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By Bobbe White
How do we hold ourselves back in life? Let me count the ways. I’ve been noodling on why and here’s a big one: We hold ourselves back when we believe people are judging and watching us. Consider this: people are thinking waaaaaaay less about us than we imagine. I test this theory whenever I work out at the gym or take a class. Most members are high school or college-age. There are a handful of mature athletes in the house. (I use both those terms loosely: mature, athlete.) Trust me people, they’re not watching us, critiquing us or caring one bit about our squats thrusts. If they give one second of thought to our presence, it might sound like this: What you HOPE they’re thinking about you: “Sure hope I can work out like that when I’m his/her age!” What they’re PROBABLY thinking (if anything): a. “Hope I never get THAT old!" b. “Don’t old people have their own gym and workout times?” c. “What old lady/man? Where?” As they step over you. I realized a long time ago that my presence is of very little concern to others in most situations. I’m okay with that fact. And you should be too. On the flip side, I enjoy observing them, when they don’t know it. No, not in a creepy way. Geesh. I’ve watched gangly, awkward boys come back more grownup after a summer or semester. I’ve seen young timid girls workout solo instead of having a twin-friend attached to the hip. Eventually, they become more comfortable in their own skin. I’m amused at the cajoling and berating they exchange and also receive from the trainers, who push them for more. Mostly, I attempt to absorb the raw energy that permeates the gym environment, when young people are present. Then again, maybe it’s the rap music that’s playing… If and when the gym sets hours by age group I will abide by that schedule. Until then, I intend to show up as it fits into my schedule and be perfectly comfortable. A few of us have already coined our workout times, should we be segregated, such as, “Old Fart Friday!” But, and this is a BIG but…what if I’m all wrong and the gym rats don’t like mature men or women sharing their weights and space? First of all, there’s enough space for everyone. Secondly, the kettle bells I use are ones you cast off years ago. Finally, like it or not, one day, you’ll be us. Bratty-looking emoji. Isn’t it refreshing to realize you’re NOT under anyone’s microscope but your own? Live your life in perspective. 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 LeAnn Thieman. This was originally published on LeAnn's blog.
Hospitals will continue to feel financial constraints from the ongoing nursing shortage for the next three to four years, according to a new report. Labor comprises more than half of most hospitals’ operating revenue, and that share will continue to rise as turnover among nurses remains high and not enough new nurses enter the workforce, according to a report from Moody’s Investors Service. Providers will have to spend more to recruit qualified employees while the nursing shortage persists through 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rapidly aging population and need for chronic disease management will drive nursing demand. Rural providers will also be acutely impacted because they cannot match the compensation offered by urban hospitals and are not located close to nursing schools, Moody’s said. Hospitals’ average annual revenue growth of 5.7% between 2012 and 2016 exceeded salaries and benefits expense growth of 5.5%. But that did not include recruitment expense, which is higher in growing economies. Nurses are more willing to change jobs and providers must up the ante with better rates, bonuses and benefits to keep them on staff. Recruiting a nurse in the home health sector used to cost $1,500 to $2,000 and he or she would produce about $100,000 in revenue, netting about a 10% margin. But in today’s competitive landscape, recruitment costs are closer to $5,000 and nurses are spending less time at a job, which narrows margins. And Medicare and Medicaid are reducing reimbursement levels. To learn more about nursing recruitment and retention strategies, 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! By Kristin Baird
It’s no secret that an engaged workforce is necessary for a consistently positive patient experience. And nurses are pivotal in this equation. Nurses who develop resilience can prevent burnout. This allows them to engage with patients on a deeper level and thus, contribute to greater patient satisfaction. Resilience Resilience is defined as the ability to face adverse situations, remain focused, and continue to be optimistic for the future and is seen as a vital characteristic for today’s nurses. Lack of resilience places nurses are at risk for burnout, depression and job dissatisfaction. Leaders can help nurses to recognize the signs of burnout and support them in self-care. Formal education on the subject can be helpful, but even more useful is having one-on-one discussions with your nurses. Next time you make rounds on your nurses, instead of asking, “Do you have the tools you need to do your job?," ask them when the last time they had a break was. I’ve spent many shifts without food, water or bathroom breaks. I still see that among nurses on the inpatient units as well as outpatient areas. They’re putting patients first. Now it’s time for the leaders to address the nurses’ needs. You won’t know unless you ask. 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.
Each of us has unique skills that we can use in our life and work. Sometimes, however, it takes a while to figure out just what those skills are. Early in my career, I heard other speakers talk about how they customized every presentation they did. They would interview people, read organizational documents, and then adjust the content so that it tied their material into the theme of the meeting and the challenges for that particular audience. I’ve always admired people who can do that. In fact, I’m amazed that pastors can create an entirely new sermon every week. To them, I say, “Amen!” For a few years, I tried to customize my humor by writing specific material before each presentation. For instance, if I was speaking to a group of nurses in a large health care system, I would learn all I could about the system, I would read their internal newsletters, I would interview several members of the nursing staff, and then I would write specific humor based on the information I had gathered. But the humor typically fell flat and I got the sound of crickets rather than laughs. I finally realized the problem—I was trying to write inside humor as an outside humorist. Since I didn’t work within the organizations, I didn’t truly grasp the subtle idiosyncrasies that would have made the humor more relevant to the people who did work there. So, I had to figure out a way to use my humor skills differently. In other words, I had to customize the way I applied them. It turns out that I can see humor in the moment better than I can see humor before the moment. So, I took advantage of this skill and began to write funny lines while attending the conferences and meetings where I was speaking. For instance, I’ll go to the reception the night before my presentation. Or I’ll listen to the speaker who precedes me. And if I’m lucky, I’ll have the last presentation of the day and get to watch all of the speakers ahead of me. In each scenario, I’ll start my presentation with a few references to things that happened—and since the audience was there too, my comments are not only funnier, they’re more relevant to the listeners. This has made all the difference in the world because I am no longer guessing at how people experience their work. Instead, I I’m commenting on an experience that we all shared. Here are a couple of examples: Once, I spoke to a large audience of mostly women. On the first day of the conference, the emcee mentioned that because of the number of women at the event and the shortage of restrooms, the convention center had converted the closest men’s restroom to a women’s restroom. The men would need to go, so to speak, across the convention center to the only other available men’s restroom. When I was finally introduced, I ran onstage and pretended to be out of breath. I said, “Whew! I almost missed my introduction. You see, my cab from the men’s room was late.” The line got a great response because it brought to light something everyone had heard earlier in the day but then exaggerated the distance in a funny way. I think this made a much greater impact than something I could have written ahead of time because it was so relevant to that particular moment. One of my favorite in-the-moment lines occurred after I watched a speaker deliver a presentation on conflict management. Prior to his presentation, when his title slide was projected on the screen, he leaned over to me and said, “Oh, no, I just noticed I have a typo on my opening slide.” The slide looked like this: Conflict Management John Smith June 21,s 2010. So, there was an accidental “s” in the date. He simply laughed it off when he went onstage and gave a great presentation. During my part of the program, when I was referring back to his presentation, I said, “Well you probably noticed that John had a typo on his opening slide. He was actually quite unnerved by it. Just before he went onstage, he leaned over to me and said, “Does that comma make my ’S’ look big?” I could have dropped the mic at that point as the audience burst into laughter. Even John was laughing. And once again I was reminded that I’m much more effective when I focus my humor on the present moment. You see, there are many ways we can customize our gifts and skills for what we do. I believe it is this very uniqueness that makes us stand out in the crowd. So we need to find ways to tap into those qualities in both our work and personal lives. For example, if you are a natural salesperson, are you in a role where you can sell ideas or products? Or if you are great with people, are you in a role where you can use your people skills to organize or facilitate groups and teams? Or if you are a good writer, are you in a role where you can put your writing skills to work? Using our uniqueness doesn’t mean that we have to find a job where that’s all we do. It simply means that we should be on the lookout for ways to use our particular skills—rather than just doing what everyone else does. I’m not that good at pre-writing humor. And for a while, I thought I had to develop my material that way because that’s what others did. Luckily the absence of laughter suggested otherwise. That’s when I realized that if I customize my skills and use in-the-moment humor instead, I get more laughs and less crickets. And to that, I say, “Amen!” 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
Lack of personal connection and the absence of human support is a struggle in most businesses today. Although companies can address this issue simply through understanding and better communication, many remain so singularly focused on profits, they are unaware of the insidious internal damage caused by poor morale. Here are a few things to consider when evaluating how to keep your company healthy: Does your company pay attention to its employees’ individual needs and opinions? Or does it take a cookie-cutter approach to its workers, expecting strict conformity without exception? Although it’s obvious that employment standards are necessary and healthy, some businesses overlook the fact that humans are not machines, and sometimes require special handling when adapting to changes at work or in their personal lives. Does your business encourage group activities, team meetings for communication and morale-building, and other opportunities to connect with fellow employees? Fostering good relationships among employees is a huge contributing factor in companies’ successfully weathering the ups and downs inherent in business. Furthermore, research has shown that positive feedback and personal encouragement at work frequently outrank even pay rate when it comes to employees’ job satisfaction! Smart companies don’t skimp on the holiday celebrations, employee family picnics, and birthday recognitions. As in all human interactions, when we feel valued, we are generally motivated to return the favor by giving our best. Do managers embrace an open-door policy, inviting employees to come to them for discussion and resolution of issues? Or are they unapproachable, with an attitude suggesting they’re superior, super controlling, or quick to resort to punitive measures? Here is where connection becomes absolutely critical for survival of a business “species.” Humans are social creatures, with an innate need for validation and acceptance by others. Companies would do well to encourage and understand, rather than criticize and condemn, fellow members of their species. Is your treatment of coworkers based on reality, as opposed to mental gymnastics? Don’t make the mistake of guessing the feelings and motivations of your employees. Often, we avoid connecting because we’ve already painted an ugly picture of them based purely on our own fears, past negative experiences, and displaced resentments! This form of judgement is actually very similar to the delusional thinking of people overcome by despair related to a mental illness. If fed with more inner distortions instead of outside support and objectivity, our perspective grows darker and darker, leading to harm and possibly death, be it to an individual or corporation. As a passionate spokeswoman regarding human connection, which directly bolsters the health of both individuals and companies, I challenge you to evaluate your own professional mental wellbeing. Consider how you think about—and therefore behave—toward others. Don’t make the mistake of minimizing the importance of relating to the people you work with authentically, respectfully, and compassionately. Because the truth is, the very life of your company depends on it. 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 Roger Crawford. This was originally published on Roger's blog.
In the game of tennis, they have developed a unique rating system called NTPR which evaluates the skill level of players. The system has been effective because there are specific benchmarks a player must meet. It is, therefore, less subjective. Ratings are issued on a scale ranging from 2.0 (just picked up a racket yesterday) to 7.0 (touring professional). 2.0 is considered a rank beginner, usually defined as someone who has hit fewer than 10,000 tennis shots, while 7.0 is considered a professional. Once a player’s rating is established, they will then compete in tournaments against players of similar ability and experience. Making the decision to go to the next level…Let’s say you begin competing against players of similar experience and ability. Before long, you will have to decide whether or not to “play up.” For example, if you are rated as a 3.5 player and have won several tournaments, other players will begin to ask you when you are going to start competing at the next level (play up), maybe at 4.0 or 4.5. Some tournament players want to stay where they are and continue to take home trophies. They mistakenly believe that what brought them to where they are now is going to keep them there. It has been my experience, though, that when players stand still, they frequently lose enthusiasm, and their game begins to stagnate. Before long, other players are passing them by. Isn’t this same principle relevant in all other areas of our lives? The most successful individuals and organizations are always seeking opportunities to play up! When you make the decision to go to the next level, expectations change, focus sharpens, and motivation increases. We tend to rise to the level of our own expectations. Wouldn’t you agree that what you see in yourself is what you get out of yourself? That is why playing up is so vital to sustaining success. Peak performers understand that rising to a new level will bring new possibilities. How about you? Are you ready to play up? 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 Karyn Buxman. This was originally published on Karyn's blog.
A CFO’s Take on Humor in the Workplace One thousand, four hundred CFOs were asked, “How important is an employee’s sense of humor in him or her fitting into your company’s corporate culture?” Seventy-nine percent of them said that an employee’s sense of humor was important for fitting into a company’s corporate culture. Seventy-nine percent! Wow! Two things about this impressed me. First, seventy-nine percent is a huge majority. And second, why the heck did they ask CFOs?! One would of thought they’d ask the CEO or director of HR, but I think it’s fantastic that the researchers asked the single most numbers-oriented person in any firm such a “soft” question. The research also revealed that twenty-two percent said it was “very important,” while twenty percent said it was “not at all important.” “A little levity goes a long way toward building rapport among colleagues, and diffusing workplace tension,” said Kimberly Stiener-Murphy, a Regional Vice President for Robert Half (which owns Accountemps, which funded the research.) “Levity by those at the top can also make the office more fun, which can boost morale and productivity, and raise retention rates.” Hmmm…improved morale, increased productivity, and better retention…sounds to me like elements that contribute to a positive ROI.
Kudos to Robert Half and those one-thousand, four-hundred CFOs who participated in this research! It’s gratifying that the observations that humor enhances well-being and success are being supported by more research as time goes on. Funny really does make money! 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
When I was in my early 20s, I left a job solely because I felt undervalued and under-appreciated. When I look back on that experience, I realize that may not have been true. I probably needed a little maturity to understand what was really going on. Regardless, I left a field in which I received a degree, a good job with several years of experience in my pocket, and an opportunity to grow within that practice. In fact, most people leave a job because of feeling under-appreciated by coworkers or leadership. However, we can actually retain more staff if everyone, bosses and coworkers alike, learned to be more appreciative of the people around them. What’s the proper way to do this? The Appreciation Formula. There’s a formula for that? Think of it like frosting on a cake. You want it evenly spread, not too thick in any one spot. The formula is very simple. It’s the person’s name, followed by what you’re praising them for, and ending with why it makes a difference. Imagine hearing someone say, “Hey everybody, good job today.” That’s just white noise, a blanket praise. Now listen to the difference here: Look the person in the eye, use her first name, tell her why you’re thanking her, and include why it makes a difference. It sounds like this, “Betty, the way you handled that angry patient today was fantastic. By the time we did her exam, she had calmed down, and things went much, much better. Thank you.” Hear the difference? Though it sounds a little odd and rehearsed, in real life with the sincerity of the situation, it is a huge improvement over “Thanks a lot” or “Great job today.” Simple, right? Get out there and praise someone today. It’s the gasoline between paychecks and one of the easiest staff development tools that I offer. 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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