Take a Professional Time-Out!

Let’s see if anybody can relate to this? It’s a warm stuffy day in the office, you have been running from meeting to meeting all morning long. At midday, your regular routine, find something to eat spending much needed time away from the computer screen.  Before you know it, lunch time is over and you have to get back to work. After you get settled in, those endorphins kick-in causing you to start your daily yawning exercises followed by struggling to stay awake and alert. Those dreaded moments we all can relate to!

It’s perfect time for a professional time-out!

Time to kick back and take 10-minutes to refresh. Some have even suggested to drink a hot cup of coffee or tea about 15 minutes before your professional time-out as it will enhance your recovery post meditation.

Let’s give it a try, get comfy in your chair, kick your feet onto your desk or elevated surface, arch your neck back aligning your airway and close your eyes.

Start by taking a deep-breath in and out, repeating this cycle six times. With your next breath, concentrate on the air you inhale and feel it cross your lips, enter your throat into your lungs and expand your chest. Now exhale slowly, feel your chest slowly collapse as the air rushes through your trachea, your mouth and into thin air.

Stick with this for about 10-minutes. Each time you feel your brain wander off into the unknown or your last meeting, bring it back to only listening/feeling each breath you take. It will take some exercise to get proficient at this. Tune out the external environment by only listening and concentrating on your breathing.

Around minute 7, it’s quite normal to slip into a state of pre-sleep and full relaxation. If necessary, set a gently alarm clock at minute 10 to bring you back to reality. Slowly stand-up, stretching and inhaling, bending over and exhaling a few times.

You are now ready for the afternoon with renewed energy and focus. It’s also the right time when the caffeine peeks its potential if you chose to go that route.

A mental time-out should be encouraged and exercised by all.

Let me know how it works for you!

-W

E x R = O….Just that Simple!

No matter where you go or what you do, you are being watched, judged and reported on. This holds especially true in service industries like hospitals, clinics or service centers. You are only as good as your last interaction.

Let’s take a look at one of my failures as a medical provider from which I learned much. As a clinician, I pride myself to be in-tune with my patients and give them the appropriate attention at all times. Not easy by any stretch of the imagination however a necessary evil of consistent non-biased patient care.

One night, I got distracted, tired of responding to the same patient on multiple of occasion for reasons unknown. I felt sorry for myself instead of feeling for this patient in her state of emergency. I barreled into her house like a big old tank, barking out orders, demanding her to get up to walk to the ambulance so I could get back to bed as soon as possible. Of course, we all know what happened a few days later. My employer received a complaint about my behavior and lack of caring for this patient.

She was RIGHT, I didn’t give her much empathy or the dignity she deserved. It was a wake-up call for me to adjust my own behavior by raising my self-awareness. It was not my emergency after all. A lesson learned the hard way.

This incident also made me a better leader by grasping the difficulty of consistent right behaviors in a stressful setting such as an emergency room, front desk or busy office.

As positude leaders, we need to find better ways to support our staff to avoid negative interactions. We need to think outside of the box to come up with creative ways to reduce stress on the frontlines by allowing regular breaks from high pressure situations without losing capacity and productivity not unlike lifeguard at your local community pool.

To be a high performance team, we need to not just get it right some of the time but get it right 100% of the time. It is a steep hill to climb however our customers/patients deserve nothing less from us.

The best advise I can give you is to always put yourself in the shoes of the customer.

E x R = O….. it’s our response to an event that determines the outcome.

-W

Special acknowledgement to M. Frisina Founder and Senior Research Scholar at The Center for Influential Leadership.

Bagels & Cream Cheese!

One morning, I woke up and felt in the mood to treat the family to something special before any of them would wake up. I quickly got dressed and hurried out of the door to my favorite bagel place in town. I ordered a dozen assorted bagels, scallion and walnut raising cream cheese and made it home before the bagels had a chance to cool down.

Although the bagels were a hit that morning, my kids (always honest without a filter) told me that they really wanted my favorite Dutch Pannekoeken that morning. I was flattered and disappointed at the same time that I failed to deliver on what they liked most.

Think about that for a moment as we approach Christmas/Hanukkah, rather than assuming what our kids or spouses want, take a few moments to strategically inquire on what it is that they would like most under the tree.

Assumptions have sunk more than one ship! Same holds true in the workplace. Instead of assuming what satisfies your staff members, get to know each individual and their personal intrinsic drivers. I would recommend that you straight out ask by proposing a list of drivers such as: hear me, inform me, appreciate me, challenge me, manage me. develop me, etc. Have them select a vital few drivers that motivate them to go above and beyond.

As a positude leader, it is your responsibility to learn and cater to the intrinsic drivers of your staff members. (and family members) Putting in the effort to get to know each individual will be rewarding in more ways than one.

Just in case you want to know, I love a good poppy-seed bagel with walnut raising cream cheese.

-W

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are you ready for change?

It is that time of the year again, leaving fall in our rear view mirror and entering winter in a great big rush. Outside temperature this morning was barely 22 degrees, although crisp, winds were calm which made for perfect early morning walk to clear my lungs and refresh my brain.

I’m starting a new job on Monday and feel like a sixteen year getting ready to go to his first prom. I’m stoked, excited, curious and a bit nervous. It’s all positive energy that will feed my physical being for weeks and months to come.

All great news for me however that is not always true for those left behind or about to meet their new leader. Change in leadership often causes anxiety and turbulence among  staff  members. We have to respect the fact that they too are going through a change of “known behaviors” to the unknown. Because of this predictable anxiety, negative energy tends to be at a “high”, be mindful of this and counter it with an appropriate amount of positive energy to remain balanced.

Both sides of the equation are affected by change and each should give the other room to learn, grow and experience albeit it counter intuitive at times. Positude Leaders will concentrate on finding mutual respect and developing a common bond with their new leaders and staff alike. Just because the environment is changing, it doesn’t mean you stop doing what works well and isn’t broke. Keep doing the right things right!

As I enter a new phase in my life, I will be switching to listening mode to learn about my new environment and focus on developing relationships with my new GM, peers, directs and front line staff. I will do my very best to ensure that each person feels like they are equally important to the outcomes we collectively desire. I will carefully listen to their perceived problems without trying to solve problems. I will document success and try to develop what “Great Looks Like” and most importantly,  I will do my very best to learn from my past failures and look for opportunities to improve upon them.

The key to your success is to outweigh the negative with +1 positive and not to make emotional decisions during a time of change. Be open to new learning.

-W

 

 

 

“Gratitude” is a reward for leading with “Positude”!

It’s been on an emotional roller coaster lately. I have been recruited by Quest Diagnostics to lead their Patient Services division in the East Region which gives me a great “HIGH”.

On the reverse side, I had to tell my staff that I was moving on to pursue my dreams which was both a “LOW” and a “HIGH” at the same time. Ever since, we shared moments of dismay, happiness, tears and laughter.  HIGHS, LOWS AND SOME MORE HIGHS. One thing was for sure, I got a real sense that Positude Leadership actually works.

In the next few weeks, I will be writing more about all the things Quest and its’ talented staff did right in the process of showing me that this opportunity was the RIGHT position for me. From start to finish, they have simple been amazing and I can’t wait to get started on November 13th. My focus will be to make every blood draw in the East Region a meaningful and efficient experience for our patients and staff alike. Together as a team, we will be what “Excellence” looks like.

All too often, we use the word “Gratitude” which comes from “Grateful + Attitude” however what does it actually mean or how is it expressed?

Especially since my announcement, I have had a daily dose of “magical” words from my staff, patients and associates alike for which I’m truly grateful. I’m humbled and honored. At times, I doubted if my leadership style was paying dividends or had an impact on my staff. The last few days not only validated that “Positude” actually works, it gave me a great sense of “Gratitude“.

“Paying it Forward” by coaching, mentoring and making time for those who need you during their time of need is something that I deeply believe in and encourage you to adopt as well.

“Gratitude” is a reward for leading with “Positude“.

-W

Fall Mini-Series Part 2: Leadership Team

 

Every great team is led by a coach who surrounds himself/herself with team members who buy into the leadership philosophy. In Part 1, we discussed the importance of building a unified vision and strategic plan before going on the road trip. One of the keys to your success is to do this together with your team and not in a vacuum.

Principle #2 of “Leading with Positude”  focuses on building a high performance team. This will take great amount of self-awareness and willingness to surround oneself with staff members smarter or wiser than yourself. As the leader, you don’t need to be smartest, wisest or even a subject matter expert. Your role is to lead a team of “Go-To” team mates not just “YES” people. Your passion and ability to bring the right people onto your leadership team will be your first major step towards building your dream team.

A word of caution, be truly mindful as you make your selections. Your success will be limited if the right people are not sitting around the table as you develop a vision and strategic plan. For example, I learned the hard way, by failing to engage and involve physicians in the process of developing a plan, making improvements or implementing a program  that directly impacted physicians.  Spare yourself the anguish and invite the right people from the beginning.

Team members should be teachable and from the onset show great mutual respect for each other roles on the team. Only when this is established, can you build a common bond and common understanding among team members. This should not be easy, it is  established through great discussion and hearing each others point of view.  Ultimately, the team should come together as a team under a unified vision. Don’t be surprised if this takes a few meetings to establish.

Once you are on your way, continue to reassess your team by making sure that you have the right team members on the team. Don’t hesitate to add or exchange team members to find the right mix of experiences to ensure the best outcomes. Failure to make corrections at this time will lead to team dysfunction at a later time. I suggest completing a stakeholder analysis and/or a team effectiveness assessment minimumly on a monthly basis.

As a positude leader, you will need to invest time to develop leaders around you as it is unlikely that every single team member is a natural leader with skills and abilities. In healthcare, we can’t buy a team like they do in baseball or basketball however we can coach and mentor to get the most out of the people available to you. A great team has subject matter experts as well as utility players, you need leaders as well as doer’s, you need managers as well as frontline staff members. Your perfect team should consist of 7-10 team mates. As the coach/mentor/leader, don’t forget to seek coaching for yourself too. I have been coached over the past ten plus years by some awesome coaches who have challenged me to continue to grow as an individual. I highly recommend the same for you.

Key drivers for building a successful team:

• Surround oneself with “Go-To” People not “Yes” People
• Develop Mutual Respect
• Develop a Common Bond
• Develop a Common Understanding
• Remain Teachable at Times
• Conduct Stakeholder Analysis prior to start
• Perform Team Effectiveness analysis often
• Make changes as necessary
• Jim Collins “Good to Great” only hire the RIGHT person or you are better off going without

As the beautiful picture in the header suggest, we need to ensure cultural diversity on our teams. Surrounding ourselves with people who look like us, think like and act like us with limit your teams potential.

-W

Volunteerism at Work! Do you?

Over the past year, I have written several times on the topic “Paying it Forward”. As a positude leader, I try to incorporate this into my daily life and I strongly encourage you to do the same.

However, volunteerism at work is an whole-another level of not only giving back but also building something together. Its about camaraderie, friendships, team building and promoting your companies brand by showing support to a great cause.

A positude leader will create a WIN/WIN scenario by allowing groups of managers to hold bake sales, paint night or allow time to collect donations from fellow employees. Although it is time away from their core mission, it is time promoting your brand and building a cohesive team.

As a leader or even better as an institution, you can set a lavish goal and support your staff in their attempts to out raise another department or sister facility. Just look at the smiles on the faces of our Ambulatory Leaders at NYC Health + Hospital/Jacobi while they enthusiastically sold home made bake goods raising another 1K for “Making Strides against Breast Cancer” last week.

As their leader, it gave me a great sense of pride to see them work as a team for a great cause. Their time spent as a team will not only enhance our hospital brand, it will have a lasting effect on how they work together across departmental lines for days, weeks and even months to come.

As a positude leader, work with your team to find several great causes throughout the year to support albeit through fundraising or volunteering time at a local soup kitchen. It is rewarding and it will leave you with a euphoric feeling of making a difference!

Volunteerism at Work is a must!

-W

Speak Up! Do you?

I recently  sat  in a meeting listening to a few managers discussing some issues in their respective departments. At first, I sat back and just listened and thought back to my earlier days as a Safety Officer. It brought back great memories of representing patients and staff alike to ensure a safe environment for all.

My interest spiked, causing me to nearly slip out of my chair, did I just hear this or just misunderstood the jest of the conversation. Were they actually discussing ways to circumvent safety procedures to safe money and time!

I had a decision to make, sit there and do nothing or speak up and impose in an area outside of my own direct responsibilities. What would you have done?

Most would have said nothing and played ignorant. Really, its no different from not washing your hands after toiletting or observing non-compliance to infection prevention standards often due to low behavioral capacity or fear of confrontation including giving- or receiving critical feedback.

Doing nothing should never be the option. As a positude leader, it is your responsibility to “Speak Up” and protect the innocent albeit from germs, fraud or asbestos.

Your behavioral capacity and confidence in doing the right thing will carry you through this difficult moment of professionally confronting the offenders by questioning their allowance of bad behavior.

There’s no need to be belligerent or unprofessional, merely make the other person aware that their actions do not meet standards of care. Most often, they will correct their immediate behavior. If not, don’t confront, instead report to the next level of management to stop the inaction.

I did “Speak Up” and provided coaching/mentoring to both managers on ways they could address this issue without causing a stir. As positude leaders, we need to create a safe environment where staff feel comfortable to provide critical feedback without repercussion.

Model the behavior you seek, encourage active feedback and discourage “Yes” behavior.

-W

3 Strategies of a Positude Leader!

From the time you start your college education through every career phase, you will be searching for the right strategies to propel your teams forward. Much has been written about this by many accomplished thought leaders in the business world however none have the magical answer or a cookie cutter approach to becoming successful.

Success of course needs to be defined by the beholder as each of us is a bit different from one another and needs to set goals for oneself. 

Therefor, the three strategies a positude leader must deploy and utilize at every decision point is as follows;

1. Have a POSITIVE OUTLOOK by keeping things in perspective regardless of circumstance. i.e. A failure creates an opportunity

2. Be SMART in your approach to improve outcomes.

Specific……unified in approach

Measurable…..has defined metrics

Attainable……can be accomplished 

Realistic…… within your control 

Timely……has impact within 90 days

3. Provide & Seek coaching/mentoring opportunities for success i.e. Learning to share and sharing to teach

These three basic but powerful strategies will have a positive impact on your career, your ability to manage people, processes and things.

A great way to get started is to complete an inventory of your current processes including management of people and assess if you meet each of the three standards outlined. If not, perform a gap analysis before proceeding and take a little time to right the ship. 

Make a promise to yourself to become a positude leader and set your team up for success. 

-W

Time for a little Fatherly Advise!

It’s that time of the year again. Our recent high school graduates getting ready to head to college. As a father of five and informally of many more especially our youth corps members who are ready to head out to college. I’m nervous for them. There is a big great world beyond what they have experienced ever before.

Many have yet to spend more than a few days away from their homestead and unlikely ready to thrive on their own. It’s likely going to be a year of survival.

The best I can do for any of these students is to provide some fatherly advise and words of wisdom based on deep personal experiences.

Fatherly Top Five:

1. Set a firm two-drink limit for yourself
2. Stay true to yourself at all times
3. Listen to your inner voice carefully
4. Don’t commit to the first boy or girl you meet
5. Don’t join a sorority during your first year of college

It is important to have FUN but not at the expense of bad grades or failing out of college. I have seen too many do all the above only to derail their dreams and realistic ambitions.

Don’t become a statistic and remember a college education is very expensive for your parents.

Live life to the fullest and stay within the boundaries of your capabilities.

-W

P.S. Good Luck Kasey…………..