I’m reading The Blue Zone by Dan Buettner which is all about people who have lived long, long lives…to 100 or more…and what they have in common.  After taking the Vitality Compass test on www.bluezone.com which, by the way, is alot harder to cheat on than the test on www.realage,com to become the age you want to be, it’s clear I have to make some changes to be considering the blowout 100th birthday party I’ve been dreaming about. 

The book talks about diet, and how Sardinian shepherds live forever because they hike plus they get the the benefit of a pretty stress-free job, a beautiful view from the mountain while the sheep are grazing and a nice vegetarian pasta in olive oil with friends and family when they get home….not to mention the red wine.  I can do that…the wine, pasta and olive oil part, anyway!  Perhaps my trouble is that I haven’t looked at my job and child-rearing through the eyes of a shepherd.  Really, getting the kids from place to place and making sure that they graze on something is pretty much shepherd work, right?  And, I can certainly see how I can turn work into a sheep-dotted mountain (except I wonder how our shepherd gets the sheep to meet deadlines, I think he carries a stick and I’m not sure that’s allowed where I work).  What I’m having trouble with is how I turn my view of the NJ turnpike into a Sardinian sunset. 

All kidding aside, I love this book for the lesson it gives us about healthcare and wellness.  I truly believe that despite the debates on health delivery, we already know a terrific model.  Put healthcare providers at the center of the community.  Give them the freedom to understand their patients and their patients lifestyles and they will promote wellness, prefvent serious illness and provide excellent care when a person truly needs it.  Healthcare is about community engagement. When you have a physician who knows about your life and family and your activities not just your vital statistics, you trust that physician’s advice on nutrition, diet and medicine.  When that physician urges your kids to get you out walking, or encourages you to play on the “masters” softball team because its what he does, you are more likely to comply…simply because you want to please this person who cares about YOU not just you as a client of the managed care plan that is managing your doctors relationship with you as a plus or a minus on its bottom line.  

But today, we don’t know our healthcare providers and though they try, they don’t know us.  They don’t see us out on our “power walks” that are really strolls and can’t call us on our inability to push ourselves because they don’t see us anywhere but a healthcare setting.  In the seven-to-nine minutes we have with them, we aren’t comfortable telling them that we’ve stopped taking the medication that was all over the newspaper the week before because of a safety question.  We don’t trust them enough to share our own insecurity.   

The most important lesson from the Blue Zone to me is about the power of community…your role in the community and the purpose that you bring to each day, but also the importance of the community in nurturing and caring for you.  We need to bring the healthcare provider back into the center of the community so that he or she can model a path to wellness, chide us gently when we slip and understand the dynamics of our lives when and if we need serious medical care.  The business of healthcare — from payor to prescription — should rally around fostering a community of care with the doctor and nurse at center square.   There’s a great likelihood that if managed care plans and pharmaceutical companies can work to facilitate that relationship, people will remember that they are neighbors too.

If you have a child in grade school or middle school child, you know that being a bully, being called a bully or having a friend who is viewed as a bully is a fate worse than a visit to the principal, being grounded or having your cell phone confiscated.

In the years post-Columbine, our public schools, youth sports leagues and faith-based institutions have worked hard to teach our children the importance of respect for one another’s differences and the need to be kind to everyone. And, it works. While there are still challenges of internet bullying and “mean girls” gossip, for the most part, kids don’t come home bloody and bruised from playground brawls, labeling kids as “jocks” or “geeks” rarely has a negative connotation and our kids are more likely to have friends from diverse backgrounds and diverse interests. It’s not perfect, but it sure is a lot better than when I was a tween. So, if our 8 and 11 year olds can make progress in this area, why can’t our politicians?

Why are we using age, race and gender as ways to segment the political playground? It’s a long time since I’ve heard a discussion of issues that impact the nation. When was the last time we heard a robust discussion of how we will protect jobs and our economy? When was the last time we heard something about improving education? Never mind that every discussion about healthcare is about money as opposed to people.

And, why isn’t corporate America demanding better behavior? Why aren’t the CEOs of companies hosting debates and inviting the candidates to address issues that matter to their employees? Why isn’t the media?

I would counsel my clients the same way I counsel my children. Stand and be vocal about what you believe. Be respectful of the opinion of others and air the debate. If you believe that the economy needs more air time, than publicly offer to host a three-way discussion on what each would to to preserve your employees jobs. If you are worried about education in your community, host a national forum on education to vet each candidates ideas on the issues. These single-focused discussions, without name-calling, campaign managers or fundraisers, may do more to help identify your next leader than any of the playground politics being played today.

Here’s a thought for any company who wants to build a relationship with Mom and Dad….sponsor community-wide programs to teach parents how to be good coaches and good fans to their kids athletic teams, theater groups, cheerleading squads, etc.

We all love our kids. We all want them to do well. And, many of us go overboard in showing support. I know that in the spirit of the game, I can be a somewhat overly vocal fan. I honestly don’t care who wins or loses as long as my kids are having fun and are being good sports. I suspect, my support often sounds like I care about the win more than I actually do.

Off the court, I know that most of our community’s parents do the right thing and talk to their kids about trying hard, doing their best and having fun. We talk about having respect for all their teammates and cast members no matter their skills. We talk about respecting coaches, teachers and the other team.

But, what is it the kids hear and see during the games? During rehearsals? I know they see cheering parents, and some parents who go too far in their support. And some who truly forget it’s their child playing the game, singing the song, or cheering the team…not themselves.

Cal Ripken wrote a book about coaching www.ripkenbaseball.com a few years back. But, there’s a dire need for someone with an interest in youth activities to coach parents on how to be good fans and supporters. Disney? UnderArmour? Nike? Powerade? Let’s talk.

I read blogs. But, I never thought I’d write a blog. After all, who cares what I think? Well, I have been sharing with colleagues all those things I learn away from work that seem to make a difference at work and they seem to think I should share with a larger group.

So, first, a bit about me…. I have worked full-time for the past 20 years in public relations…primarily corporate positioning, consumer marketing and healthcare. I am married and have two boys…a third grader and a 6^th grader, which means middle school in our school district. I spend my weekdays at work, my weeknights helping the kids with homework, my weekends going from athletic event to athletic event. What do we do at those athletic events when not cheering for our kids? We chat. About politics…and our kids. About fashion…and our kids. About movies, music, restaurants…and our kids…and our husbands (sometimes).

We talk about which organic chocolate we prefer, and why. We talk about which department stores have the best sales. We talk about where the best make-up counter giveaway is. We talk about wine. And, coffee. But, we rather talk about wine. We talk about diets, wrinkles and health. We talk about cold medicines and kids. In short, we talk about stuff important to our day-to-day lives…and important to my clients.

We all know that “Mom” has been a gatekeeper or influencer for many marketing inititatives. She was the primary target when bottled water became questionable from a “green” perspective. She is the critical influencer to the sandwich generation on wellness programs from health insurers. She makes virtually every healthcare, fast food and meal preparation decision for the family. And, even though teens think they drive the fashion trends, Mom has to buy-in. As I sit in creative sessions where colleagues create ideas for how best to reach Mom, I realize that they are talking about me and my friends. And, little that came out of those sessions resonated.

See, what we sometimes forget is Mom is many people with many of her own influencers. My ability to counsel clients is based, not so much on being a “working mom”, but from being intimately engaged in a community…in other words, from being away from work. So, this blog is going to be about those things I’ve learned away from work that actually can make a difference at work.

I hope you’ll share your away from work learnings too.