Leadership: Are Your Gen X’ers Engaged?

Leadership to Engage Gen X’ers and Boomers needs to be reconsidered post Recession 2008.  Things are not the same.  Gen X’ers are those  born between 1965-1978, and there are about 46 million of them.  They actually have more influence in the workplace than Baby Boomers or the Millennials.  They are thought to be a critical group when it comes to back filling Leadership for the Boomers who ordinarily would be preparing to retire.  It’s just that we had this little ole dip in our 401k’s.  So the Gen X’ers are restless.  Boomers are trying to hold on a few more years to sock away some more dough.  The Millennials see this as a fine time to move on in.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Employee Engagement, Leadership and Team Development.

Customer-Patient Satisfaction: What Matters Most

Leadership and Customer Satisfaction

We know some very important things when it comes to patient satisfaction: food and nursing. If the food is great and the nursing is average, a patient is likely to not recommend the hospital. If the nursing is great, and the food is average, the patient is likely to recommend the hospital.

We know that good food is better than lousy food, friendliness counts more than good food, when information exchange takes place, communication counts more than friendliness, and empathy enhances communication. So simple, right? It’s just that we forget.

So, acknowledge the patient-your customer, say hello, good morning, howdy, how are things going for you? But acknowledge them. Introduce yourself. Let them know why you’ve entered their room and what you need to do, how long it will take, and explain anything to them about what is about to take place.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Employee Engagement, Leadership and Team Development.

How is Retention Related to Team Development and Employee Engagement?

Retention and Employee Engagement

Guess what?    No surprise here.  The higher the staff engagement, the higher the staff retention.  The more unresolved the conflict is on any given team, the more likely you are to lose your best staff, your “high fliers”.  High fliers tend to leave first.  They can get another job easily.

Team Development is one way to establish “rules of engagement” for a team, and one of those rules of engagement is how the team will deal with differences and conflict as they arise.

What have you noticed about your retention of staff related to staff engagement?

I would to love to hear your thoughts!

All good things,

Donna

Posted by Donna Strickland in Employee Engagement, Leadership and Team Development.

How is Leadership Development Related to HCAHPS scores?

Leadership Development

When it comes to HCAHPS scores, nursing has a huge role. To expect that nurses will truly be engaged with patient care in the way that CMS is measuring it, Leadership has to be truly engaged with nursing. And, let’s face it, the higher the customer satisfaction scores, the higher the profits of that organization!

I’ll write about several of the most important factors when it comes to patient satisfaction scores. And, this really isn’t for healthcare only. These same principles apply to any industry when it comes to building a culture of service excellence.

There are a multitude of “customer service educational programs” out there.
Although there are numbers of things that matter to customers, one of the biggest is “Service Recovery”, which is the resolution of customer’s problems.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Employee Engagement, Leadership and Team Development.

Listening to Your “Wise Self”

“Opportunities for leadership are available to you every day. But putting you on the line is difficult work, for the dangers are real. Yet the work has nobility and the benefits, for you and for those around you, are beyond measure” Ronald Heifetz, Leadership on the Line

This workshop is for those who want to live more boldly. You are the first organization who must change. My hope is that you learn some practical applications, inspiration, and have some new ideas for leading, protecting yourself, and keeping your spirit alive. May you enjoy with a full heart the fruits of your labor. NASA needs you. The world needs you.

Extreme self-care means putting the quality of your life ahead of everything else: saying no to things that no longer support your true priorities; basing choices on what you want, rather than on what other’s want; and spending your time and energy on what matters.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Dynamic Keynotes, Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.

Create Terrific Teams

Do you need a pick-me-up, a take–care-of-our-team, nurturing, spirited, content rich, and healing experience to strengthen your relationships with one another, yourself and with your patients?   If you need to refresh, relax, reflect, and remember who you are what you are all about…then this is the program for you!!  Take a “time out” to deal with your own sore spirit, so you can SOAR!! 

Posted by Donna Strickland in Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.

Four Things Every Team Needs to Know

Understanding Our Big Picture, Part & Plan as it relates to Goals and Responsibilities.

• What is the Big Picture of our Company?
• How does our Team fit into the Big Picture? What is the Part we Play? And what is our Plan? Every member needs to know their own goals and responsibilities as it relates to the larger mission at hand, the “Big Picture” of the organization.

Work Processes.

• Knowing the above answers are just the start. Then each team needs to understand how we are going to accomplish our work.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.

Gap Analysis Questionnaire

What behaviors, actions, and accountabilities will be necessary to support our future desired outcomes?

What kind of leadership and organizational support would help?

What specifically do we need from _____?

Are there specific things that would need to change to bring about desired outcomes? If so, what are they?

What is currently underway?

What is missing?

Is what we’re doing really addressing the important (versus the urgent) within our department?

Posted by Donna Strickland in Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.

Accountability Conversation

1. Find out whether the person you are working with is interested in seeing problems as learning opportunities.  If so, when a problem occurs, include other people who are also interested in the situation.  Other people’s perspectives can be helpful because often two people in conflict are actually mirroring the conflict of a larger system within the organization.

2. Create a setting that is conducive to learning. 

• Allow plenty of time to address the issues.
• Reaffirm with each other that the goal is to learn, not blame.

Posted by Donna Strickland in Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.

Appreciative Inquiry Interview Questions

1. Considering your entire time as an employee at your organization, can you recall a time when you felt most alive, most involved, or most  excited about your involvement in the organization?

• What made it an exciting experience?  What gave it energy?
• What was it about you — unique qualities you have – that contributed to the exchange?
• Who were the most significant others?
• Why were they significant?
• In what ways did your organization contribute to the creation or support of this exchange?
• What were the most important factors in your organization that helped to make it a meaningful experience (e.g. leadership qualities, structure, rewards, systems, skills, strategy, relationships).

Posted by Donna Strickland in Free Resources, Leadership and Team Development.