From the Eyes of an Outsider: How to be the Best in the Industry

EDITOR'S NOTE: Special thanks to Shane Elmore for writing today's blog post. Shane served as Pulsara's Vice President for Clinical Innovation and Development from 2013-2022. You can connect with him on LinkedIn. 

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In my role at Pulsara, I travel the country meeting with coordinators and administrators of EMS agencies and hospitals. In my travels, I've noticed that the majority of organizations can be grouped into one of two distinct categories based on their overarching attitudes and self-perceptions.

On the surface, both attitudes look the same, and both tell themselves and others “We are the best.” The distinction, though, lies in a fundamental difference in belief. The organizations in the first category believe they are “the best” as a result of pride, whereas the second camp holds this belief with humility. Allow me to elaborate:

Group 1: We are the best (Pride)

• Many times this attitude is associated with a big name that is known throughout the region and sometimes throughout the country. These organizations seem to get by largely on the merit of their name.
• This type of organization is so accustomed to publicly celebrating their status quo, that they rarely stop to think about how great they could be.  
• When Pulsara comes in and start asking questions about what they do, we are often met with resistance and defensiveness (even if something is clearly not working). 
• The data they present is squeaky clean … almost too clean. They use their data to shine a light on the bright spots instead of lifting the carpet to reveal areas where they need to improve.

Group 2: We are the best (Humility)

• The prevailing attitude is “We are the best, but we can always be better.”
• This group is quick to tell everyone how well they perform, but it’s always followed by a question of “How can we do better?” or “How can we improve?”
• They welcome Pulsara's team into their hospital or EMS agency, and we witness a spirit of teamwork and collaboration.
• Their numbers don’t always make them look good, but it's clear to see how they learn from their mistakes and how they use those numbers to motivate themselves to become better.

As with all things in life, if we wish to achieve greatness, we must understand that greatness is, in fact, a never-ending journey rather than a static destination. Those who are willing to constantly seek ways to improve upon past successes are the organizations (and probably the individuals!) who will come out on top.