Helen is the president of Sparrow Eaton Hospital in Charlotte, Michigan, and also serves as the Executive Director of AL!VE. She has over 30 years of progressive leadership experience, making a genuine impact on the organizations and communities she’s served. She brings a broad range of skills in operations, team-building, strategic planning, leadership development, governance and more, and most recently led her hospital and community’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, I was meeting with one of our leaders at the hospital and she dropped an often-used phrase into our conversation. We were discussing the everyday stressors of working in a 24/7/365 field like healthcare and she said, “well, you cannot pour from an empty cup.” So simple, so true and so visual. There are probably a lot of you reading this and nodding, who often have a similar thought pass through your mind; how much more can I give?
We love to sit around a table and tell a good tale or share the latest news. As the weather turns colder, this gathering is made even more enjoyable with a hot beverage. My morning mug of ambition might just as often be filled with a breakfast tea as the more traditional coffee. That initial warmth flowing from your mouth all the way into your center, and even curling your fingers around the hot cup is oh-so-satisfying.
