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By Kristin Baird
Have you ever noticed that people tend to preface the word feedback with a qualifier such as positive or negative? The truth is feedback isn’t positive or negative. It’s feedback. Period. The dictionary defines feedback as: information about reactions to a product, a person’s performance of a task, etc. which is used as a basis for improvement. I might say, “I have received valuable feedback from my team.” Being valuable to me doesn’t mean that the feedback was all good news and praise, nor does it imply that it was bad. It was information that will help me make improvements. A healthy culture where people are committed to excellence requires everyone to be open to both giving and receiving feedback. When trying to build a culture of feedback it is important to drop the qualifier. This makes the information less judgmental and more targeted at improvement. Imagine if I walked up to you and asked, “May I give you some negative feedback?” You’d probably have visceral, defensive reaction before I even opened my mouth. If, however, I ask, “May I give you some feedback?” You may be curious and probably not as defensive. Especially if the culture fosters open giving and receiving feedback. CHANGING THE TONE A few years ago, I had hired an employee who came from a dysfunctional culture. When I said, “Let’s talk after lunch, I’d like to give you feedback from the meeting,” he looked terrified. Noticing this I said, “It’s all good.” I could see him visibly relax. He said, “When someone tells me they are going to give me feedback it usually isn’t good. Even if they call it constructive feedback, I expect to get bad news.” My guess is that he hadn’t been getting feedback. He was being criticized. In the Forbes[i] article, Five Essential Differences Between Criticism and Feedback, authors Jim Ludema and Amber Johnson make a very clear, and useful distinction between the two. IT’S THE LEADER’S JOB TO HELP PEOPLE GET ACCUSTOMED TO GIVING AND RECEIVING FEEDBACK OPENLY. It’s the leader’s job to help people get accustomed to giving and receiving feedback openly and graciously. Making it positive or negative defeats the purpose. Focus on future improvements and you’ll find people accept feedback openly. 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
Nobody likes a micromanager, someone who hovers wanting to know every detail of what you do. But don’t confuse micromanaging with holding people accountable. The two are miles apart in how they affect the employees and culture. HOLDING PEOPLE ACCOUNTABLE IS ESSENTIAL TO ACHIEVING GOALS AND GETTING THE DESIRED RESULTS. A leader holds the team and individuals accountable by setting clear expectations and goals and offering regular feedback without hovering. I feel compelled to distinction explain micromanaging and accountability after a recent conversation I had while coaching. The manager I spoke to was experiencing several behavior issues among his team members. When I asked him how held them accountable, he said, “I don’t want to be a micro-manager.”[i] As we spoke, he realized he had been ignoring issues that needed to be dealt with. He was confusing accountability with micro-management. Once he recognized the difference, he was able to make huge strides with his team. We use the word accountability frequently in healthcare and understandably so. Without accountability, patients die, infections spread like wildfire, and safety issues explode. No one argues with the need for accountability in clinical practices. But it gets fuzzy for some leaders when it comes to holding others accountable for service behavior. They shy away from confronting staff on things like tone of voice or attitude. “It’s just too subjective,” one manager told me. And there it is. The word subjective. THE CULPRIT THAT MAKES US SHRINK AWAY FROM A CRUCIAL CONVERSATION. It’s important for every leader to know the difference between accountability and micro-management. Not sure if you are a micro-manger? This article from Forbes[ii] gives great insight into the signs of micromanaging. It also spotlights the impact micromanaging has on business. “Micromanagers are detrimental to the success of a business and the mental health of everyone involved.” You don’t have to micromanage to hold others accountable, but you do need to be clear about expectations, goals, and responsibilities. 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
A few years ago, I was coaching a hospital CEO who said, “I know culture is important but honestly I hate talking about it. Culture is an ethereal term. Nobody really can really lay their hands on it.” He quickly changed his view when I defined culture as, “How we really do things around here,” and went on to give examples from his own organization. He was complaining about poor patient satisfaction scores. I reminded him that several times when we pointed out rude behavior from staff, we were met with comments like, “That’s just Mary.” If leaders accept bad behavior, they will continue fostering a culture of bad behavior. When he spoke with the ER director about the rising number of disgruntled patients, the director explained, “We’re really busy.” The CEO readily accepted this rationale. I pointed out that theirs was a culture of excuses and was one of the primary reasons they were struggling. He cringed at this but realized it was true. What you permit, you promote. By helping him see that they had fallen into habits of accepting excuses, they were fostering a culture that was far from quality and their value of excellence. He made a conscious effort to shift from an excuse culture to one of accountability. ACCOUNTABILITY IS KEY Aligning your culture with your stated mission, vision, and values won’t happen the moment you solidify the statements. It takes conscious effort to align behaviors. The first step is in determining what you want the culture to be, then helping everyone to take ownership in consistent delivery. While this concept is simple, making it a reality isn’t easy. It takes time and commitment but is well worth the energy. Clarify the vision and hold everyone accountable. 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
Employee retention and patient satisfaction start with culture. There are no quick fixes for a dysfunctional work environment, but there are some immediate and bold actions required when bullies rear their ugly heads. Not long ago, I began working with a client whose senior leaders were fully committed to making their organization the employer and provider of choice. As we delved into the current culture, we realized that some of their key leaders were not aligned with the values or the vision for the culture of the future. Front line staff, managers and supervisors described these individuals as bullies who were unapproachable and at times downright terrifying. Knowing that this might be difficult to accept, I presented these findings to the CEO & COO with clear facts and specific examples. Having had many discussions like this in the past with other executives, I knew the discussion would go one of two ways. It could result in complete denial and defensiveness or swift action. “We won’t allow bullies here” To my relief, the CEO and COO listened and took swift action. They listened to the examples we provided and said, “We won’t allow bullies here.” Ultimately, the offending individuals were terminated. Although this action can be painful, it is necessary for organizational wellbeing and in preventing a culture of bullying. A Harvard Business Review article[i] by Manuel Priesemuth, states, “Studies have even shown that employees who experience abuse from a supervisor are also more inclined to “pass on” this type of treatment in a ripple effect.” THE HEART OF BULLYING Senior leaders lost credibility when their words weren’t matching their actions. This is the consequence for NOT acting over the years. If you say that you are committed to a culture of excellence, then you must align your behaviors and decisions with those words. In the example I cited above, the leaders did just that. I have a plaque in my house that reads, “The secret to having what you want is getting rid of what you don’t want.” So many times, we go through life in a comfort zone running business as usual. We don’t take the time to purge out the things we no longer want or that no longer serve us. Once we do, we make ample space for what we really want. Are you ready to assess what you have and purge what is no longer working? It may be the key to the culture you desire. 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
Moods are contagious. If you’ve ever been dragged into someone’s drama in the workplace, you know how damaging it can be to staff morale. One person gossiping or finding fault in others sends a ripple through the team. So it’s important to remember that allowing drama will ultimately erode the patient experience because it’s difficult to be upbeat and focused on patients when there’s drama brewing in the background. Patients sense discord. I remember once when my mom was a patient. She commented that the staff didn’t get along. Always the researcher, I asked, “How does that make you feel?” She replied, “It makes me feel uncomfortable and that I’m not the top priority.” Drama can take many forms. It can manifest as gossip, passive aggressive behavior, victim behavior, fighting and power struggles. Although it can be exhausting for the leader to try to manage, it’s essential because what you permit you promote. It’s the leader’s job then, to set boundaries and expectations as well as model behavior. After all, you are the keeper of the culture. Let your team know your expectations. Ask for their support in following a “no drama” code of conduct which means they don’t create or participate in the drama. Remind them that they can simply walk away or, they can go one step further and confront the individual engaged in toxic behavior. Engaged and fully engaged employees don’t create drama. So when you spot it in the ranks, deal with it swiftly before it spreads. You are the keeper of the culture. 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
A culture of accountability doesn’t just happen. It takes persistence well after you state your expectations. Parenting would be easy if you could tell your kids once, and only once, to do something and know for certain it would be done without checking. But that isn’t the case with parenting, nor is it the case in most leadership situations. You can’t just tell your team that you expect them to follow your service standards 100% of the time and know it will be done. “You can’t tell your team that you expect them to follow your service standards 100% of the time and know it will be done.” The staff knows which leaders will hold them accountable and which will not. When we do focus groups and ask staff about what is expected of them, we often hear, “It depends.” Drilling down further, we learn that follow through and accountability really depends on who leads the department. CREATING A MEMORABLE FOUNDATION FOR A CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY I remember the first time I used the phrase, “It’s not what you EXPECT, but what you INSPECT that gets the RESPECT.” I was with a group of leaders and one of them said he felt it was a condescending phrase. I can see where it may be interpreted as condescending, or even militant. My intent in using this phrase is to establish a memorable foundation for a culture of accountability. You can tell the staff about service standards but if you don’t make regular rounds, observe, and give feedback, your stated expectations may not be taken seriously. So often, I have seen a leader who trains staff on a tactic, then doesn’t follow through to make sure that it’s consistently implemented. It could be on anything from scripting to hourly rounds or simply walking visitors to their destinations. The leader doesn’t ensure that it’s being done and then complains that the “program” or “model” doesn’t work. It’s not the tactic that didn’t work, it was the follow-through which is as important to the success as the initial training. Maybe more. Accountability can lead to greater profitability too. In a Forbes article, author John Hall states that accountability is good for the culture and bolsters the bottom line. When your team members know that you will hold them accountable, they know you are serious about quality, consistency, and maintaining a positive culture. In turn, they will show more respect for the work that is being done knowing that you care enough to follow-through. 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
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! 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! |
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