Pay it Forward

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By Kimlyn Queen-Weis

For those who know me, you know that Country Music is not my first choice when it comes to music. However, I was recently listening to a song by Tim McGraw entitled Humble And Kind, and I must admit, this may be one of my new favorite songs. It resonated with me on a personal level and from a leadership perspective for so many reasons. (I will share more about “why” that is a little later.)

When I stop and ask “how did I become a leader?,” my answer is probably like many of your answers- I was promoted into leadership because I was a great technologist. The second question, “how did I learn to be a leader?,” gets a little harder.  

Although our answers to how we became leaders may be similar, our personal leadership development journeys are all different. Over the course of my leadership journey, I have found that self-reflection is one of the most difficult yet rewarding parts of personal development. Early on, as a new manager and young leader (back in the day 😊), I thought I had all the answers. Fortunately, I was blessed with two amazing leadership mentors who helped me realize that I did not have all the answers, and that I had a lot of growing and self-reflection to do in those early years to become a leader who would one day be blessed with the opportunity to help develop future imaging leaders. I was also granted the amazing opportunity to become a member of the AHRA, which helped me grow my network, participate in leadership development educational sessions, have access to leadership-focused continuing educational materials, and to eventually become a Certified Radiology Administrator.

My mentors, AHRA family network and educational resources helped me recognize the personal transformation that I needed to make to become a better partner and a more effective, compassionate, and empathetic leader, colleague/peer, executive coach, and mentor for future leaders. I started this article sharing how Humble And Kind is now one of my favorite new songs. Here is “why.” In his song, Tim McGraw says, “When the work you put in is realized, let yourself feel the pride but always stay humble and kind.” “When you get where you’re going don’t forget turn back around and help the next one in line. Always stay humble and kind.”

I believe as imaging leaders, we have a responsibility to pay it forward and help develop future leaders. I will be forever grateful for those who invested in me, and my development, and I will always be humbled by the opportunity to invest in and support the development of a future leader.

What I want to know is…. how can the AHRA continue to invest in you?

And who can you invest in to help develop future imaging/healthcare leaders?

Thanks for all you do every day, I appreciate you!

Kimlyn Queen-Weis, CRA, FAHRA, MS, MBA is the 2021-2022 President of the AHRA Board of Directors. She is Director, System Imaging, at Ohio Health. She can be reached at kimlyn.queen-weis@ohiohealth.com