My dad and modern healthcare would not get along
I’m glad that my dad (Don Fish) is not around to see the modern healthcare industry. He would not be happy.
Dad was a man of simple, radical integrity
Don Fish was a man of subtle extremes. I’ve already mentioned that he was from West Texas, and a self-employed “oil-finder.” He was intelligent, ferociously competitive, uncommonly disciplined, and uncomfortably direct. Similarly, he was neither political nor religious, but deeply patriotic. My dad also had a knack for knowing where to drill for oil. Most of all, he was a man of rigid, non-negotiable, integrity. All those qualities eventually made him an advisor to family-owned oil companies in Texas.
Dad did business his way or no way
Several things were especially unusual about how my dad conducted business. First and foremost, in an industry that was notoriously unscrupulous, [1] Dad would only work with people he thought were honorable. His moral compass was refined and manifest in everything that he did. For example, he regularly walked away from lucrative business deals if he found out that his prospective associate was corrupt. Beyond that, he steadfastly refused to agree to any “deal” that was unfair to either party.
The crisp, powerful, finality of Dad’s “yes” to an ethical ‘win-win’ was as resolute to his “no” to”wrong.” At first, dad didn’t make much money because of how he did things. But in the end, that was his key to success. It might be interesting for you to know the kind of people who Dad felt privileged to serve.
Eagles of a feather flock together
Ross Perot Sr. [2] is a good example. Mr. Perot was a self-made billionaire who made his fortune in the electronic management of information . [3] He also owned a Petrus Operating Company. [4] Petrus is an oil company with lots of wells, mostly in Texas. As a petroleum geologist, my dad advised Petrus on where to drill for that oil.
Several summers, my parents went to Mr. Perot’s annual summer ‘get-together’ in Plano, Texas. You might be interested to know a few things about those events:
- Mr. Perot invited people who were important to him. You won’t be surprised to learn that influential people like the Governor of Texas and the CEO of General Motors, came. On the other hand, you might be astonished to know that Mr. Perot’s personal employees, cooks, drivers, and groundskeepers, etc. were invited guests at that those events, too. The Perot family was dedicated to justice and dignity. For them, these values were a public and private way of life.
- No alcohol, improper behavior, or business discussion was allowed at those events. That sort of thing was simply off-limits.
- Mr. and Mrs. Perot personally greeted EVERY guest by name.
- Under their parents’ guidance, the Perot children served the guests. I often reflect on the night and day contrast between how one legitimate, self-made billionaire, (Mr. Perot) raised his children compared to how more famous “billionaires” handle theirs.
Be noble or don’t ‘be’ at all
Dad forbid me from going into the oil business; “Jason, the oil business has nothing but crooks who will do anything to make a buck. You don’t want to look back on your life and have money but lost your soul in the process.” He believed that healthcare was the only American industry genuinely animated by integrity. He was convinced that being a doctor guaranteed a noble life for me. He insisted that I become a physician.
What he could not have imagined- America’s healthcare industry
Dad didn’t foresee healthcare’s radical and fundamental change in the late 1990s. He couldn’t have imagined how systematically cruel our healthcare industry would become. I’m glad that he didn’t live long enough to see that healthcare become more wicked than the oil business had ever been. [5]
America must change. Healthcare must its soul again. We all have to get involved. I’m starting with me.
I’m committed to being the kind of healthcare professional that my Dad wanted me to be. He would be surprised to know that a West Texas oilman taught me how. His name was Don Fish.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dallas_(1978_TV_series)
[2] https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ross-Perot
[3] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Electronic-Data-Systems
[4] https://www.dnb.com/business-directory/company-profiles.petrus_minerals_operating_co_lp.37908cd4d50cbe4a71691c4dd9128422.html
[5] https://dallas.fandom.com/wiki/J.R._Ewing