Wes's Guestbook

I too own my own business. I was very conflicted about how much information to share with my clients. In my situation, my client contact can be regular day-to-day and in some situations it is every 4 to 6 weeks. So, I intentionally took on all of the strategic issues prior to surgery, to ensure maximum momentum. Then, I engaged as many team members as possible to get them involved with the clients. This ensured that most issues would be handled post surgery without needing my input. I then alerted the clients that i believed needed to be aware of my situation about 2 weeks prior to surgery and was very clear about the expected recovery time and highlighted how activity would be handled while I was recovering. I did the communication face to face if feasible, otherwise it was delivered in a phone call person to person. this helped to make it personal, allowed me to answer questions and ease any business concerns they might have had. I did not use email or voice mail. So, there were a few clients that I felt were fine being unaware of my surgery, since it is a team that actually handles the activity. In looking back, for me this was a good approach, since it kept the focus off my personal circumstance and kept the focus on the client. Yet, if I did not have a capable team (for example if this had been about 3 years sooner, my approach would have not worked because of the lack of good teamwork). the clients were all very understanding and in my circumstance my recovery was very straightforward and I had no complications. So, Key important clients were aware, some clients were unaware and this worked for me. I felt that my medical situation was very manageable and not something the client needed to focus on. Plus, I had complete confidence in my team. Post surgery, i wanted to get involved right away, which for me was a mistake and my partners quickly put an end to it! I clearly should have waited until i was not longer taking the pain meds - - which stopped taking about 7 days after returning home (I was only taking it once in the morning and once before bed). I learned it was best for me to focus on recovery and that is what got me back to being useful for the clients. Wes Phillips MVR 5/9/12

Thanks Cindy for the comment. I read your journal and your attitude is amazing. I have a very close friend who also had open heart surgery about 6 months after me. His recovery was a little complicated. Yet, when he and I compared notes on how we had each progressed after 6 months, it turned out we were at about the same level of recovery. So, each situation is unique, yet in just a short while it seems most patients "even out" in terms of progress. Keep up the great attitude. Wes Phillips MVR 5/9/12