A four-wheeler accident in Iowa left me with multiple fractures and a new perspective on the relationship between discomfort and wisdom. In the hospital, I was given a button for self-administering pain medication and, understandably, I welcomed it. The relief was immediate — and misleading.
After surgery to implant a titanium plate in my collarbone, I discovered a troubling pattern: when I masked the pain with medication of any kind, I tended to ignore the doctor's order to immobilize my right arm. The pain, it turned out, was doing its job. It was signaling that something needed to be protected, rested, and healed. When I silenced the signal, I stopped responding appropriately to the underlying problem.
This experience led me to a broader insight about both personal and professional life. Ignoring problems — whether injuries or business weaknesses — doesn't eliminate them. Unaddressed issues can worsen over time and create consequences that are far more costly than confronting the original difficulty would have been.
At Equinox, we take comments and feedback from employees and customers very seriously. A concern raised is a signal worth hearing. We do not mask problems or pretend they don't exist. When something is not right, we want to know about it so we can address it properly — and come out stronger on the other side.
Whether the discomfort is physical, professional, or organizational, the prescription is the same: acknowledge it, diagnose it, and treat it directly. Strength comes from facing difficulty, not from numbing yourself to it.
About the Author — Byron Middendorf is CEO of Equinox Information Systems. To learn more about Equinox, visit equinoxis.com or call (615) 612-1200.