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By LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
A stressed-out forty-year-old engineer recently admitted, “I really wanted to be a nurse!” He had chosen his educational path in high school and now felt “stuck” with it for rest of his life. Then he realized, “Who would ask an eighteen-year-old for career advice?!” Thoughtfully, courageously, he decided to change professions. Making decisions about our careers, our families and our lives is not always easy. You will make good professional and personal decisions if you avoid these 10 Biggest Mistakes in Decision Making: #1: Not taking time. Occasionally we make decisions in haste, under pressure when the stress hormones are surging. Take your time. #2: Lacking peace. Good decisions are made in tranquility. Breathe deeply. Find solitude. Drink in the peacefulness. #3: Clamoring in chaos. To hear your deep inner voice, your Divine guidance, escape the commotion. Listen to you built-in guide. Be still. Hear. Follow. #4: Disregarding priorities. Sometimes we make decisions that undermine our priorities. Make choices that honor and support what you have promised to be most important. #5: Failing to heed what’s best for you. Occasionally we decide things with too little consideration of our needs and wants. You can usually be a caring team and family member without shortchanging yourself. #6: Neglecting your values. Don’t make decisions that are not in alignment with your principles. Be consistent with what you believe in. #7: Ignoring what’s right. Often things are more black and white than we want to admit. Even in the grey, when you listen to your deep inner voice, you hear and know what is right. # 8: Avoiding the truth. Pledge that every word you speak is true. Every word. Honesty is always the best policy. #9: Forgetting to say, “No.” To make good decisions, there are times we need to just say, “No.” Remember when to state “I’m sorry I can’t, I have another commitment.” #10: Procrastinating. When making a decision is difficult, we tend to postpone it…and postpone it. But remember, not to decide, is to decide. No decision is a decision. Bear in mind that where you are today is based on decisions you made in the past. You will be tomorrow is based on decisions you make today. Make then good ones. 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 Marilyn Tam
Bundled up in warm parkas, scarves, and hats to fend off the blustery, winter ocean storm, we watched as mother slid into the just filled, sloshing swimming pool aboard the cruise ship. This was the first reliable travel tip I learned — in case of seasickness, swim. Thankfully the other tips I’ve learned over the millions of miles of business and personal travel are not as hard to execute. And there are also more convenient ways to deal with motion sickness. Packing for a trip is one of the first issues we face. What to bring, how much, and how do we keep everything intact and unwrinkled? What to bring — for most, the question to ask is, do you really need that? Overpacking is common. Research the locations you are going to visit so you know the weather, basic customs, and dietary habits so you can plan. Bring only things that are specific and difficult to replace for your trip — like your personal electronic devices, work material, medication, nutritional supplements, attire for special occasions, and any small gifts that you wish to share. Some people like to bring a favorite item that reminds them of home. If you have food allergies, it is wise to take some packable foods in case you are not able to find suitable food easily. I usually carry a bag of homemade blend of nuts, dried fruit, protein and greens powder, hemp seeds, chia seeds and buckwheat for breakfast — it’s fast, convenient, and nutritious. Other than the above list, there are usually stores where you are going for most items. How to keep your wardrobe from looking like a wrinkled mess. Oftentimes I travel to several countries, climates, and time zones over a couple of weeks. It would be a challenge to keep looking fresh and presentable if I didn’t have a way to minimize wrinkles in packing! The secret? Rolling your clothes: Lay out your biggest item, a long sleeve jacket, a robe, or a large scarf on a flat surface, on a bed, a table, or a clean floor. Then layer on your clothes, starting with the heavier pieces and ending with lighter, less wrinkle prone pieces. Flatten and straighten each item as you lay them down. Then fold the sleeves in towards the middle, and starting at the top end of the pile, make a tight roll. You can make several rolls to fit into packing cubes and fit them all into your suitcase or make one large roll and lay that directly into the suitcase. Fit shoes, toiletries, and other small items around the roll(s) to ensure a good fit with no open corners for the things to slide around. When you arrive, unroll your bundle(s) and either hang up your things or leave the roll open to retrieve from as you need. Take care in removing each item so that you are sliding them out without making wrinkles in the rest of the layers. That’s it! How to eat well and healthy. You will be eating in unfamiliar places, with new menu choices, at erratic hours, oftentimes tired and needing a boost. It’s easy to overindulge, thinking it would give you more energy and feel better. Plan ahead so that you get the nourishment you need to maintain the strength and composure you need to achieve your trip’s goals. Yes, even if that is just to have a relaxing and fun time during your vacation. Stay somewhat close to your usual dietary habits. Each region and country have different food customs and enjoying new things can be fun and exciting. Moderation is the key. Your body is conditioned to your routine and drastic changes would likely upset your digestive system, energy levels and overall wellbeing. If you are unsure of what is in the dish, politely ask before you order or eat, especially if you have allergies. Drink more water than you usually do, so that you are hydrated to help flush away the stresses of travel. Abstain or minimize alcoholic beverages during flights, they are dehydrating and tax your metabolic processes. Save them for after you arrive and are settled. Regard food as a wonderful way to learn about the local culture, bond over meals, taste and enjoy the area’s culinary offerings, while recognizing your body’s needs to maintain health and vibrancy. How to get adequate sleep. Jet lag issues. Time zone changes, new surroundings, different beds, and noises can really disrupt your sleep pattern. Upon arrival, immediately adapt to the new time zone as much as you can. If it is daytime, follow a daytime schedule. Spend time outside so that your body can adjust to the time of day there. Being exposed to natural light helps your body to recalibrate your circadian rhythms. Move and stretch to get your circulation flowing freely. Adjust your sleeping hours to the new time zone. A variety of tools can help ease your transition into rest when it’s not bedtime where you just came from. Drink a soothing cup of tea like chamomile, lavender etc., and listen to calming music/talk to ease you into a restful sleep. Keep your room temperature on the cool side. Practice a relaxing breathing exercise. Wear ear plugs or play a white noise soundtrack to insulate you from outside noises. Eyes shades can do wonders to keep light away to encourage rest. Ahead of your travel, inch your time zone closer to your destination’s. That way you will be more adapted upon arrival. Shift your time by an hour a day/every other day over a week or more will ease your jet lag greatly. How to avoid or minimize motion sickness. It’s called motion sickness, not motion discomfort because it’s truly miserable! There are a few things that will help to prevent or minimize this unsettling affliction:
In all cases, your goal is to help your inner ear maintain balance so that your body can adjust to the changing movements and direction. There are several over-the-counter medications that may help, along with ginger, acupressure wrist bands, other mechanical aids. There are also prescription medicines which may offer relief, check with your medical practitioner for that. Of course, there’s the sure-fire way of addressing seasickness that I started the blog with, jump into the water! This is not always feasible, but it’s one that’s proven to work in very trying circumstances. On that long ago ocean cruise, my mother was in a cold sweat, vomiting and dizzy. She was nauseous and wanted to get off the ship, even though it was her idea for the cruise to begin with. To her credit, she came up with the notion to fill the swimming pool so that she could swim. Magically she was fine after that one choppy, chilly swim, and happily enjoyed the rest of the cruise. Other people have swum in the water around the boat/ship and have gotten back on with no more motion sickness too. Travel can be fun, exciting, and meaningful. Take a little time to prepare for your journey and you’ll have a lovely time, getting and being there. You’ll come home, refreshed, feeling satisfied that you accomplished what you set out to do — conclude successful business or have a relaxing vacation, or, both! Happy trails! 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 Shep Hyken
"Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.” This line has been credited to Confucius, Mark Twain, Mark Anthony and others. Anyone who finds what they love to do at work, either through a passion, hobby, interest, a random job they end up loving, or some defining moment is lucky. That makes me one of the lucky ones. Just out of college I started my career as a customer service expert. It wasn’t a random job I applied for. It was a chosen profession that had its roots in something that happened to me when I was younger, an event that caused me to become obsessed with customer service. I’ve written about being a 12-year-old birthday party magician when my parents taught me some basic customer service lessons. Show up on time, say thank you, follow up to get feedback, and a few other important lessons that any and every business should practice. These lessons laid the foundation that ignited my passion for customer service. Then something happened eight years later while I was in college and working at a gas station, which is when I discovered that I was passionate about customer service. The right thing to doI was working at a self-service gas station. We didn’t accept credit cards, so when customers finished filling up their tanks, we would go to their car, take their money and make the appropriate change. On one very, very cold day, I offered to help an elderly lady pump the gas for her car. I told her to stay in the warm car. She appreciated my assistance, but my manager didn’t. When I came inside, he yelled at me for helping her and emphasized the meaning of a self-service gas station. I defended my position. The lady was old and frail. It was the right thing to do! He said, “Now she’s going to expect that the next time she comes back,” to which I replied, “I hope she does come back, instead of going to the station across the street or on the opposite corner.” He gave me an angry look and slammed the door as he walked out of the building. That was a defining moment. It was the right thing to do, and more importantly, I liked how it felt. I recognized this intense desire to take care of customers, eventually causing me, less than a year out of college, to teach others to do the same. Decades later, I think back to this experience and can spot two lessons that are very important to every business:
In a perfect world, you’ll find people who have a passion for doing so. And if you ask them how they feel about the saying, “Find a job you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life,” they will say, “That’s me!” 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 Laurie Guest
What is Captain Cascade? Simply put, it means that the captain of the organization sets the tone that flows down through the ranks. Like a gorgeous Hawaiian water fall cascades down the mountainside, what it encounters at the top impacts its flow to the river. For example, there may be places where boulders stick out from the rock wall causing the water to break and crash differently. This is similar to the influence that people with negative attitudes can have on the flow of customer service in your business. What does Captain Cascade have to do with service fatigue? Leaders, this one is for you especially. The tone of your business is set by the level of the attitude, empathy, compassion, accountability, integrity, and trust the members of your team have in you and each other. And that tone is all a reflection of YOU! Before you get defensive on me, or roll your eyes and tell me this doesn’t apply in your case, hear me out. If we were having coffee together and I asked you to describe the work environment you wish was present in your organization but isn’t, what would you say? Are you willing to ask yourself some tough questions to determine if you are the boulder that impacts the way attitudes flow in your organization? Several years ago, I had a meeting just like that with a bank President. Let’s call him Cash. He told me most of his staff do not arrive promptly, the community bank’s friendly attitude is absent, and their desire to wow the client and generate new business “just isn’t there.” In preparation for our event, I asked to talk to several members of the team confidentially, meaning I could ask what I wanted without having to report back to him what they said. They trusted me and I discovered something important. Across the board the team shared the following feedback: Cash doesn’t come into the bank until mid-morning. He parks in the best slot near the staff door, walks directly to his office, closes the door and then summons people in for regular “chew outs.” (Their words, not mine.) He doesn’t attend staff social gatherings and rarely delivers annual evaluations on time or with supportive words. The case study on Cash is much longer than this, but I think you get my point. He wanted the team to be prompt, friendly, and bank-focused, yet he didn’t do that himself. For the event with the bank, I asked Cash to do three things, and he agreed. They were:
What happened next is an interesting twist to the story and comes with one of the best lessons I have on trickle down leadership. Join me on Friday, February 25th to see how it ends and the tough questions I want you to ask yourself to understand how attitudes cascade in your workplace. Captain Cascade: when leadership sets the tone that trickles down to achieve the company culture you yearn for. 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 Kenneth Kaufman
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s, there are few.” This famous observation by Shunryu Suzuki, which posits the importance of intellectual humility in understanding a new situation, is especially apt for healthcare’s unprecedented workforce challenges. During the pandemic, almost 1 in 5 healthcare workers quit their jobs. One-third of nurses plan to leave their current roles by the end of 2022, with more than a quarter of those intending to become traveling nurses. At the same time, hospitals find themselves competing with non-hospital employers that are aggressively pursuing hourly staff—companies that can pass along wage increases to consumers in the form of higher prices in a way that healthcare organizations cannot. Unprecedented problems require new solutions. Finding those new solutions starts with setting aside long-held preconceptions, listening intently to the wants and needs of the many diverse stakeholders that constitute the healthcare workforce, and addressing what is heard with actions that are more nuanced and more flexible than ever before. Addressing the Foundational IssuesWhile the industry faces an exceptional crisis related to staffing, the issue is symptomatic of more foundational workforce problems. Even prior to the pandemic, workforce burnout was a growing problem, with nearly 1 in 3 nurses, and 42% of physicians experiencing the physical and emotional stress and exhaustion and sense of detachment characterized as burnout. With serious margin declines occurring during Q1 2022, maintaining financial integrity remains an ever-present concern, with organizations appropriately initiating cost-reduction strategies to drive lean operations. These efforts taking place alongside staffing shortages may prompt concern across the workforce regarding availability of resources and a health system’s commitment to investing in its people. The technologies implemented over the last ten years often provide little time or work savings (and sometimes create even more complications), as many organizations have not updated their processes to create real efficiencies. Diversity, equity, and inclusion investments have been made, but many hospitals have not made transformative progress. Health systems need to favor prompt, innovative, and tailored actions, understanding that difficult cultural and leadership changes are required. Organizations need to address their workforce challenges as a foundational and cultural opportunity, with strategic and operational interventions. Different Segments with Subtly Different Needs Each segment of the workforce has its own wants and needs, satisfiers and dissatisfiers, with the current crisis emphasizing subtle and changing differences among groups and individuals. Capturing these subtleties requires assessing workforce needs with multiple approaches to segmentation, including job category, job type, job level, demographics, and value orientation. Job category is a traditional way to segment the health system workforce, in which the categories roughly correspond to departments or divisions, such as administration, nursing, diagnostic imaging, physical therapy, environmental services, and so forth. Within each job category are many subcategories, each with its own workplace experiences. For example, in a survey on the pandemic’s impact on physicians, employed physicians, primary care physicians, females, and those under age 45 reported experiencing more burnout than their respective counterparts. Segmenting the workforce by job type, for example, knowledge workers, caregivers, administrative employees, and service workers, can help leaders see worker needs with more nuance. Job level, including hourly/nonexempt, professional, managers and directors, and executives, is frequently a relevant classification. Demographics cut across all other categories. Demographic factors include age, educational attainment, certifications/ licenses, disability, family and marital status, foreign-born workers, and race and ethnicity. Value orientation is another approach to workforce segmentation that cuts across all job categories and levels. Some people place a high value on intrinsic rewards, including deriving a sense of identity and meaning from one’s job, and perfecting one’s work. Others are driven by extrinsic motivators, such as compensation and status. Someone who is future-focused values future accomplishments over today’s experiences and may seek to make a positive difference in society. A person who values the experience of work may have strong preferences about the variety of tasks they wish to perform, the degree of control they want to have over their own work, and the amount of teamwork in which they wish to engage. Discerning Differences Although workforce segments are motivated by many of the same factors, variations on these themes may reflect different causes, which in turn suggest different solutions. For example, consider the issue of compensation, which has been identified by physicians, nurses, and hourly workers alike as a motivating factor. Dig a little deeper and you’ll discover that the nature of the concerns that surfaced during the pandemic years differs significantly among these groups. In a survey conducted by a professional association, nearly 7 in 10 independent physicians (and 44% of those who are employed) described concerns about income stability, stemming from a reduction in income they experienced as a result of COVID. In contrast, another survey found that nurses’ primary concern about compensation during this period was that travel nurses received ultra-premium wages for doing the same work that they, the permanent staff, were doing. And hourly workers, who are often at the bottom of the hospital pay scale, simply wanted higher wages, cited by 69% of respondents as their most wanted change. In some instances, the problems experienced by one segment of the workforce are not shared by all. The extreme circumstances of the pandemic have led to correspondingly extreme variations in workplace experience. For example, nurses have been targeted by an uptick in violence perpetrated by patients and family members against healthcare workers, triggered by anger about hospitals’ mask requirements and other COVID-related restrictions on visitors. In a survey conducted by the nursing union National Nurses United, 48% of hospital nurses reported experiencing an increase in workplace violence. Yet the issue of physical safety, critically important to direct-care nurses, is likely a non-issue for employees who work in roles with little direct public contact. It’s important, too, to discern assumed versus actual differences about segments. For example, executives may voice concerns about a specific generational demographic—for example, that Millennials do not work as hard, or that Gen Zers’ workplace flexibility expectations are untenable. The research shows that these are meta-stereotypes, with evidence suggesting only very small differences in the wants across ages. In fact, between the first quarter of 2021 and 2022, the greatest growth in resignations across all industries was among people aged 40 to 60, and those with an average tenure of 10 years. Listening Reimagined Most hospitals and health systems have well-established employee satisfaction and engagement surveys and metrics. In light of the changes that the pandemic has brought about, however, it’s time to take a fresh look at them. To understand changing workforce attitudes and needs and produce actionable information, all aspects of your organization’s information-gathering process require reexamination, including the frequency, level of specificity, sample size, forums, and tools that are brought to bear. Approaching this task with a beginner’s mind can lead toward questions that reveal deeper insights, such as, “What does flexibility mean to you?” as a follow-up to, “Is flexibility important to you?” Cultivating a beginner’s mind can also help you formulate questions that enable people to articulate ideas they may not have shared with their employers before, like responses to, “What is meaningful work for you?” and, “What would cause you to stay rather than leave for another job opportunity?” It is important to also include tough questions, such as queries about whether people have experienced workplace aggressions, and to frame those questions using everyday language. Approaching the Workforce with Empathy The messages that executives hear from this highly discerning approach to listening and assessment will in all likelihood reflect the dramatic social and economic changes taking place throughout the nation. The intensity of these changes, as well as the high stakes for patients and providers, call for innovative actions. When we think about innovation in this context, the most important quality is empathy. With different segments and subsegments voicing different needs, organizations need to provide workers with pay, benefits, support, and environments that are tailored to an extent healthcare organizations have never done in the past. This is decidedly not the traditional approach to human resources management, which for very good reasons has emphasized consistency, and expectations of rules and control. In most organizations, workers are expected to adapt to the rules developed for human resources management. But if workers are first approached from a position of empathy, it’s the rules that adapt to meet the needs of the workers. In this environment, everything is on the table: wage scales, bonuses, job classifications, access to health coverage, schedules, work setting, and opportunities for change and growth. And in this environment, every type of worker support needs to be considered: first-year mentoring, relief from administrative tasks, transportation, child-care, tuition assistance, and more. The Necessity of Humility The COVID-19 pandemic has led each member of the American workforce to question what they want from a job. And for many workers, the pandemic has provided the means to follow the answer to that question into new types, locations, and experiences of employment. To be the employer of choice in this time of change requires an unprecedented level of humility. Employers need to assume that what will attract and keep an engaged workforce is very different than has been provided in the past. Employers must place themselves right alongside their employees in their quest to determine what is wanted and expected from work. The answers employers hear will be new ones. They will challenge the status quo. They may be discomfiting. It is critical that hospital and health system leaders leave their preconceived notions at the door during these conversations. All of society is in a position of learning and exploring. And meaningful participation in that effort is only possible with eyes, ears, and mind wide open. 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 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.
As the result of powerful Spring thunderstorms, sirens sounded in our hotel recently encouraging us to seek shelter in the basement. While waiting for the storm to pass, the all-clear to be given, and the right to return to our rooms to be granted, I was reminded of the powerful, unmistakable sounds many report as a tornado approaches and after it departs. Let me explain. Many survivors of tornadoes share that as the storm approaches there is the piercing sound of a freight train. And that after the massive, unsettling locomotive sound fades, it is followed by an eerie momentary silence, which is quickly broken by the powerful sound of chainsaws. Clearing debris from houses, removing branches from roadways, seeking to rebuild by first removing the damage. It is the sound of a community that has been badly damaged and is already beginning to rebuild. Though not a tornado, enduring a painful storm, its devastating effect, and the subsequent beautiful sound signaling the beginning of healing has been witnessed by our family, too. Years ago, on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, all the neighborhood kids played together in a backyard. From our deck, I watched the regular chaos of children playing games and screaming in delight. Suddenly the chorus of joy gave way to absolute silence. I looked up and saw an older boy sprinting away from the kids and into his house. Seconds later his father came dashing out of the house. Together they raced through the gate, into another yard, followed rapidly by other adults – all running. A few doors away lived a wonderful young man with a beautiful wife and new baby. They had just moved into the house. He’d been on an extension ladder cutting branches when one snapped, smacking him in the chest and knocking him 20-feet to the ground. He lay at the base of this tree disoriented, in pain and unable to move his legs. Police, fire, and EMS arrived within moments. They stabilized him, carted him to the ambulance, and transported him to the nearest trauma center, his and his loved one’s lives forever changed. The storm had hit. The rest of us stood around stunned by this crushing event. We stared blankly at the ladder still perched against the tree, the massive branch hanging menacingly above, and the yellow police tape cordoning off the site. How could this happen? Why would it happen? And what should we do next? Then came the sound, the first tangible evidence, of healing. A few men went back to their houses and returned with chainsaws. They gathered up and disposed of the police tape. They repositioned the ladder, climbed to the top, worked together and cut down the huge branch. They sliced it into firewood, stacking it neatly against the house. They removed the ladder, returned it to the garage, and raked the yard of all debris. These men transformed a site of terrible tragedy into a monument of love. No, it would not change the devastating effects of the day. It would not bring movement back into a young man’s legs or alter the agonizingly difficult journey ahead for this family. But it was a small, important step in healing. Anyone who has endured tragedy, though, knows there are no small steps in recovery. Each step, even the smallest one, along the journey is critical as we journey forward. As isolating as it may feel and as slow as the pace may seem sometimes, to be reminded in very visceral ways that you are not alone, that others do care, and that better days remain ahead can change lives. My friends, as we face storms in life, we have a choice. We can choose anger, yell about it, and remain negative about what happened and all we’ve lost. Or we can choose to accept it, make the best of it, grow from it and realize that in spite of those unwanted changes that the best of life remains in front of us. So, start your chainsaw. The world needs to hear that although storms may destroy the expectations we held yesterday, they haven’t destroyed the beautiful possibility for the what can still occur tomorrow. This is your day. Live Inspired. 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 Donna Cardillo
The summer before my senior year of RN nursing school, I worked as an LPN (we were allowed to take LPN boards then after 2 years of RN education) in a county-run long-term chronic psychiatric facility. Most of the patients had been there for years and years long ago abandoned by their families. It was very much like the ward scenes in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. These men were otherwise ignored, neglected, and sometimes abused by staff members. I was 19 years old, altruistic, naïve, and inexperienced. The stories I could tell you about my short time there, including being threatened when I started to advocate for my patients to get them the basics like shoes that weren’t falling apart, a clean bathroom, and art supplies. I was undeterred and probably lucky that I left there unharmed . . . not by the patients but those on the payroll who were bilking the system. I made some deep connections with those patients in that short time. I hope that I showed them, however briefly, that they were worthy of respect, love, compassion, and nurturing. I never forgot them and still have some of the notes, cards, and pictures they made for me. I did manage to get some art supplies, an occasional pair of new shoes for them, and one day brought in cleaning supplies and from home, and we had a ‘cleaning party’ in the bathroom when I finally realized that the absentee housekeeping staff was never going to show up. Feel free to share one of your own nursing stories to celebrate Nurses Week this month! 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 Steve Gilliland
Let’s face it, accepting failure is just like any other skill. It requires clarity, practice, and, most of all, motivation. We all face failure at some point in time. From work-related issues to our personal lives, setbacks are inevitable. When you experience a major failure, mustering the courage and strength to move forward can be extremely challenging. Here are some tips to help you thrive in times like these: 1. CHANGE YOUR VIEWS ABOUT FAILURE Imagine this: You’re heading out on a road trip with your family, and suddenly the road gets bumpy. While this might not be an ideal driving situation, going through that patch of uneven road is the only way out. Many times, we consider failure as the end of our journey. This is where we pack up and think there’s no hope left. However, changing your perspective will give you a boost of motivation. The road might seem bumpy right now, but this is only a part of the learning process and prepares you for even rougher times in the future. Luckily, with every failure, there’s an opportunity to learn. Wallowing in self-pity will only keep you at a standstill; instead, consider this a valuable lesson and learn from it. 2. PRACTICE HEALTHY COPING SKILLS Struggling with bad habits due to stress? List some healthy coping skills and frame them in a visible place in your home. Use this as a reminder to turn to healthier habits like meditating, going for a walk, calling a friend, or playing with your pet. These positive behaviors can affect your mindset and help push you toward greater success. 3. ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY Next, accept a certain level of responsibility for your failures. Blaming your circumstances or others will prevent you from understanding your mistakes. 4. LOVE YOURSELF With that being said, it’s important to go easy on yourself as well. If you want to unlock all success in life, self-love is important. Treat yourself with respect and remember that every failure is only a chance at greater success. 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
Many healthcare positions require a high degree of technical skill, but balancing skill with patient experience is a skill unto itself. This is especially true in direct patient care. After all, if you mess up an important technical task, you could hurt or even kill someone. But it is important to remember that those tasks almost always involve a human being at the other end of the procedure – a person who is typically frightened and vulnerable. GAINING CONFIDENCE IN SKILLS I vividly recall how stressful it was to perform my first injections, my first IV starts, and my first NG tube insertions. I’m sure that during those “firsts,” I was totally focused on the task at hand out of fear that I would mess up and inadvertently hurt my patient. In the beginning, I was more focused on the task than on the person on the receiving end. Over time, as I became more proficient and gained confidence, I could safely share my attention between the human interaction and the technical task at hand. This is what most of us strive for – the balance between technical competence and the ability to relate and engage on a personal level. BALANCING HUMAN INTERACTION One of the biggest challenges clinicians face is that, when stressed, they revert to the habit of focusing on the task and not the human interaction. It’s not that task-focused people don’t care. They get busy and overwhelmed and start thinking about the lists of tasks they need to complete. When this occurs, they are often unaware that they have shifted into task mode. The result is they appear detached or insensitive. A few months ago, I was doing some shadow coaching with nurses. One of the nurses I shadowed was among the clinically adept I’d ever met. She prided herself in her skills and efficiency, yet was unaware of how she came across to patients and family members. To them, she seemed abrupt and uncaring because she focused on the task and not the encounter with the patient. With feedback and coaching, this nurse quickly grasped techniques for engaging with patients to build rapport and trust. She had always cared. She just needed to show it. Now, her patients describe her as both highly skilled and caring. She’s the one they trust and want by their sides. Take a deep dive into your organization’s 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 Mary Kelly
The media is full of people who seem interesting. Their lives look glamorous, and they just seem to light up rooms whenever they show up. As leaders, we are often expected to show up at business conferences, conventions, and business meetings and be interesting and charismatic. This may be a struggle if we are a natural introvert, overwhelmed with things on our to-do lists, and preoccupied with trying to figure out what to do next. The truth is that most conversations are superficial. Why? People are afraid of being controversial. People want to fit in. However, the most interesting people are those that embrace their uniqueness and know how to use it. For those of us who just want to be more fun, now that we are getting back to work and being around other people, here are some ideas: 1. Travel. People who travel and experience new places are interesting. You may not have the vacation time or the funds to cover the globe, but you probably can afford one big adventure every couple of years if you make it a priority. 2. Have an interesting hobby. Explore activities that are a little different. Study fencing and enter competitions. Participate in long-range rifle shooting. Kayak. Breed llamas. Do something fun and out of the norm. You will not generate a lot of interest from others while discussing your favorite television show or your dog’s latest antic, unless it is from other people who share that interest. I have dogs. Yes, I think they are cute. Yes, I actually do want to see pictures of your dogs, cats, horses, gerbils, turtles, parrots, ferrets, and any other animal you care for. Tag me on your social media so I can tell you how adorable your pets are! 3. Take an interest in others. We find others interesting when they find us interesting. People generally enjoy talking about themselves, so show a genuine interest in other people. Ask relevant questions. We all want attention. Give people attention about what matters to them, and you might receive some attention back. 4. Be confident. People who are confident instill confidence in others. We feel more at ease when we are around someone who is comfortable with themselves. Developing self-confidence helps others enjoy being around you. At the other end of the spectrum, when you are nervous or uncomfortable, you make others feel the same. 5. Be a good listener. Give others your full attention. Be an active listener and keep the conversation going. Look at them when they talk. You can be considered a great conversationalist without saying much at all if you actively listen to others. 6. Have a couple of entertaining stories to share. Be prepared with a few interesting facts or stories. Talk show hosts and stand-up comics are always prepared. Have a few good stories to share and practice telling them. People tend to like short, entertaining stories. 7. Be childlike. That is childlike, not childish. When you are enthusiastic, you bring out the same in others. Everyone wants to experience childlike joy and enthusiasm for the moment they are in. 8. Find the positive. Life is not all rainbows, sparkles and unicorns all the time. We get curveballs. Tragic events happen. People struggle. Some people respond to even the smallest inconveniences with constant complaining. That is exhausting for the people around them. Staying positive throughout difficult events demonstrates a strong character and builds resiliency. 9. Raise your eyebrows. I recently watched the incomparable, motivating, and very funny Michael Hoffman perform for a group of extremely focused businesspeople. While not minimizing the seriousness of what the audience does, Michael reminded us of all to raise our eyebrows. And smile. A welcoming smile is irreplaceable. Happy people are more interesting that those who are not. Wherever you are, be genuinely happy to be there and show it. 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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