Dispensing Leadership: Changing Yourself to Change the World

In episode 8 of Dispensing Leadership, Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, discussed ideas and themes surrounding change within the pharmacy profession. From well-known and historical ways of looking at life to how it all relates to the pharmacy industry, the duo explored how changing the world starts with changing yourself.

To highlight the magnitude of this idea and how it’s applied to the pharmacy profession, McCullough began the episode by introducing the story of the unknown monk, which reads as follows:

“When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world,” said McCullough, according to the story. “I found it difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation. When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town. I couldn't change the town, and as an older man, I tried to change my family. Now, as an old man, I realized the only thing I can change is myself.”

Like so many other philosophies and pieces of life advice that are commonly circulating within society, the story of the unknown monk has the power to be useful for the pharmacy profession. With advice like this and motivations for success often coming from individuals in leadership roles, Dispensing Leadership hosts provided a nuanced insight into the importance of changing yourself in order to change the world around you and the world patients are cared for within.

In Dispensing Leadership, a podcast offering from Drug Topics and RPhAlly, Shawn Bjorndal, PharmD, RPh, a visionary health care executive with over 16 years of experience and founder of PGxAlly, and Jesse McCullough, PharmD, a pharmacist-turned-entrepreneur with a passion for leadership development, discuss essential leadership skills for pharmacists, how to develop them, and, ultimately, how to advance the pharmacy profession.

Be sure to tune in every month on Drug Topics for important conversations that will help you develop your skills to become an effective pharmacy leader. All episodes of Dispensing Leadership will be available in a video format via DrugTopics.com. Check out our most previous episode: Dispensing Leadership: The Dominoes Are Falling in Community Pharmacy.

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