Am ‘Still Angry’ By (For My Coach K) Leonard Zwelling          Most people who get to know me over time understand that I have very strong opinions about everything and that I am basically angry.          Let’s examine that.          Anger is a manifestation of dissatisfaction. If “satisfaction is the absence of the