UNcommon WISDOM | Reflection. Perspective. Insight.

…stress the need for courageous, intelligent, and dedicated leadership… Leaders of sound integrity. Leaders not in love with publicity, but in love with justice. Leaders not in love with money, but in love with humanity. Leaders who can subject their particular egos to the greatness of the cause.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Re-Envisioning Vision
Steering the Helm with Visionary Leadership

by Michael Wagner | Dec 12, 2020 | Leadership | 0 Comments

“Where there is no VISION, the people perish” – PROVERBS 29:18 It would be a dramatic understatement to state that “VISION” has long been recognized as a key leadership skill and a critical component to a leader’s success. The truth is that thousands of missives and...

Swimming Upstream
Surfacing Key Lessons of Leadership from the Movement to “Defund the Police!”

by Michael Wagner | Aug 14, 2020 | Healthcare, Leadership | 0 Comments

DEFUND THE POLICE! A battle cry of anger and a demand for change coming from thousands, perhaps millions, of demonstrators and citizens who have risen up to decry the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis. The incident has been...

Success at the Epicenter
How the Normal and Natural Undermine Effective Leadership

by Michael Wagner | May 29, 2020 | Democracy, Leadership | 0 Comments

Instinct! Gut reaction! Natural ability! Quick response! Thinking on your feet! Confronting the obvious! Doing what comes naturally! Stepping into the void! Regardless of specific terminology, successful leadership is often described as the ability to react...

Forsaking the Arena
Understanding the True Leadership Imperative of Negotiations

by Michael Wagner | Feb 22, 2020 | Democracy, Leadership | 0 Comments

Close the deal! Win the day! Beat the competition! Bargain down the price! Maximize concessions! Almost all leaders would agree that “Negotiations” is a major part of their leadership role. Business leaders must negotiate contracts. Political leaders negotiate...

Lifting the Darkened Veil
Dispelling the Myths of Secrecy and Transparency in Leadership

by Michael Wagner | Feb 20, 2020 | Healthcare, Democracy, Leadership | 0 Comments

For Your Eyes Only! Top Secret! Security Clearance Required! Do Not Distribute! Need to Know Information Only! All of these ominous declarations are bold warnings that “Secrets Are Being Kept” and that “Information is Being Restricted” — and that only a...

What IS the Problem Anyway?
The All-Too-Common Absence of Critical Thinking in Leadership

by Michael Wagner | Dec 15, 2019 | Leadership | 1 Comment

“What’s the problem?” THAT IS the problem! Most leaders never ask the question, “What’s the problem?” With that tongue twister of a leadership challenge as a starting point, let’s look at a few basic realities… • It is estimated that when organizations try to make...

Paying the Price!
The “Not So Ultimate” Sacrifices Needed to Protect Democracy & Freedom

by Michael Wagner | Sep 4, 2019 | Democracy, Leadership | 0 Comments

Freedom is NOT Free! We have heard these sobering words of warning countless times. Usually in conjunction with memories of battles that were fought to preserve our freedoms and our democracy from enemies and tyrants far beyond our borders. Usually intended to remind...

Of Fortitude and Failure
An Analysis of Leadership in the Shadow of Murder Indictments at Mt. Carmel Health in Ohio

by Michael Wagner | Jul 15, 2019 | Healthcare, Leadership | 2 Comments

Let’s set the stage for a discussion of leadership… As reported by The New York Times on June 5th… In one of the largest murder cases in Ohio’s history, a doctor was charged on Wednesday with killing 25 people over four years by prescribing fatal doses of fentanyl, a...

War of the SINGLES
Clarifying the Debate Over Single Payer vs. Single Provider vs. Single Offering Healthcare Systems

by Michael Wagner | Feb 11, 2019 | Healthcare, Democracy | 0 Comments

It appears that the debate over healthcare in the USA will once again dominate the political campaigns of the country in 2020. Regardless of whether the political rallying cry is “Repeal Obamacare” or “Medicare for All” or “Keep My Healthcare”, it is likely that...

Wisdom from a Mother
Pondering the Political Fervor Regarding the Star Spangled Banner

by Michael Wagner | Oct 26, 2017 | Democracy | 0 Comments

I love my country. The United States is a fabulous experiment of human endeavor. We have strived to define and promote personal liberty and civil equality. We have embraced the race for the impossible and we have constantly pursued the magic of innovation. We reach...

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