//
FREE CHAPTER
Chapter 19- The
Incredible Power of Continued Incremental Improvement
“Success has nothing
to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s
what you do for others.”
Danny Thomas (Entertainer and Founder of St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital)
Applied Incremental
Advantage
A young man named Amos Jacobs was born as the fifth child of nine to
Lebanese immigrants on January 6, 1912. This young man had a dream
to be in show business. He thought he had talent. Along with his
brother Ray, they formed a burlesque duo and achieved some success
until Ray decided to leave the business for a more traditional path.
Amos wanted to be in show business. He had a dream and he had the
passion to pursue his dreams. He worked hard and found some small
success as a radio actor and singer in the Detroit area.
Amos, looking for a
spark to his new career, changed his name by taking on the persona
in the combination name of two of his brothers. At this time, he
married his beautiful childhood sweetheart Rose Marie. Amos knew he
had talent and knew his course. His wife now pregnant, Amos was
still a struggling entertainer and worried if he could support his
new family as well as maintain a career in show business. His heart
heavy with the responsibility, a troubled Amos visited a church in
Detroit and earnestly prayed to St. Jude Thaddeus, the patron saint
of hopeless causes. He beseeched the saint, “Show me my way in life
and I will build you a shrine.” Within a few weeks, Amos, now better
known as Danny Thomas secured a regular job at a Chicago nightclub.
From that point, Danny Thomas’ career as an entertainer skyrocketed.
He set his course, took action, accepted his results as feedback,
course corrected and kept Stacking Logs! until he achieved the
outcome he desired. Danny Thomas lived the STACK Strategy for his
show business career; but he would not stop there.
The Success Story Of
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
By all
accounts, Danny Thomas was very successful in Hollywood. His career
excelled in films and television. He became a nationally known
entertainer who could have easily coasted through an enchanting life
with all the perks and benefits of the glamour industry. Danny
Thomas was a man of great character and personal integrity and as
such, he accepted personal responsibility for his life. As a man of
character and integrity, Danny never forgot his promise to St. Jude
Thaddeus. Danny created a trusted support structure to share in his
dream and his passion. Danny Thomas and friends set out in the early
1950s to found St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which will
unquestionably serve as his most lasting legacy. In 1962, Danny
Thomas fulfilled his promise and the first patients began their
treatment. Today, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, located in
Memphis Tennessee, is the world's premier institution for the study
and treatment of catastrophic childhood diseases. When St. Jude
officially opened the doors, the most common form of pediatric
cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia, was literally a death sentence
as little more than 4 percent of children with this horrific disease
survived. This was to be the starting point, knowing the destination
lay far, far ahead. I would later learn through many other people
and in our family’s experience that the abysmal survival statistic
was the motivation behind and the starting point of a 40 year and
ongoing journey.
Danny Thomas
magnetized the conditions he sought. He attracted like-minded men
and women as support structure dedicated to share his dream that,
“No child should die in the dawn of life.” Together this group knew
their outcome and set their course accordingly. They took action on
fronts from fundraising to breakthrough science to groundbreaking
research and outstanding patient care. They achieved results as
feedback. Some of the results were painful and heartbreaking as
parents and families watched their loved ones die. They had
breakthroughs and they had setbacks, but each patient treated
brought the St. Jude team closer to understanding and closer to the
desired results. The course was corrected each time new information
was learned or discovered. Each painstaking component of the process
has been invented and reinvented with the end goal in mind. Most of
all, Danny Thomas and his support structure with the St. Jude team
never gave up. Through more than 40 years of the highest highs and
the lowest lows, St. Jude continued to make incremental improvement
and incremental progress. Today, largely because of discoveries made
at St. Jude, unbelievable progress has been made on many fronts with
regard to childhood catastrophic disease and illness. Each success
was reinvested into the process. Each discovery shared with other
institutions and other scientists expanded the information and
knowledge base. Every victory has been reinvested for a compound
cumulative incremental improvement. Now the survival rate for the
initial leukemia enemy with the initial survival rate of 4% has
increased to over 80% and is improving.
Close to Home
The success and humanitarian story of Danny Thomas and his dream
could not hit any closer to home for me or my family. On Easter
Sunday, March 31st, 2002 our family became forever a part of the
family of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as Frankie’s
treatment for acute myeloid leukemia began. When I first learned my
son had leukemia, I was immediately numb thinking he had just been
handed a death sentence. I did not really know about St. Jude or
their incredible journey of progress. We were reassured by many who
were familiar as they comforted us in the fact we were going to the
best place available. What I would observe over the next six months
solidified all we were told. We were cared for by a very human
organization daily living out the purpose of the man who founded it.
In the past, I have worked with hundreds of corporations and
organizations and have seen hundreds of mission statements adorning
the walls or pages of company brochures. What I found in St. Jude
was one of the finest organizations I have ever observed or been
associated with in the daily demonstration of the mission and
vision.
I could not be happier
Danny Thomas lived what he believed and what he said as referenced
in this Chapter’s opening quote. Without his belief, there would
have never been the action stemming from that conviction. Without
his belief and ensuing action, there would not be the amazing
results. This incredible legacy and continuing living breathing
organization began with a thought in Danny Thomas’ mind. It began as
a ripple spreading out from the center of Danny Thomas’ being. This
is in no way intended as a slight to the other fine institutions out
there daily living out their mission and vision, but rather only
what I witnessed as a critical observer.
Much of this book was
written while Frankie was in his initial six months of treatment in
Memphis. We lived in St. Jude provided housing and all of our needs
were met far beyond expectation. We were given a rare glimpse of not
just a hospital, but also a family and community at work with
complete alignment and singleness of purpose to the vision. I was
able to talk to (and pester) and make some excellent friends while
at St. Jude. As I look and review the material presented in this
book, I can think of no better organization to share as a practical
illustration of the principle of Applied Incremental Advantage.
Since I was writing this book during Frankie’s treatment, my
reticular activating system was on overdrive drawing me to observe
and witness the very practical side of material I was working on.
Practical
Application
My father’s letter of encouragement to me is what makes up the seven
parts of this book. The components of his wisdom are evident to me
in everything I witnessed while we were at St. Jude. As I reflect on
what Danny Thomas began and his far reaching legacy, I can clearly
see the message my father shared with me at work in Danny Thomas and
other’s determined actions.
Plan Well
Danny Thomas began his journey as a tribute to St. Jude
Thaddeus, the patron saint of lost or hopeless causes. What more of
a lost cause than childhood catastrophic diseases. In addition to
leukemia, there are a great number of other catastrophic and life
threatening pediatric maladies St. Jude treats. From the outset, the
plan was simple and straightforward; to find treatments and cures to
allow children to live far beyond the dawn of their lives. There is
nothing more heartbreaking than the death of a child and no more
motivating factor for the dedicated work of hundreds of staff and a
legion of volunteers.
|
