WTF Wednesday.

This Week's WTF Moment - "Why That's Funny"

If you’re a healthcare leader, you already know: some weeks feel like you’re running a triage center for people’s emotions, egos, and expectations — and that’s before lunch.

Oh wait… we don’t eat lunch.

So let’s start with a story.

Remember that little pandemic we had? 😵‍💫

It was the height of COVID. Our leadership team wanted to show staff how much we appreciated them during the holidays. We brainstormed, debated, and finally landed on a “safe” way to distribute annual gifts — a drive-thru pie giveaway.

Someone suggested pumpkin pies. Seemed practical. Easy. Thoughtful.

What we didn’t realize until distribution day? The pies were purchased at Costco. Those pies were roughly the size of a small satellite dish. 😐

As cars pulled through, the reactions were… mixed. Shock. Laughter. Awe. (Not necessarily the good kind.)

With every pie I handed — okay, hoisted — through some poor soul’s car window under the cloak of darkness in the parking lot, the funnier it got. Especially after working all day.

Our hearts were in the right place. But the takeaway? Even the best intentions can land wrong if you don’t check your assumptions first.

That’s the spirit of WTF Wednesday. It’s a space to laugh at ourselves, learn something useful, and lead a little braver — one real-world moment at a time.

Each week, you’ll get a different “WTF” moment:

💬 Why That’s Funny – a quick story or “you can’t make this up” leadership moment.

🧠 Something Thoughtful – a short reflection or framework you can actually use.

🔥 Something Feisty – a challenge to rethink how you lead, listen, and show up.

Because healthcare doesn’t need more catchy buzzwords or “blah” leadership theories. We should all “lean in” (see what I did there?) to the idea that the more humanity we bring to healthcare leadership — not just patient care — the better off everyone will be.

Healthcare needs more human leaders who can mix courage with compassion… and occasionally admit when the pie was a terrible idea.

👉🏻 Subscribe to WTF Wednesday for your weekly dose of humor, humanity, and hard truths.

Because leadership is serious work — but we don’t have to take ourselves so seriously while doing it.

P.S. We had so many “denied pies” we had to donate them. 😄😄