Three important lessons a hospital can teach your business

January hasn’t gone to plan.

I’d mapped out my ideas, organised my calendar and stepped into the new year feeling really prepared. Then my daughter became unwell and everything stopped. Two weeks in hospital swallowed the month whole.

But that forced pause in the hospital with my daughter taught me three important business lessons.

King's Mill Hospital's Emergency Department.

1. Flexibility isn’t a luxury — it’s a lifeline

Hospital days change by the hour. One moment you’re waiting for a bed, the next you’re speaking to a consultant, and suddenly the whole day has disappeared.

My carefully crafted January schedule didn’t stand a chance.

And yet, I was grateful. Grateful that I could move meetings, pause admin, and be where I needed to be. It reminded me that we can plan to the nth degree, but life will always have the final say.

At this time of year, we’re bombarded with messages about vision boards, productivity hacks, resolutions and plans. Plans matter, but adaptability matters more. What we really need in life and in business is to build in space. Rest. Slack. Flexibility. The ability to respond when life shifts beneath your feet.

2. Forecasting is helpful — but it will never be perfect

While we were at King’s Mill, the hospital trust declared a critical incident. A modern hospital, designed with future demand in mind, was overwhelmed. Wards full. The Emergency Department stretched far beyond capacity.

Teams of experts would have forecasted patient numbers years in advance. They would have analysed data, modelled scenarios, planned for growth. And still, reality outpaced prediction.

This resonated with me and my own discomfort when it comes to forecasting for my business.

We’re told to forecast sales, predict demand, map out revenue. But even the most rigorous models can be wrong — sometimes wildly so. There will be times when demand surges unexpectedly, and others when it dries up without warning.

The lesson isn’t “don’t forecast”. It’s “don’t punish yourself when the forecast isn’t right”. Use it as a guide, not a guarantee. Look at what’s happening now, make the best decision you can, and keep adapting.

3. Systems matter — and they need regular checking

Hospitals rely on systems. When they work, everything flows. When they don’t, everything slows.

This was the first time I had experienced how medical admissions work. My daughter’s nursing team advised that she needed to be admitted and the only route in is through the emergency department. We felt guilty for adding to the emergency workload but there is no alternative pathway, no separate assessment unit.

It made me think about the systems in our own businesses.

How often do we stop and ask:

• Does this still work?

• Is this the simplest route for my clients?

• Am I doing this because it’s effective, or because it’s familiar?

Systems shouldn’t be “set and forget”. They need reviewing, refining, and sometimes completely rethinking, otherwise they could become bottlenecks.

Stepping into the rest of the year

My daughter is home now and recovering well, and I’m slowly picking up the threads of the work I’d planned.

But I’m carrying these lessons with me.

Businesses, like people, need flexibility, realistic expectations and systems that work.

This year, instead of racing into action, I’m choosing a slower, more intentional pace. More flexibility. More compassion when plans change. More attention to the systems that support my work.

If I break that resolution, so be it — but for now, it feels like exactly the reminder I needed.