The winds of change are sweeping the country.  From political norms that are being turned upside down — some argue that they are being disrespected — to the rapidly emerging phenomenon of disruption, we are increasingly living in a shaky, topsy-turvy world.

Disruption is dramatically impacting industries such as communications, publishing and healthcare, to name a few. This week in healthcare,  for example, Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City announced that their Hospital at Home program is producing impressive results versus the traditional inpatient model — lower rates of readmission and higher rates of patient satisfaction.

Imagine my great surprise.

And In San Francisco, a Korean couple vacationing in the United States received a nasty surprise from none other than Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.  Their infant fell from a hotel bed and clobbered his head.  The child suffered bruises to the forehead and nose.  Concerned, the parents called 911 and the child was taken to the aforementioned Zuckerberg SFGH.  Doctors quickly discerned that the child was not seriously injured.  They gave the baby some formula and following a nap in mum’s arms, they were discharged, all in less than 3 hours.  A great outcome, right?

Oh no. They received a bill for that little visit of more than $18,000, $15,000 of which was for “trauma center activation.”

I bet that when the CFO entered that particular charge into the CDM, he was more focused on the bottom line than the trust-killing impact that crazy patient bill would have open the community they serve.

At JohnGSelf + Partners we now ask our executive candidates what they have done to build trust within their organizations and their communities.  We do this because I believe that without trust, you can not deliver good, sustainable results.  Sooner or later the lack of trust will come back to haunt you.

See you next week.