MAKING IT FUN

It is Motley's responsibility to coordinate the fundraising, volunteer activities, and overall operation of the clinic. She identifies her ability to think on her feet as the leadership quality that has served her best. If you follow her around on the job—as I did one day—you will quickly see this leadership trait in action. In the course of about ten minutes I saw her give up her office so others could use it for a meeting, hug a volunteer she hadn't seen for a couple weeks, check in with the staff in the busy pharmacy, greet the people sitting in the waiting room, and exasperatedly close the door to the records room—which has a sign on it stating, “Keep this door closed at all times.”

Of all of the tasks that Motley manages, the most impressive to me is attracting and coordinating the doctors and nurses who volunteer. “I work hard to make this fun for them,” Motley says. “When they come here they get to do the things they went to school for. They get to treat patients. They don't have to manage an office, deal with insurance companies, or see an unreasonably high volume of patients.”

In spite of the remarkable service the clinic provides, Motley is quick to mention that capacity is stretched every day. As the county's population increases, so does the demand for medical services. There is also rising competition for donor dollars, and the need for volunteers always seems to be critical.

When I asked Motley what kind of leadership advice she would give to the person who will someday take over her job, she replied: “Be flexible. Blessed are those who bend but do not break.”

Blessed are those such as Motley, Slyman, and the hundreds of other people who volunteer their time or donate financial support to health care safety-net organizations like Davidson Medical Ministries, a fine example of leadership in action where it matters most—close to home.