What is your favorite quote and what does it mean to you?
Bruce: "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." Albert Einstein (1879-1955);
As I have come to understand it, life and work are not about one's self, but how others benefit from our involvement that determines our true value (and from which we achieve our greatest satisfaction).
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Name a couple of organizations that you belong to
Bruce: (1) Administration: Puget Sound Handheld User's Group - meets monthly at Microsoft and focuses on the latest mobile computing / smartphone technology advancements);
(2) 2010 President: Snohomish County - Camano Association of Realtors, Everett, WA; Association represents 2,300 active Realtors in Washington's second largest county located just north of Seattle in King County.
(3) MGMA / Medical Group Management Association, Denver, CO; Honorary Life Member / Distinguished.
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What is your favorite book and why?
Bruce: The One Minute Manager, Kenneth Blanchard, Ph.D. (2001); I have read many great books on management and Blanchard is certainly an ICON. This book focuses on organization using an insightful outline and provides great technique in a concise publication.
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If there was one person, alive or dead, that you could spend a day with, who would it be? Why?
Bruce: K. Ramsey O'Neal, MD (deceased), an OB-GYN physician and founder / CEO of the Hattiesburg Clinic, PA, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (now over 220 physicians). Ramsey was a great visionary, leader and a fantastic yet humble, family man who spent his life giving to others.
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What is your favorite hobby or past time?
Bruce: Three actually: (1) Computing --Internet related activities, (2) Photography - specifically the great out doors and (3) Ancestral history, development and documentation.
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If you could see into the future or travel backward in time, which would you choose? Why?
Bruce: Future sight: To see if some of my business and political fantasies become reality and to be there when my children get to realize some of their dreams.
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In high school, what was your favorite subject and why?
Bruce: (1) Debate & Extemporaneous Speaking - Gained self confidence and an ability to articulate complex subjects and think on my feet on the fly. (2) History – fascinating how history repeats itself, (3) Sports - learned "group think" and a good foundation for "team management".
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Can you name one accomplishment in your life most people might not know about?
Bruce: Author: "The Superbill, a Standardized Billing and/or Claim Processing System", Medical Group Management Association, 1974; This "How To" publication set the standard for billing physician's services to patients and third parties in the US using standardized coding systems (ICDA Diagnostic Coding and THEN the CRS or California Relative Value System, now CPT) that is the structure to this day.
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If you could be anything else, what would you be and why?
Bruce: Trial Attorney - for the interaction and chance to convince others of another way (anf to take advantage of 8 great years in debate and extemporaneous speaking - high school and college).
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What was your very first job experience and how did it affect you?
Bruce: Travelers Insurance Company, Minneapolis, MN – I held 2 positions (multi-line claims adjuster & Medicare Part B Unit Supervisor) which lead to my “first life” career in healthcare administration. The responsibility assigned to claims adjusters, contact with the legal profession and with hundreds of people from all walks of life gave me a professional edge. The Medicare position exposed me to some outstanding bosses who taught me a lot about managing people while sanding some of my rough edges.
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Do you think that you are successful?
Bruce: Certainly -- but most of my success was in providing a launchpad for others to succeed (my most rewarding moments in life).
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Describe one of your long-term goals
Bruce: To be a good parent and role model for my children
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If you could give the world one piece of advice, what would it be?
Bruce: Two pieces: Keep a smile on your face and treat everyone with respect regardless of who they are or who you think they are.
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Name two aspects of your career that you are most passionate about
Bruce: (1) Management: I enjoyed working with and through other people to get things done in the business environment – as a manager and consultant; (2) Challenges: I became involved in many activities for which I had no formal training -- e.g., medical practice office building design & construction supervision and software design & systems integration; (3) Interviewing: I learned that the KEY to successful management and my own success was based on the people that made up our organizations.
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If you could see yourself ten years in the future, what would you be doing?
Bruce: Traveling the world and working on a Ph. D. in Communications (assuming I had the money required to do it). It would be fun.
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What was the most important decision you have ever made in regards to your career?
Bruce: Attending graduate school mid-life to secure my MBA (tremendous learning experience when I was finally mature enough to know that what I was learning was truly important and meaningful).
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