October 31, 2023
Why I Love the Question “How Can I Help?”
“How can I help?”
When I heard those words, a deep relief and assurance washed over me. I felt cared for. I could relax. This person had a heart and values and wasn’t afraid to show it as a leader. In fact, he was activating them publicly and bravely. That made him trustworthy.
These four words came from Dr. Max Goodwin, the lead character on the TV show New Amsterdam played by Ryan Eggold. Dr. Goodwin asked this question at his very first meeting with the medical staff in his role as the newly-hired medical director at New Amsterdam Hospital in NYC. What came before this question was his story about why New Amsterdam held a special place in his heart.
The fact that I felt so strongly drawn in in response to a TV character surprised me. I don’t watch much TV. Never have. It’s painfully slow for my busy neuro-wiring. I don’t enjoy sitting around for long periods of time, and there are lots of other things I’d rather be doing. The rare times I do watch TV, I’m reminded how few shows draw me in.
But New Amsterdam was one of the exceptions. It drew me in, and I watched and watched until there was nothing left to watch (the show ended this year after five seasons). The show delivers a magnetically-satisfying depiction of a diverse, mindful, brave, and self-aware team of health care professionals working together in an urban hospital where putting patients and care first is the manifesto and the mission. Where “How can I help?” is the question the man in charge asks in every interaction he has with the people he works with and the people he cares for. Where his way of responding to the higher-up forces at the hospital that try to manage him away from his mission is to say something along the lines of, “I will always put my patients and my team’s wellbeing first. That’s never going to change, because that’s how I define success around here. I’m not worried about the consequences of doing things this way around here. I’m only worried about the consequences of not doing things this way around here.”
One of my favorite parts of Eggold’s performance as Dr. Max Goodwin is his body language trifecta – a side smile, intense eye contact, and a “Take your time. I’ll wait.” standing posture – in the many times he is waiting for his colleagues’ and bosses’ stunned silence or outward exasperation to kick off in response the latest iteration of his unapologetically patient-centered brand of leadership in the hospital (I know, it’s so radical and ridiculous. Imagine putting patients ahead of profits in a hospital!).
Every time this happens, there’s Max, a compelling and undismissable social justice force to be reckoned with. Just the kind of leader I love to cheer on.
Although it so often felt like watching a fantasy show about a healthcare utopia brought to life, New Amsterdam’s origin story is based in reality. New Amsterdam Hospital is modeled after a very real hospital, Bellevue Hospital in NYC (which is also the oldest hospital in the world). The character of Dr. Max Goodwin is based on a very real man, Dr. Eric Manheimer, who was the Medical Director at Bellevue from 1997-2012 and is now Clinical Professor at NYU’s School of Medicine. The show was inspired by Dr. Manheimer’s book about his time as medical director called Twelve Patients: Life and Death at Bellevue Hospital.
It turns out nothing about the show is a fantasy. It’s a real story about a real man in a real place. New Amsterdam is a story of how health care could be in this country if we got our priorities straight. In 2023, it’s a feel-good underdog story, American health care system style. But it’s more than that to me, because the thing is, when you see something come to life, especially something that has it has roots in reality, it makes it not just inspiring beyond imagination, into a vision of what’s actually doable. That’s powerful stuff.
New Amsterdam is also a case study about why brave brands and brave leaders inspire others to connect with and uplift missions that bring positive change to the world. I observed that whenever Max asked “How can I help?” it made people feel better, even when the circumstances of the moment were dire and “help” seemed like an almost absurd concept. Max’s skilled way of asking the question and of holding space for the answers that were on their way into that space created connection.
Communication delivered with the intent of connection uplifts the human experience. It promotes health and healing.
I am guessing this was a signature element of Dr. Eric Manheimer’s leadership at Bellevue. Likely those four words floated in the air thousands of times over his fifteen years there.
When mindfulness and care are infused into our ways of connecting, we all feel better. What a healing form of human interaction we can all use more of these days, in health care settings and far beyond.
Much of our work at Asana Consulting focuses on creating the conditions that allow brands and leaders to be mindful and brave, and therefore to inspire audiences to support their mission. This is something I care a lot about creating in my little part of this big world. These days I try to ask “How can I help?” as often as possible. It makes me a better consultant, coach, business owner, team leader, and colleague not to mention a better mom, family member, and friend.
So, how can I help? Let me know.
Nancy is a Baltimore native who came to communications and marketing through her work in public health. In 2014 she took an entrepreneurial leap of faith to start Asana Consulting and she found her wings.
