Monsters of Rock – Monsters of Education

I confess to being a fan of the classic heavy metal rock genre, and so this past Wednesday (March 28) was a thrilling night for me. A guitarist by the name of Tony Iommi played the Ottawa Civic Center with the current line-up of the famous metal group Black Sabbath.
Iommi crafted a guitar sound in the late 60’s that remains so distinctive and powerful that he has been cited as an influence to a legion of rock guitarists. The band Black Sabbath is commonly referred to as a “Monster of Rock”.
The monster metaphor has found its way into hockey thanks to a well known NHL analyst and former coach Pierre McGuire. Late in his TSN broadcast McGuire selects his “Monster player of the game”, a player whose performance is so powerful it affects the flow of the game and the success of his team.

Distinction and influence; these are the traits common in any practice that is deemed excellent, or in this case monstrous. When I’m in the presence of someone like Tony Iommi, or CEO-author Jack Welch, or comedian Bill Cosby, I find myself inspired to develop toward building distinction and influence in education and telehealth.

We have numerous “Monsters of Education” stories, past and present at the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group. For example, Gail Robinson and her team at the Brockville Psychiatric Hospital who pioneered the concept of community treatment teams – that was a monster. The team from the Substance Use and Concurrent Disorders (known as Addictions Program at the time) who pioneered Early Intervention in the school setting. That was a monster. We could go on for pages with other examples of accomplishments that have shaped the Mental Health service playing field.
The world is full of masters and monsters of their craft. After enjoying yourself in their presence, ask yourself “how do they distinguish themselves and their work from everyone else in their field?” That could unlock some wonderful creative potential in your professional craft.