TRIMEDX Senior Site Manager Zachary Silas recently contributed an article for TechNation’s Biomed 101 series about finding his purpose amid his grief and how to be intentional about building authentic connections. The full article as it appeared on Dec. 1, 2024, is below.
The year 2023 was a big journey for me. I was supposed to start my job as a site manager with TRIMEDX on Jan. 3, but I found out during my relocation that my cousin was reported to have committed suicide. As the co-executive producer of Ellen DeGeneres Show, he was a very public figure. But to me, he was a family member who I admired and appreciated. To be so genuine and humble while navigating from Montgomery, Alabama all the way to Los Angeles while maintaining your roots. He was just remarkable. It was a huge blow to find out.
During my grieving process, the first order of business was doing something I had never done and really exposing myself to therapy in a way that required vulnerability. It also helped me work through some life changes, like my new role as a site manager. In the midst of everything, I was trying to build a team and motivate others, but I realized you also have to be motivated yourself.
I realized my leadership was an extension of Stephen’s legacy and what he was able to accomplish in this world. I want people I meet, regardless of the relationship, to feel empowered in some way. I want them to be better than they were before. I felt that way prior to Stephen, but I think it’s more intentional now. I had a friend who would ask “Are you happy?” instead of “How are you?” and it always got a more truthful response. I think that’s the one question I wish I was more intentional about asking Stephen. I wholeheartedly believe he was happy when we were together, but I wish I had asked him how he felt when he wasn’t surrounded by loved ones. We assume because you have goals and aspirations, you’re still moving towards something. We assume because you’re moving, you’re in a good place, but that might not be the case.
Even more than before, I think my purpose is to shed positive light on the people I encounter. I took that into my new role as a site manager. Since the account is in a rural location, we have had to get creative with hiring some people who didn’t have any background in the medical field whatsoever. With such a new team, we really had to focus on team building with lunches, team activities and ways to just get to know each other outside of the shop. We try to be creative. We have had team lunches where we each bring in dishes traditional to our ethnicities, which is always a fun way to learn about others. This past Halloween, we needed some last-minute costumes and one of the team members loves drawing. He came up with the Ghostbusters idea, so we got some OR bunny suits and made the designs. Sometimes it’s important to do something fun and memorable for the team to look back on and laugh. That’s really the dynamic the team has formed over time and it’s cool to see.
To any new incoming leader, I would offer the following advice:
- Be patient. This phase is about learning, not necessarily doing.
- Trust the process. When you make yourself available, the training and exposure will make you capable. Availability is sometimes as valuable as capability.
- Become familiar with how you are being measured internally and externally and prioritize often.
- Determine a plan that will deliver results while giving the entire team ownership. The approach to goal attainment should be sustainable, so no cutting corners. Do the right thing.
Zachary Silas is a TRIMEDX site manager in Freeport, Illinois.