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By Vicki Hess
I love following up with folks who hear me speak to learn about how they are using the tools and resources that I share in my talks. I was excited to learn that Amy Boyce (who heard me speak at a conference) and her team in outpatient radiology at the Center for Advanced Medicine, South County, Barnes Jewish Hospital, had achieved 100% engagement on their last survey. I was going to St. Louis, MO so we set up a time for me to visit. I wanted to see in person what 100% engagement looks like. I was curious to learn about their “secret sauce”. I arrived and found Amy waiting for me at the front entrance as promised. Amy is a strong leader who is committed to the employees and patients she serves. Her sincerity and genuine interest in creating the best possible workplace came through during my visit. I could tell that managing this team is what makes Amy feel satisfied, energized and productive at work (AKA engaged). As I met each member of the team I asked, “What makes this department so special?” To a person, they responded, “We’re a family." Here are some of the things Amy and the team shared that are responsible for their high level of engagement: Hire for engagement. They don’t settle for someone who is good technically but isn’t willing to put in the work to support others on the team. They have interviewed dozens of people for an open position and would rather cover the open position than hire the wrong person. Don’t put up with bad attitudes. The turnover that the department has experienced has been positive with folks being held accountable for their interactions. If you don’t give your patients and job responsibilities your all, you aren’t going to last here. Have each other’s back. Each member of the team mentioned how they look out for each other and make sure everyone has the support they need. They successfully work in small spaces with very high productivity because of their teamwork. Everyone is a leader. The group decided they didn’t need a “lead” tech or nurse because they all see themselves as leaders. Each person is capable of being “in charge” to meet the needs of patients and co-workers. They cover for each other and make sure that their patients get the best care possible. As a result, they consistently score well on patient experience surveys. Visible and supportive supervisor. Amy is physically and mentally present with her team. She frequently rounds with staff to make sure they are having a good day at work. She removes obstacles and provides needed tools and resources. She is a good listener and pays attention to the engagement level of the team members. As you can see, there is no “secret sauce”. But of course, you probably already knew that. Working on employee engagement is like getting in shape. There aren’t any secrets, it takes consistent work overtime to achieve positive outcomes. Every item above is achievable in any workplace. I loved the time I spent visiting with the outpatient radiology team at Barnes Jewish. Their smiles are contagious. Their sincerity is refreshing and their work ethic is remarkable. Congratulations on creating your very own Professional Paradise! Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success!
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By Kristin Baird
Word of mouth has always been one of the most important means of communication whether it’s spreading news or sharing opinions. In the old days, pre-internet, if a patient was dissatisfied with his or her experience, chances are he’d tell about 15 or 20 people. Today, patients are texting, tweeting and posting their feelings throughout the entire experience. And chances are, you aren’t in their feed and may never know what is being said. With the click of a mouse, patients are sharing their experiences, good and bad, with the world. Word of mouse is the new word of mouth. In just seconds, your patients can tell thousands about a rude receptionist, long wait time or convoluted processes. And hopefully they are also sharing the great experiences along the way as well. I watched the power of social media unfold before my eyes a few weeks ago when someone made a negative comment on Facebook about their experiences at a pediatric clinic. Within minutes, there were dozens of comments from others sharing their similar, negative experiences, and it snowballed from there. In among the negative were a few positive experiences but they were drowned out by the negative. It was harsh to say the least. Although we cannot prevent people from seeing the negative, we can do our best to create a consistently positive patient experience. Map out your patient experiences to identify opportunities for improvement, listen to patient feedback with an open mind. The minor complaint today could be the snowballing social media conversation of tomorrow. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Laurie Guest
Here is a key sentiment on customer service: once you have set an expectation of a good experience, do not disappoint. Before making a presentation for nurses, I asked a critical care nurse what she wanted her staff to hear during my talk. She responded, “I want you to say, ‘One of your patients will be spending his last day on earth with you. Do not disappoint him.’” What an impactful statement. Even though it is unlikely that your customers are spending their last day on earth with you, the mentality of the statement is the basis of my focus in this article. What is positive positioning? Positive positioning is using words to set up an expectation of a good experience. Although it sounds simple, a receptionist scheduling a new exam at a doctor’s office, for example, may need more advanced training to succeed at this. It does not come automatically to most. One of my favorite examples of this is a doctor who asked me to do a secret shop phone call to his office. He wanted me to pretend to be a new patient. His hope was that the staff person answering the phone would give me an explanation of his great attributes including where he’d graduated from school and his excellent bedside manner with patients. These are things that he thought were important to a new patient. I asked him, “How confident are you that when I call, your receptionist is going to do the spiel just the way you scripted it?” He said, “I am extremely confident. We’ve gone over it. She knows how to do it. She’s practiced it. All is good.” With great confidence, I called the next day. During the entire phone conversation, the receptionist did a fantastic job of taking care of my needs. As we neared the end of the phone call she hadn’t fulfilled the positive positioning that the doctor expected. Because I wanted her to score well on this test, I asked a leading question in hopes it would cause her to recite the words from her training. I said, “You know, before I let you go, I’m kind of new to the area. Is there something you could tell me about your doctor?” Now, what more could I have done for her? I teed it up perfectly. After a long pause, she said, and I quote, “Well, he’s six foot, blonde and gorgeous. What more do you need to know?” I’ve always loved this story because—although you could certainly call that positive positioning—it’s not exactly what the doctor was looking for in setting the image of his practice! How do you communicate positive positioning? “Don’t disappoint.” The words of that critical care nurse have stuck with me. Think about it. What can I do to make sure that I don’t disappoint you? The concept of “don’t disappoint” is something that I even implement at the end of my emails. When a client considers me, my last line says, “I look forward to delivering this program to your audience. You won’t be disappointed.” You’d be amazed how many times after I’m done with my work, the client will say some version of: “You were right. I wasn’t disappointed.” Setting the bar of expectation and delivering as promised is what positive positioning is all about. What does positive positioning look like for you? To set an expectation of a good experience and thus create the image you desire, have your team first generate a list of specific things customers often compliment about your organization, your people, your product and service. (If you can’t come up with a list, then you’ve uncovered a bigger issue.) Work as a team to develop sentences that work for your current situation. For example, “He’s a great doctor” could be evolved to “Our patients often tell us Dr. Jones is very easy to talk to.” The phrases need to be truthful and accurate. Once you fine-tune the language, even simple words can make a difference. Words like definitely, absolutely, certainly, and fantastic are great examples of starter words. I recommend reading Words at Sell by Richard Bayan. A new, updated version is available and is packed with words and phrases that help people connect and allow you to position your business in the best way possible. Upgrade your words, message, and image. Then, see what a difference positive positioning makes to a guest encounter that does not disappoint. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Dan Coughlin
For the past 20 years I’ve been an advisor to executives and entrepreneurs. Many times I’ve heard comments from my clients about wanting greater authority and control. They sound like this:
What is Always Out of Our Control? Here’s a quick overview from the macro to the micro of what is out of our control: Natural Disasters Just recently in Houston, Florida, Puerto Rico, and California we were all reminded again that natural disasters do strike very hard and in very real ways. Homes were washed and burned away in just a few hours. Evil in the World The horrors in Las Vegas and Hollywood reminded us again that evil is still alive and well, and can strike when and where we least expect it. The Economy We can invest in our businesses based on a strong economy today only to find out it has collapsed a few months later. Remember 2008. Industry Trends Things shift that are outside of our control. Think of the social media platforms that have come and gone over the past fifteen years. We barely knew some of them before they left us. Personal Crises Disease, death, and divorce can turn a person’s life upside down. If it happens to us or to an employee, it can affect our ability to get things done on the timeline we had planned. Mistakes in the Workplace We thought we had everything under control. We planned everything out. Everyone did what we told them to do. And then bang, a human error. Something we could not control happens. And there goes the control we thought we had. Disgruntled Employees, Suppliers, and Customers This is the one that we can count on throwing off our plans more than anything else. An employee takes a “personal day” during an important project because he or she is ticked off at what is happening in the organization. We tried to tell people what to do so often that they decided to go work somewhere else. Customers got tired of feeling helpless, and they just left. Or they left for a better financial deal. Same with suppliers. The “control” we thought we had is an illusion. Influence Others, Don’t Control Them Here’s the great irony I’ve learned in 20 years of working with senior-level executives and entrepreneurs. They don’t really control all that much. Their success depends enormously on the decisions and behaviors of other people. Specifically the people who are responsible for doing specific tasks in the organization. You can’t control those people. They are not robots. They are humans. The key is to focus on trying to influence how they think so they make decisions that improve results in a sustainable way. That is leadership. That is the one thing you can provide. It doesn’t mean that other people will always do exactly what you want them to do the way you want them to do it, but it is the one ability you can develop and deliver that might improve results in a sustainable way. Here are some ways to influence how other people think: Tell a story. Share statistics. Ask questions, listen carefully, share what you’ve heard, combine ideas to make better ideas, and guide the group to develop and execute a decision. Consistently share a point of view. Develop empathy for the other person in order to understand what he or she is thinking and feeling. Make a decision and see who will follow through and execute it. Provide autonomy. Talk with people about their purpose at work. Provide training to help people to master the work they do. Provide positive and negative consequences for the decisions, behaviors, and results that other people create. Then those people can decide how to respond to those consequences. Hire people very carefully, and fire people when you think it’s necessary. There’s a lot you can do to improve performance and results, but controlling people and other factors is really not one of them. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
Jim Martin was a successful man. Driven to succeed since he was a child, Jim excelled throughout his schooling and graduated near the top of his class from the Wharton Business School. Jim’s success was rewarded with a high-paying job at a Fortune 100 company that encouraged his continued excellence by paying for continuous education with other top performers. He lived in New York, had a wonderful lifestyle and great friends. He enjoyed more status, income and success than he’d ever imagined possible. And yet he was utterly unhappy. To alleviate the heavy discontent, he began meeting with a counselor. After several meetings, the counselor asked a question that Jim credits with transforming his life. Getting nowhere in the meetings with Jim in regards to what would actually make his current work and life even better, the counselor pushed back from the desk, leaned back in the chair, looked at Jim and asked: One simple question to transform your life “What would you do if you could do anything you wanted to?” Unprepared for the question, Jim shut his eyes, reflected for a moment and responded with an answer that surprised them both: Become a Jesuit priest. Jim wasn’t raised in a home that actively practiced a specific faith and he wasn’t practicing as an adult, but he had met a few Jesuits who impressed him with their intellect, faithfulness and love. As important as the first question was for Jim and is for each us, it was the second question that lead to his transformation. “Ok, then what are you going to do about it?” How Fr. Jim Martin created a life of contentment + how you can too In response, Jim researched the work, mission and life of the Jesuits and met with a few Jesuits he knew. His search ultimately resulted in leaving behind his successful corporate life to become a Jesuit priest, taking a vow of obedience, abstinence and poverty. And he’s never felt more successful. Jim has written more than a dozen books, been published in dozens of languages, and is a frequent commentator for CNN, NPR, Fox, Time magazine and The Huffington Post. In spite of the massive success of his work today, everything he makes is shared with his community. In some regards, he’s never had less control over his money, time or life… and he’s never felt a deeper sense of contentment in his life, either. My friends, what would you do if you could do anything? How might you teach differently in class, heal more effectively as a nurse, lead more boldly as a manager or love more fully as a friend, partner or spouse? How might you live more passionately, more freely and more joyfully as an individual? Ok, so what are you going to do about it? It’s important to remember as we ask and answer these questions each day that the goal we ultimately seek is much closer to contentment than some vague notion of success. “Contentment does not mean that you desire nothing. Instead, it’s the simple decision to be happy with what you have.” In a world striving forward in the same direction, sometimes it’s wise to be courageous enough to swim in an entirely different direction. This is your day. Live Inspired. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Tim Hague Sr.
When the trip was first announced, I came home and immediately said to my wife, Sheryl, ‘I want to go on this trip’. The trip was to India. It was a service trip where individuals from our church were invited by churches in India to assist them in their work. Their work consisted of establishing school’s, running orphanages, creating jobs in local communities and the like. It sounded fascinating even though India had never been on my ‘must see’ list of countries. Then I heard the timeframe. November 9th to 26th. Sixteen days. Ouch! I hesitated, then withdrew altogether. In my mind, this was far too long to be gone by myself on such a challenging trip. You see, Sheryl, my wife would not be going and while I would be traveling with some very good friends there would be no one really close. Parkinson’s close. This is a part of my reality with Parkinson’s. It makes the adventurer timid. The sure of heart to question, to doubt and to shrink back. But, of course, she was having none of that. ‘You’re going. You will be fine. We’ll make arrangements and put in place the things you might need. You want to do this and you can. You are going.’ She basically made me go. Yes, I wanted to go, but I would not have had she not insisted. This is the kind of spouse, partner, care partner, business partner that books and blogs are written about. The person who encourages you, yes, even pushes you to meet your full potential. I have been home for a number of days and am still bedevilled as how best to describe my experience. The teaching that I had the opportunity to do was challenging and encouraging. I shared on the topic of suffering and how from a Christian perspective we understand and respond to hardship. Quite frankly, in this place, with these people who face hardships unknown to me, I felt vastly inadequate to the task. Yet their response was warm, welcoming and grateful. I was left humbled by their gratitude. We traveled north and east to the border of Bhutan driving through dense jungle. Throughout the jungle animal paths could be seen and along the road signs warned of reduced speeds. It is a serious infraction to hit an elephant. Unfortunately, we saw none. The countryside was breathtaking. Flying into to Delhi we could see the majestic Himalayas in the distance and from the northern border of West Bengal we could see in the near distance their foothills. They were truly magical. Tea plantations were abundant every where we traveled filled with labourers plucking by hand some of the world’s finest tea leaves. There is a richness and deep beauty to the land. The people are some of the kindest and most hospitable I have known. We were welcomed into homes and generously provided for by individuals who have so little. Whatever they owned they graciously shared. When it came to the food I was very happy to receive! I enjoyed Indian food prior to my travels and now it holds especially fond memories of new friendships made over delectable dishes so very far away. Then there is a dichotomy that I am reluctant to put into words but was a part of the reality. So many places were so filthy. There was garbage strewn everywhere. The cities and towns were full of cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and their accompanying filth. Many times I found myself standing on a street corner trying to bring together these two very opposing experiences. Such beauty scarred by such dirtiness. I’ve had a number of fellow travellers comment on the smells of India. Strange but true Parkinson’s fact : I can smell very little anymore. This is a side effect of Parkinson’s and I’m sensing a true blessing in this case. I am typically not a tea drinker, but on one occasion I did not have my Starbucks Via with me and black tea was being served. So, why not? I don’t dislike tea, I just prefer coffee. One cup of tea and it was instant dyskinesia and tremors! Think of the times you have seen Michael J. Fox on television and his Parkinson’s has him swaying and bouncing around. That’s me on black tea (or at least that’s how I felt)! I am a caffeine junky. I’ve drank coffee since being able to sit up on my dad’s knee. However, this Parkie will never touch black tea again. In short I loved India, yet, I’m not sure I want to go back. It is a beautiful yet hard place. It is compelling and repulsing all in the same moment. It leaves me incredibly conflicted because I love the new friendships I have made but am so very uncomfortable with the culture. I could, and have, go on for hours telling harrowing stories of driving in India. I have never been a nervous passenger but then I’ve never been a passenger in India before. India is a challenging country for many westerners. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s crowded, the driving is insane, it is plagued with extreme poverty. The country has a population pegged at 1.2 billion people. The capital city of Delhi has just shy of 19 million people and the greater metro area has a population in excess of 24 million. All of Canada has a mere 33 million. Added to the people are all the cattle, sheep, goats, dogs and monkeys that roam the streets. It could be easy to see all that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable and miss something profoundly important. That is the men and women who work diligently to serve their communities. The ‘minister entrepreneur’ who starts schools for the poor, starts weaving and sewing business’ and chicken farms for communities who have little means for income generation. An orphanage run by two families that houses, teaches, feeds and cloths eighty plus children. Pastors who face the threat of being, and at times are, physically harmed for their faith. Yet they continue in their work to provide support, encouragement and hope to their communities. They ride their bikes twenty five kilometres, one way in all kinds of weather, to serve remote communities. In each of these instances they have exemplified what it really means to Live Your Best. Even when they have so little they displayed a level of generosity and gratefulness that was moving. They have left me encouraged to display that same kind of generosity in my efforts within the Parkinson’s community. I have returned home with a renewed sense of gratitude for the care partner in my life who knows me and is willing to push, just enough, to keep me moving. To keep me living and experiencing all of life. ‘You’re going. You will be fine. We’ll make arrangements and put in place the things you might need. You want to do this and you can. You are going.’ If you have this kind of partner make sure you tell them how grateful you are for them. If you are that person: thanks. Now having gone and not having experienced any of ‘those days’, in fact having had a fabulous trip, I’m left puzzling over my willingness to pull back from the challenge. My ‘excuse’ is Parkinson’s; what is yours? We each have fascinating new opportunities waiting for us. Don’t let your excuse keep you from experiencing everything that you should and all that you can be. Keep going, never stop moving and always Live Your Best. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Colette Carlson
Connecting with others often brings warm, fuzzy feelings of affection, mutual understanding, and inclusion. But let’s face it, all that can go out the window quickly when someone you know gets something you want—like that promotion, that new home, or maybe even that smaller pants size. Envy can take a bite out of you, and suddenly you sense a twinge of resentment toward even your closest friends! Instead of becoming bitter, get better and put envy to work for you. Merriam Webster defines envy as “painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage.” The first two words that jump out at me here are “painful” and “resentful.” Neither of these adjectives sounds particularly fun or positive! So, let’s take a look at how you might reframe this a bit. In my experience, the most difficult attitudes and experiences, when confronted constructively, pay off in psychological, spiritual, and even material rewards! Be Fair When You Compare Let’s think about your tendency to compare yourself to others, which is the basis of envy. Granted, comparing yourself to others is part of human nature, but depending on your temperament, can lead to discouragement, depression, and giving up. Here’s why. Ever notice that the person you target tends to be the cream-of-the-crop, rather than the “crop” or average individual? By setting the benchmark this high, you pretty much guarantee you’ll come up short! If you simply must compare, at least be fairer and more realistic in your evaluation. Use standards that take into account who YOU are, not someone else. After all, how much do you really know about them underneath their “stellar” exterior? Wouldn’t it be a lot more reasonable and constructive to compare where you are now to where you started? This way, it’s easy to see how much growth and progress you’ve achieved, which will encourage you to keep working to get better and better. Use Benign Envy as Motivation Whereas malicious envy begrudges another’s gain to the point of wishing they would actually lose that thing or that harm would befall them, benign envy can stir your emotions toward positive action. Benign envy is when you wish you had something that someone else has, and you believe you’re capable of accomplishing the same thing, but so far you haven’t. Rather than sit and stew, use others’ qualities or achievements as a sign of hope that these triumphs are possible and achievable. Seeing others succeed can inspire you to work harder and improve your performance. Combining this idea with the reality that you are unique and completely distinct from the person you envy, can bring tremendous joy as you work to become the best version of “you” possible! When envy hits, you’re giving all your attention to what (or who) is outside you, rather than the harder task of looking at yourself. But remember that within you is an abundance of beauty, strength, and uniqueness. I promise you, concentrating on strengthening your own personal gifts and abilities will make you far happier and more peaceful than getting the biggest promotion and house, or even that “ideal” pant size. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Jonathan Burroughs
IBM’s Watson supercomputer grabbed headlines last year at Fortune Magazine’sBrainstorm Health conference by making treatment recommendations for individual cancer patients. Watson sifted through electronic health records, 15 million pages of medical literature and thousands of case studies to make the recommendations. They included ratings for each care pathway, all the way up to courses of treatment the supercomputer believes should be contraindicated. That’s a big leap from beating some “Jeopardy!” contestants at answering general trivia questions. It also demonstrates how “Big Data” can be used in everyday applications in the healthcare setting (there will be nearly 1.7 million cancer diagnoses made nationwide this year). But for now, Watson is more sideshow than main event. It’s only being used in about 100 hospitals in the U.S. That’s little more than 2 percent of the nationwide total. And observers say that light market penetration tends to illustrate the current state of Big Data’s deployment in the American healthcare system. “Big Data has been something of a buzzword,” said Summerpal Kahlon, M.D., director of care innovation for Oracle’s health sciences division. “There are areas where the concepts of Big Data have been making an impact,” but its application has been spotty. So, where is Big Data being used on an everyday basis? And where does it portend its deployment in the near-term? Thomas Van Gilder, M.D., chief medical officer for Transcend Insights, a Milwaukee-area health care IT and population health management firm, noted that some healthcare professionals are already being deluged with significant amounts of patient data, such as triage nurses and laboratory technicians in hospital emergency rooms. But a lot of that information isn’t being properly analyzed, and their training on how to use the information hasn’t caught up with how to apply it to the practice of medicine. “Where we’re headed is data coming from all sorts of sources, such as wearable technologies, social media, and personalized information such as your genome, but how it is identified and brought together has not yet been established,” Van Gilder said. That’s not to say there aren’t some deep data analyses taking place. Kahlon cited a small Medicare Part D project focused on patients with complex medical conditions. Advanced data analytics is being combined with patient records, leading to new insights on prescribing. Lack of adherence to a prescription regimen is one of the leading causes of readmissions to a hospital after discharge. “It gives (the providers) the chance to select the right prescription regimen for the right person and what the ripple effect is for the drugs,” Kahlon said. “It also allows for pharmacists and managed care teams to optimize the regimen – or at least anticipate what may go wrong.” Van Gilder cited Google Flu Trends, which he observed is “really an example of social media and Internet usage bring brought to bear on a (health care) issue.” Flu Trends tracked the incidences of influenza in the U.S. and other parts of the world, laying the foundation for a robust surveillance system to track potentially dangerous pandemics. Although Flu Trends’ first iteration did not succeed, a group of Harvard researchers has refined its algorithms to apparently create a more useful surveillance tool. Private vendors are also making some inroads into harnessing Big Data. The Florida-based Modernizing Medicine has created a cloud-based electronic health record system that also performs data analyses. For example, it can identify which dermatology patients are at risk for depression and inform dermatologists (through an I-pad-based application) what medications they may wish to prescribe or avoid. Or for gastroenterologists, it can make ongoing recommendations on tweaking treatment regimens for patients with hepatitis B, where medications and other treatments often have to be minutely adjusted at unpredictable times. “The system can read a patient’s lab values, but it won’t interrupt the doctor until (they) deviate from the standard of care in that situation, and then it will mention it,” said Michael Sherling, M.D., Modernizing Medicine’s chief medical officer. About 10,000 providers nationwide use the application, Sherling added. Meanwhile, the training of medical professionals is being changed to anticipate the changes that will be wrought by Big Data. Van Gilder noted that preventative medicine residents at the University of Wisconsin are being taught to consider the personal demographic data of each patient, which is being collected and analyzed alongside all relevant clinical information. For example, a patient’s home address may not only serve as a socioeconomic-linked indicator of their health but whether or not their neighborhood is conducive to walking and other physical activities that might stave off future health care issues. “I think the promise of big data is enormous, but the challenges are enormous for it as well,” Van Gilder said. “We’re seeing the outlines, and the future systems will really come together to promote the healthcare experience.” Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
I travel quite a bit and I must admit that I’m a bit of a customer service snob. It’s not that I expect to be treated like royalty, you knave. It’s just that if I’m paying for a service, I feel I should be treated as if I matter. Recently, I was renting a car in Las Vegas. I won’t say the name of the company but it rhymes with “hurts.” I had not rented from them before so I wasn’t familiar with their particular routine at the airport. As I waited in line to check in, the agent, in a somewhat frustrated tone, instructed the people in front of me to move ahead to one of the check-in kiosks. So, not wanting to clog things up for the people behind me, I moved too. Apparently, though, it was not my turn. As I walked towards an open kiosk, the agent was clearly annoyed and yelled, “Sir, stop. Please listen. You can’t go there. You need to use the Number Six kiosk.” Before I go on, let me share a little bit about my physical response to this situation. First, there appears to be a bundle of nerves that runs up my spine and attaches to the hairs on the back of my neck. These nerves shot electrical impulses up my back, down my arms, and then told the neck hairs that it was time to wake the hell up. Second, I suspect there is this gland in my head that’s responsible for facial heat and coloration. It was also activated. My cheeks went royal flush, which was appropriate since we were in Las Vegas. I’m sure that all of these physical reactions have something to do with the flight or fight response that served our Ice Age ancestors quite well. But I wasn’t in danger of being gored by a unicorn so my physical reaction to the rental car agent was just a tad bit extreme (there were unicorns back in the Ice Age, right?). Anyway, back to my customer dis-service experience. My first inclination in response to the harsh agent was to tell her where she could put her Number Six kiosk. Luckily the part of my brain which prevents me from engaging in extreme verbal or physical behavior was fully intact so I didn’t do or say anything disrespectful. But even though I didn’t respond inappropriately, I did shut down emotionally. I retreated to a place where I used short verbal responses and made no eye contact. I felt as if a dark cloud had moved over my head and the feeling stayed with me the rest of the morning. This is an example of an ineffective zag. Had I zigged instead, I would have experienced a much better outcome. Let me explain. Two of the fundamental principles of humor are surprise and incongruence. The element of surprise catches us off guard and incongruence makes us look at things differently. Humor zigs rather than zags. For instance, this hot dog walks into a bar. The bartender says, “I’m sorry, we don’t serve food here.” I know, it’s a horribly stupid joke—but still funny. The unexpected punchline and the play on words create a surprise incongruence, or a zig when we expect a zag. It’s an alternative ending. I have found that just about every time I react to a tense situation with a zig instead of a zag, I succeed in changing the outcome. In other words, I also create an alternative ending. When the rental car agent was upset with me, I zagged with an expected reaction—I got upset. But I could have zigged with something like this, “I’m so grateful you saw me heading towards the Lamborghini kiosk and steered me back to the Hyundai kiosk. I’m much more of a Hyundai kinda guy.” Would she laugh? Maybe. Would it create an alternative ending? Definitely. Here’s another example: My son and I played golf while we were in Las Vegas. The starter at the golf club told us that he could send us onto the course earlier than our scheduled tee time but we would have to skip the practice range. We said that was OK. He then challenged us and asked if we were sure we wanted to skip the practice range. I said, “Absolutely…we’re not that good.” He started laughing and sent us on our way. Now, granted, this situation was not as tense as the one in the rental car facility but the principle still applied—it helped us to zig when he expected a zag. If you’d like to zig rather than zag, there are really only two rules to follow. First, don’t do what is expected. Second, take the high road. First, when you surprise someone with unexpected positive behavior, you give them a gift. You give them the gift of another perspective—and if what you say is funny, you give them the gift of laughter as well. Too often, we just do what everybody else does. We complain about the weather. We gripe about being inconvenienced. Or we whine about being mistreated. And yet, we could zig instead. Once, in high school, another kid tried to pick a fight with me. Instead of fighting, I complimented him on his shirt. He thanked me and walked away. It was a brilliant zig that made him forget why he wanted to fight me and saved me from getting a broken nose. Second, when it comes to taking the high road, we just need to do what’s honorable. Today, a lot of people are being what my mother called “ugly.” She wasn’t referring to their looks but their behavior. Ugly behavior is when someone uses a disrespectful approach to others. Taking the high road means maintaining dignity for ourselves and for others. We use courteous language and never go on the attack. It’s just the right way to act. It’s more humane. We all will encounter challenging situations from time to time. But if we respond with anger, frustration, or aggression, it will only lead to more anger, frustration, and aggression. If, on the other hand, we choose to zig rather than zag, we’re likely to find an alternative ending that not only makes our day better but puts a positive vibe into the world. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Are your employees happy at work? According to a recent Gallup survey, 51% of America’s 100 million full-time employees aren’t engaged at work, meaning they feel no real connection to their jobs and tend to do the bare minimum. Another 16% reported being “actively disengaged,” meaning they resent their jobs and tend to drag down morale as a result. A separate study by Gallup and the Queens School of Business shared insight on the costly effects of these disengaged employees.They found that disengaged workers had 37% higher levels of absenteeism, 49% more accidents and 60% more errors and defects. Companies with low employee engagement scores also experienced 18% less productivity and 37% lower job growth. To combat the threat of a disengaged unproductive workforce, employers must strive to help employees feel happy in the workplace; happy employees tend to be more engaged. Plenty of scientific research over the years supports that there are clear neurological links between feelings, thoughts and actions. Employees who feel happy and hold a positive mindset behave in such manner at the workplace. Happiness has many benefits in the workplace that lead to a successful workforce. In Shawn Achor’s book, The Happiness Advantage, Achor states that “When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive.” Happy employees are – for the most part – better employees. Here are just a few examples of the benefits of happiness in the workplace: Happiness combats stress. Happy employees build resilience when it comes to workplace stress. Happy employees also take fewer sick days. Happy employees create a positive and strong company culture and boost morale. A strong company culture benefits retention. Happy employees devote more time and effort to their work and outperform their competition by 20%. To learn how to make your employees and coworkers happier, visit SelfCare for HealthCare™. Looking for your next healthcare speaker? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to make your healthcare event a success! |
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