I would like to recognize Wendell for his top-notch leadership skills. He has created a culture unlike any others here at the Northeast ED. He is fair, patient, and extremely committed to us and our department. He gives everyone the benefit of the doubt. He listens to our needs and concerns and always follows through with commitments. He believes in giving that second chance to all and building them up instead of tearing them down. Wendell truly has a passion for helping others succeed.
***
From the moment I met Wendell, I knew he was going to be a special person. About 10 minutes into my interview, I knew he was going to be a great leader. He spoke eloquently of a detailed vision of how he WANTED his department to function. He visualized the interactions between his staff and how he wanted his staff to interact with him.
Wendell then chose a diverse multicultural Staff with a broad array of experiences. His purpose was to create the balance among his staff, offsetting weaknesses with strengths and growing future leaders.He set an expectation accompanied by a personal acknowledgment that his staff would be professional, personable, and utilizes their dynamic talents to enhance the operations of the department. Each and every one of us who became employed and accepted our offers did so knowing the high standards we would have to put forth consistently. Wendell also instilled the trust in us that we would carry our obligation in putting personal life behind us at home and focus on the patient care at hand. In the event that something tragic struck a family in our unit, he was the first to rally behind them with full support and understanding. He has made himself available at all times of the day whether personal emergency or professional question. I think his number is on my favorite list!
As many of us have chosen to tread through the waters of college degrees and clinical life again, Wendell continues to offer his unwavering words of encouragement. He boosts the morale of even the darkest days of paper writing and appropriately, yet sternly councils us if we fall behind in our work education. I feel as if he respects our decisions both clinically and professionally. Our growth is a reflection of how he mentors his staff and fosters a positive environment for all. I appreciate that he has obtained the ability to juggle both being a leader in the organization as a whole and an assistant director to us. His challenge is to uphold the foundation of NCH as an organization and then know how to coach his employees that have strayed from his vision. As one of the members of his NE ED staff, I feel privileged that I have had the opportunity to work with him and for him for almost the past two years. I anticipate that Wendell will continue to evolve and engage further with NCH and I cannot wait to see what he will accomplish in the coming years!