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By Kristin Baird
Over the past year, family members were banned from hospitals and restricted during clinic visits. During that time, staff and providers became accustomed to focusing mainly on the patient, and not the bedside conversations with concerned family members. This was necessary for infection control. But now family members are back and expect to be involved with the same high-quality service shown pre-pandemic. During the peak of COVID restrictions, staff were not only caring for patients in beds, they were setting up virtual visits [i]and clinical updates for the good of patients and families. But now families are back and their expectations haven’t changed. They still expect to be informed, included, and respected. It is your job to engage families for higher quality safety and service. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)[ii] encourages family involvement in patient care for better outcomes. They give four strategies for involving patient and family members. They include:
I haven’t always felt welcomed as a family member at the bedside. There was one time when my 86-year-old mother was admitted to the hospital with dangerously low sodium levels. I tried to be at the hospital early in order to meet with the doctor making rounds. I had already checked with the nurses about mom’s most recent lab work and learned the lab still hadn’t been up to draw blood. When the doctor arrived, she told me that they were not seeing any improvement based on my mom’s latest lab results. I pointed out that the lab values she was referencing were from 24 hours ago and that no blood had been drawn yet today. She got visibly angry with me. She pointed at my mom and said, “She wouldn’t know if blood was drawn today or not. These labs are from this morning.” Was this higher quality safety and service? Ouch. First, my mom was aware when people were jabbing needles into her arms. Second, the doctor totally dismissed me and was preparing to write orders based on old lab values. When I asked her to please check with the nurses, she stormed out of the room, and I could hear her screaming at the nurses. I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t come back to speak with me, but at least action was taken because of my involvement. New lab work was drawn which was significantly different from the previous day changing the mode of treatment. We had a good outcome, but that isn’t always the case. Angela Fieler wrote about her care team experience with her mother here. Had the doctor engaged me and focused on higher quality service and safety, I would have entrusted my mothers care to her team and felt valued. Patient and family members must be included in the care plans and deserve to be heard and respected. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By Kristin Baird
Healthcare leaders want to see consistency. After all, that is the essence of a high reliability organization. It is important to hold everyone accountable for certain service behaviors to ensure that they happen consistently. The goal is that, with repetition, the behaviors become so engrained that everyone performs them almost without thinking about them. The term hardwiring has become industry jargon. There is a lot of merit in hardwiring behaviors, but it’s equally important to heartwire. Help people to see the why behind what you are asking of them and connect to the bigger goals, mission, vision, and values. I like to think about this as heart-wiring because as I’ve worked with people in various settings over the years, as a clinician, a leader, and now as a consultant, I’ve found that without a personal connection to purpose, service tactics can just feel like more work for employees. There are two key operating assumptions at work here:
HIRING Heartwiring starts during the hiring process. It involves careful selection of employees that mesh with the organization’s mission, vision, and values, as well as the department’s culture. Firstly, find out what draws the candidate to healthcare and how he/she makes a difference in the lives of patients. Similarly, have individual conversations that explore the candidates’ unique interests, hopes, and desires for the work they do and their career aspirations. Ask how they have driven high quality care and exceptional service experiences for customers in the past. Discuss what the mission, vision, and values of the organization is and how their role will contribute. COACHING Once hired, ongoing coaching and feedback will help to cement desired behaviors and actions throughout their employment. Coaching provides a series of continual conversations, connecting the work being performed to the bigger picture. Coaching helps employees see the connection between what they do and the organization’s success. RECOGNITION We all like to get kudos every now and then. Recognize the behaviors you want to see more of. Employees need to know they are valued and appreciated. Recognition lets them know that you see them and appreciate them. Tactics alone won’t engage the heart. In fact, tactics that don’t clearly connect to purpose sometimes fuel resentment. When laid out as an edict, they can be seen as just more tasks layered on an already over-stretched team. Help your team make the connection between the tactic, the purpose, and the organization’s mission, vision, and values. That way, they see how their work connects to the big picture. That’s heartwiring—that’s how you can ensure that each and every one of your employees not only knows what is expected of them, but believes that their actions make a difference. That’s how you ensure that employees know that, through their actions and behaviors, they are impacting the patient experience. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kristin Baird
When I think about employee engagement, I picture a continuum that, going left to right increases in adherence capability. Imagine you have lined up the following, left to right: A paper clip A sticky note A strip of Velcro A bottle of super glue LEVELS OF STICKYNESS Each one of these represent a team member’s level of engagement. The paperclip has the least commitment to the team, the job duties, and the organization. A small gust of wind (an irritation or shinier object) would send him flying off in any direction. This is your disengaged person. The sticky note can be affixed but easily peeled. These are the somewhat engaged employees. They are inconsistent in their engagement. One day they’re firmly engaged with the team and the organization, but when things go wrong or when they’re working with a paper clip (disengaged person) they can easily move in that direction on the continuum. Then we have the Velcro. Pretty solid adherence in the right location. They do a good job of staying the course of engagement, and overall perform the job well. These are your engaged employees. You can count on them to do the job consistently. And finally comes the superglue. These are your fully engaged team members that are rock-solid and have the greatest holding power. They show real ownership and commitment. They serve the organization, the team and the mission with a passion. Look around your team and ask yourself if you have paper clips and sticky notes among your Velcro and Superglue. They could be weakening the strength of the team and performance outcomes. Coaching is the key to filling your team with Velcro and Superglue, but the techniques vary by level of engagement. Leaders must learn how to spot and coach differently at each level of engagement to make your team as sticky as possible. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kristin Baird
We live and work in uncertain times where change is a constant. With the amount of change and demands upon us, resilience is essential. Healthy cultures strive for resiliency at individual, unit, and organizational levels. People and organizations develop resilience. Becoming resilient will help you and others in your organization adapt to change and essentially learn to “roll with the punches.” Resilience, has a direct impact on creating a positive patient and co-worker experience. How? When staff are more resilient, they can adapt quickly to changing situations meaning that there is little disruption for the patient being served regardless of what is going on with staffing, management or other external and internal events. BUILDING STRENGTH IN AN ORGANIZATION To be more resilient, the leaders should communicate openly about circumstances and be prepared to talk with staff about their feelings about the situations. Leaders need to provide recognition, coaching and mentoring that reinforces the individual’s connection to meaningful work. When leaders come across as engaged, empowered and energized in the face of change, the staff are much more likely to reflect the same attitude. When the leader is pessimistic and voicing his or her own fears and anger, they can expect staff to escalate. MANAGING CHANGE Change is hard and middle managers are often the ones carrying the message of change to the front lines. This makes it important for managers to quickly assess the situation, create key talking points, and help staff stay centered on what is most important. It’s also imperative that leaders allow staff to voice fears and concerns and acknowledge their feelings yet redirect and reinforce positive actions. Resilient leaders hold the key to navigating healthcare’s sea of change. I was coaching a nurse leader a few weeks ago during a difficult time in her hospital. She asked how she could be inspirational and optimistic in the face of some unforeseen and unpleasant changes. We talked about the need to model resiliency. The message I gave her is one that works in many situations. That message is this: things may change all around us including regulations, reimbursement and staffing. But what doesn’t change is that every day, patients walk through our doors needing our help. They expect and deserve the best we can give them and we must be up to the challenge. They’re counting on us. Call it resilience, or optimism. Name it it mission-driven, brand-centered or patient focused. Call it what you like, but strive to deliver the message that regardless of what is happening around them, our patients need us and we will deliver on our promise to be there for them. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Kristin Baird
People often think good communication is how we speak and write, but listening is even more vital in good communication than what you say. This is especially true in the virtual world. Too often, we listen to respond rather than listening to understand. In that case, our minds travel away from the person and their message to formulating our response. Careful, active listening, or generous listening, is more vital now than ever as we support staff who are stressed. With in-person meetings restricted, and more virtual encounters becoming the norm, it is vital to remain conscious of your non-verbal cues on camera in order to demonstrate you are listening. When coaching people on improving listening during in-person encounters, we focus on:
At first, I thought she was multi-tasking and working on something else. Then I realized she had two screens. My image on one, and her camera aligned with the other. When I pointed it out, she was surprised because she thought she was looking right at me. The other common pitfall that can impede a personal connection is a lag in sound. It feels like people are talking over one another, or there is an awkward lag. HERE IS HOW YOU CAN APPLY ACTIVE LISTENING SKILLS IN VIRTUAL ENCOUNTERS:
It seems everyone is more stressed these days as we deal with months of pandemic-induced changes. Virtual options will help us remain connected safely, so let’s make them as close to face-to-face as possible. Think generous listening every time you enter a virtual meeting room. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By Kristin Baird
There’s little doubt that virtual visits are here to stay, and for good reason. Consumers appreciate the convenience and added level of safety while we navigate the pandemic. While patients have been thrilled to have the online option, there is no doubt that the bar for their patient experience will continue to rise with time. What was acceptable when virtual visits were a stopgap solution will not be tolerated for long. There are two major facets to the virtual experience. One is navigating the technology; the other is maintaining the provider/patient relationship. For decades we have worked with providers on bedside manner. It is vital that we set and sustain a high standard for their webside manner as well. HERE ARE SIX KEYS TO CREATING A GREAT PATIENT EXPERIENCE DURING VIRTUAL VISITS: PREPARE FOR THE VISIT PRIOR TO THE CONNECTION know the reason for the visit. RECAP SOMETHING PERTINENT FROM THE REGISTRATION INFORMATION Example – “I see from your note that you have been having headaches.” MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT look at the camera. This sounds obvious, but it is more natural to look at the image on the screen, which may not be aligned with the camera. DEMONSTRATE EMPATHY THROUGH WORDS AND FACIAL EXPRESSION Just because you are not in person, doesn’t mean you should forgo an expression of caring. VALIDATE CONCERNS This can be as simple as saying, “I can see why that would concern you.” SUMMARIZE AT THE CLOSE OF THE SESSION. This means:
The sooner your providers master their webside manner, the faster you will create positive word of mouth and solidify your presence in the virtual visit world. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! Your culture determines many things, but today especially, it is a determinant of how well your organization will fare through the pandemic. What you say and what you do always matter.
When people face fatigue and become somewhat fragile, a leader’s actions become crucial in maintaining a positive culture and one of compassion. Over the past six months we’ve all been put to the test as we deal with new and demanding pressures imposed by COVID-19. Healthcare workers have been tested in their professional as well as personal lives. There has been well-deserved attention on our healthcare heroes honoring the service and sacrifice, but even superheroes need a break, a shoulder and even a good cry. Healthcare jobs are stressful on the best of days, but when you add the fear of contracting COVID with the additional burdens placed on working families, many of our brightest and best team members are stretched to the max. I recently had a discussion with a nurse manager whom I will call, Ellie. Ellie had been working 12 plus hours per day for months before leaving her position for good. “I was spent,” she told me. “I had to create an adult ICU in my children’s hospital in a matter of days. My team was amazing and rose to the challenge. We set up the ICU. Then we treated dozens of critical care patients for weeks. We did a fabulous job and had great outcomes with zero turnover in staff. But the truth is, I was burned out – mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted. I have four young children at home and just hit a point when I couldn’t do it anymore.” This nurse leader’s story isn’t that unusual. In crisis, healthcare workers are trained to step up, stay calm, and deal with the issue at hand. Ellie did just that, getting great results and earning kudos from the executive team. But at a cost. Day after day, leaders make rounds on their units and throughout their organizations. Those rounds provide an ideal opportunity to observe team members and identify subtle changes in behavior that indicate fatigue and even burnout. That is, only if the rounder engages in meaningful conversation instead of the proverbial drive-by consisting of, “How are you?” A question which will almost always receive the perfunctory response, “Fine.” Stop asking, “How are you?” or “How’s it going?” You know you won’t get into real feelings. Instead, ask the employee if she/he can take a few minutes to sit down with you. Use open-ended conversation starters such as, “Tell me about your day so far.” Then listen with your ears AND your eyes. Non-verbal cues speak louder than the words. According to an article in Nursing.org, there are specific signs and symptoms you should observe for including:
Leaders like Ellie often put on a brave face for the good of their staffs. While the leader may be checking in and taking good care of her team; who is checking in on the leader? It is vital that leaders look out for one another as well and practice the same self-care they would recommend for their staff nurses. Society loves our superheroes, but you’ll rarely see headlines celebrating the caregivers who take breaks, practice self-care and set limits. Remember that burnout is caused by many stressors beyond the work-related ones. We’re more isolated than ever before and restricted from many of the social activities we enjoy ranging from church services to sports, family gatherings and shopping. Many times, employees are caregivers for children and aging parents. Virtual learning for school-age children has created childcare and tutoring responsibilities that weren’t issues a year ago. The demands can build up over time pushing them to the tipping point. Leaders can help by:
Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker! By Kristin Baird
As we approach Thanksgiving during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to recognize the healing power of gratitude, both for ourselves, and for those we lead. Gratitude is both something we feel, and something we express. Leaders intent on building an engaged, high-performing workforce AND having high personal satisfaction will benefit from both. FEELING GRATITUDE – THE “INSIDE” GAME Let’s start with feeling gratitude. That’s the inside game. Robert A. Emmons, PhD, a psychologist from the University of California – Davis, is a leading expert on gratitude and its effect on the body and mind. In his article, Why Gratitude is Good, Emmons identifies how gratitude improves physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. I have included Emmons’ summary below. As you read the lists citing the physical, psychological, and social benefits, I encourage you to put the information in context of the COVID-19 pandemic. We all need these benefits to nourish our weary minds and bodies, especially as we face another surge. PHYSICAL BENEFITS
SHOWING GRATITUDE THROUGH RECOGNITION Feeling gratitude has the potential for making YOU feel better. Showing gratitude to others will give both you and the recipient a boost. One of the best ways to show gratitude to your employees is through personal recognition. It is a low-cost, no-cost, yet effective method of generating employee engagement, but sadly underutilized. According to Gallup’s analysis, only one in three workers in the U.S. strongly agree that they received recognition or praise for doing good work in the past seven days. At any given company, it’s not uncommon for employees to feel that their best efforts are routinely ignored. Further, employees who do not feel adequately recognized are twice as likely to say they’ll quit in the next year. Recognition should be prompt, personal, and plentiful in order to be most meaningful. Gallup conducted a workplace survey where employees were asked to recall who gave them their most meaningful and memorable recognition. The data revealed the most memorable recognition comes most often from an employee’s manager (28%), followed by a high-level leader or CEO (24%), the manager’s manager (12%), a customer (10%) and finally, peers (9%). Worth mentioning, 17% cited “other” as the source of their most memorable recognition. The pandemic has placed additional stress your employees who are likely dealing with stress about physical safety, finances, and parenting, making it all the more vital that they feel valued for their contributions. Gratitude is good medicine. Take a large dose and pass it on. Planning your virtual event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to book your healthcare speaker and make your next event a success! By Kristin Baird
Employee engagement is at the core of any company’s performance. But in healthcare, where the patient experience drives loyalty, trust, and even reimbursement, engagement is paramount to success. A disengaged employee needs coaching right away. Spotting and addressing disengagement can make the difference between a team’s success and failure. My colleagues and I regularly coach healthcare managers on how to improve engagement - like providing the employee specific, concrete examples of problem behaviors. SHORT CONVERSATIONS A few years ago, I was coaching a department manager who had two very disengaged staff members. This particular manager wasn’t a good communicator, so we were working on improving his coaching conversations with his team members. He was to have a coaching conversation with one of his most disengaged team members, then call me to discuss how it went. He called on schedule and reported that the discussion went well. “It was short and sweet,” he said. “I just said, ‘Your attitude sucks. Fix it or you’re out.’” Well, he was right about one thing: it was short. What he described was an edict or threat, not the coaching discussion we assigned. In a coaching discussion with a disengaged individual, it is important to clearly state your concerns, but give specific examples of problem behaviors and how they affect others. I’m happy to say that this particular manager made great progress in his coaching conversations with staff over the next year. He learned that if wanted to see change, he needed to clearly state his expectations, identify unacceptable behaviors using specific examples, and explain consequences. Short and sweet isn’t necessarily the best approach. In contrast, specific, actionable steps get you further, faster. 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 Kristin Baird
How does a leader get everyone to achieve optimal performance? One sure way is to make clear expectations from the beginning. Over the past several years of coaching leaders, I’ve noticed that many coaching conversations center on setting clear expectations. I’ve observed a distinct pattern that leaders aren’t clear about their expectations until a team member fails to meet his/her expectations. “ISN’T THAT JUST COMMON SENSE?” I was recently talking with a leader who was very frustrated with one of her supervisors. When she relayed examples of things that were irritated her, I asked if she had been clear about her expectations from the beginning. “Well, isn’t this just common sense? I shouldn’t have to micro-manage him,” she said. First, there is a big difference between setting expectations and micro-managing. Additionally, the word “common” in common sense means shared or similar. Similarly, expecting common sense to prevail is expecting staff to be mind readers. I’ve never seen that work. After further discussion, I learned the managers clear expectations, but they resided quietly in her mind. These expectations remained unspoken until her supervisor failed to live up to them. From his vantage point, there weren’t clear expectations. His common sense led him in an entirely different direction. Above all, think about the expectations you have for your team. Have you been clear about them? If not, you could be disappointed to discover they aren’t mind readers.
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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