Applying Ethos to Shandon Healthcare

As we wrap up our series on Ethos, it is only natural to consider how these concepts are reflected within Shandon Healthcare.

In an earlier post, Setting the Tone, we discussed how a company’s articulated ethos should ideally be a reflection of the naturally occurring values within the firm. As the Shandon Healthcare team took a moment for self-reflection, there are four main values that surfaced. We believe that these components accurately portray our collective ethos, and truly get to the heart of what Shandon Healthcare is all about.

Experienced. One of the things that our team values greatly is experience. Having served in a vast array of c-suite roles across the healthcare industry, we have a deep understanding from inside the business. We work tirelessly to utilize our own experiences as a tool to provide accurate recommendations for our clients. 

Discerning. An important lesson that we have learned from years in the industry is that no two clients, problems or communities are the same. We recognize that each project we take on is singular, and we work understand the needs of the client as an individual. Our insights and recommendations are tailored to the unique circumstances of each situation, rather than formulated from a broad template.

Service Oriented. We have talked before about what it means to serve one’s community. The Shandon Healthcare team firmly believes that the work we do to aid our clients is paid forward. We maintain a client-first approach because we know that when we put your needs above our own, you can put your community first.

Partnership Focused. We strive to build strong relationships with those around us. Whether it is a client or a peer, we work hard to learn from and collaborate with the talented individuals in our industry. This is not just something we say: it is a value that is integral to the very foundation of our company. Much of our team is comprised of individuals who have worked together for decades, partnering across the industry and relying on one another for insight, wisdom and guidance.

How Chicken Sandwiches & Pixie Dust Can Strengthen Your Organization

As we have discussed in previous Lessons In Leadership, Ethos plays a key role in the path to success. Ethos is critical to clear, effective decision making. This can apply to your own personal career development or how you serve your employees. It can also be instrumental to identifying potential employees that will strengthen your organization or even working as a team to give back to your community.

What is clear is that having and understanding your organization’s Ethos is an advantage. In fact, there is an entire industry centered around aiding corporations in developing their core values, vision and mission statements. Often, this comes as an item on the organizational development checklist. However, implementing a manufactured corporate ethos can be difficult.

Ideally, an organization’s ethos is organic. Meaning, the core values are already naturally in place and the vision and mission statements serve only to articulate the organization’s heartbeat. These naturally occurring values tend to be a distinct reflection of the firm’s leader. This is a powerful phenomenon, because it means that the executive leadership has the ability to set the tone for the entire company.  

A strong example of this is Chick-fil-A. The Georgia-based fast food chain upholds the personal ethos of their founder, Truett Cathy. This impacts all aspects of their brand from advertising, to quality, to interaction with customers—even their operating hours are a reflection of their ethos. Their ethos has become so intertwined with their decision making, the values of Chick-fil-A are synonymous with the business.

Similarly, Disney reflects the family-focused values of its namesake, Walt Disney. While the definition of family has evolved over the years, and the implementation of the Disney ethos reflects this evolution, creating happiness for families is still at the heart of the company’s values.

All of this points to the lasting influence that leadership can have on the character of an organization, and therefore, the importance of finding the right leadership for your company.

Reflections on 9/11

9/11 – undoubtedly a tragic day in American history. However, out of the tragedy has emerged a significant opportunity to celebrate our first responders and their ethos of service above self. As the day has evolved into a time of reflection and gratitude, we remember and recognize those who continuously make sacrifices to keep us safe even at the risk of their own lives. These men and women are an example of how a clear ethos can unite a team, and consequently, make a lasting impact on their community.

On this day, I often reflect on my parents’ dedication to community and service to others. My mother was a registered nurse at Marlboro General Hospital in Bennettsville, South Carolina. My father, Charles Berry, served as a medic in the Korean War and then returned home to Bennettsville to run the family business. He, along with several friends, recognized the need for an organized and trained response to emergencies in the community and created the Marlboro County Rescue Squad. This rescue squad officially began taking calls in 1960. In addition to being a charter member of the squad, my father served as captain in 1965 and 1966

Prior to my father’s death in 1974, the Marlboro County Rescue Squad’s Berry-Belcher award, which was named in honor of two of the squad founders, was established to formally recognize individual first responders for an outstanding life-saving act. The award is public acknowledgement of the gratitude for heroism in the community. While recognition is much deserved by first responders, accolades are not the goal of these individuals. Instead they are driven by a team ethos of caring for others even when it creates a personal risk.

Such individuals make a lasting impact on their communities just as my father made an impact on our community and on me. The selflessness with which he served has continued to be the standard I strive to reach, the compass that I follow in shaping my personal ethos as well as my career choices. To my father and all those who continue to save lives in our communities, thank you. Your dedication and compassion for your community deserves our respect and gratitude.

May you and your valiant actions never be forgotten.