When I told a friend, “I’m going to open my own practice” I was struck by his words of advice that followed the usual congratulatory and supportive ones. “Your first hires will be critical. You’ve got to get the culture right day one.” My mind paused and then segued into a prolonged contemplation of why those words felt right. On the one hand it seemed so common sense. On the other hand, other goals vied for attention in the hectic business of starting up a medical practice…finding the right office location, working on the minutiae of credentialing with the insurance plans, figuring out the rules and regulations of electronic health records.

Coincidentally, another trusted colleague and dear friend echoes like-minded advice by sending me a blog post from Brian Chesky, co-founder and CEO of Airbnb, an online hospitality exchange business that receives venture capital funding from the likes of Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal. Thiel’s advice to Chesky was “Don’t f*ck up the culture.” Chesky expounds with “Culture is a thousand things, a thousand times. It’s living the core values when you hire; when you write an email; when you are working on a project; when you are walking in the hall. We have the power, by living the values, to build the culture. We also have the power, by breaking the values, to f*ck up the culture. Each one of us has this opportunity, this burden.”

To read his complete blog go to: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140424002919-13378252-don-t-f-ck-up-the-culture

So let me tell you how lucky I feel that my first hire is my office manager-to-be, Diane Avila. I’ve had the privilege of working with Diane for 15 years at EYE-Q Vision Care. If any of my former patients have had the good fortune to be cared for by Diane you can certainly bask in the familiarity of my next words.

“If I could make one person smile or laugh in a day…then I feel like I’ve accomplished something.” Diane Avila

Diane always made that extra effort, went that extra mile to make patients feel better by taking care of an overlooked detail in a hectic schedule. She would just plain listen while I zipped around the clinic. She exudes energy that says “I care for you” and “you matter and are the center of my attention right now”. I asked Diane, “What’s your motivation?” Her answer,” If I could make one person smile or laugh in a day, when it’s perhaps their only outing for the day and they’re feeling sad about their vision loss or a loss in their life, then I feel like I’ve accomplished something.” Diane has worked in several subspecialties of ophthalmology including LASIK, Cornea, and Oculoplastics. But her heart has always been with Retina because of what she can offer to those patients that suffer the extreme vision loss that is often associated with retinal diseases.

I have a vision, fueled by a passion, to deliver the very best care. And I am lucky to have Diane join me in Advanced Retina Care…someone who can share that vision, someone who can create synergy and compassionate energy so obvious to anyone who is fortunate enough to be the beneficiary of it. Mr Chesky summarizes culture by saying, “Culture is simply a shared way of doing something with passion.” So let me tell you here….We are NOT going to f*ck up the culture!