I trust the new year still finds you well and well on your way to achieving your goals for 2023. Over the course of the next several articles we are going to look at the idea of what I will call “directional leadership.”

It is not uncommon when it is time to sit down and write one of these articles that I reach out to my editor to see if there are any specific topics that I should address. This time when I asked the question, I received a request that I must admit, I found to be extremely challenging.

Considering what to write this week, I am reminded of how many leaders are lonely and feel isolated and disconnected from others.

What do you do when faced with patients with questions and concerns? What about your staff? What are the key lessons we need to learn and impart?

Many years ago, I was building out a network of pharmacists to serve as “MTM specialists.” These pharmacists were being used to address a specific group of patients whose problems were going to be very challenging.

I struggled for a long time with the idea of “winning.” A big part of the struggle came from my definition of winning. I confused dominating with winning.

Do you have a Leadership Lens? Do you look at things with a leader’s perspective? Do you look at situations and assess the ways you can help someone get from where they are to another place? If you do not, do not be discouraged. You are not alone.

In 2005, I received a phone call with an idea. The idea was to get pharmacists trained to provide immunization services. At the time this was an outrageous idea to me. But I did not reject it. About a dozen pharmacists trained with me that first year.

In the real world, building a bridge takes engineers and raw materials and time. In the leadership world, it takes the ability to communicate effectively, to establish and build a relationship, and time.

The relationship principle that I have learned to employ is called the Exchange Principle. The Exchange Principle says before you put someone in his place, you should put yourself in his place.