I have spent half of my healthcare career in personal research and experimentation on how organizations can create, sustain, and continually improve to make their excellence tomorrow, greater than their excellence today. A system of excellence that sets colleagues, leaders, and management up for success so they can successfully meet all the many competing […]
Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places
Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places Do you feel sometimes in your health care environment that it’s hard to find the love? Of course, I’m not talking about relationships between individuals, but I am talking about a healthy, caring, and yes loving work environment for colleagues. If an organization is experiencing high […]
Beware Culture Undercurrents
Beware Culture Undercurrents Have you ever heard the term undercurrents? You may remember going to the beach and Coast Guard warnings signs to swimmers that the undercurrent being strong in the ocean? We know that the undercurrents or undertow refers to a rip current that can sweep a swimmer further out into the ocean […]
Are You an Emotional Blackmailer?
Are You an Emotional Blackmailer? When I asked a person if they have been engaged Emotional Blackmail (EB), or fallen victim to emotional blackmail, many times I get a very strange look. What I have come to understand is that many people do not understand the meaning of emotional blackmail. The first book I […]
What a Train Wreck can Teach us About Ownership
Healthcare organizations routinely practice mock or simulated disasters drills to be ready to respond in the most optimal means when a disaster occurs. Natural or man-made disasters may involve many traumatized victims or casualties as seen in hurricanes, train wrecks or like what was seen in the 9-11 terror attack on the World Trade […]
Let’s Start a Fire in Healthcare
I heard a saying that if you set yourself on fire, then people will come watch you burn. Does not sound like any fun at all from a physical standpoint. Make the World Take Notice This is not meant in the literal sense, but is a statement that if you do something innovative or […]
What Happens When You Empower People
A Doomed Health System In 2009, I was asked to step in as an Interim CEO of a large community health system by the governing board; there was a very real possibility that the organization was beyond hope of resuscitation. The vast operational failure meant the likely demise of this long-standing community health center […]
Put the CARE back in CAREGIVER
Put the CARE back in CAREGIVER When healthcare colleagues are cared for, it transforms them from healthcare workers into caregivers. When the work environment is filled with engaged, compassionate, empathetic colleagues, who are personally satisfied and happy with their workplace, there is a direct correlation in creating a positive patient experience. Therefore patient experience […]
What Errors Say About Leadership
What Errors Say About Leadership & Culture Have you ever witnessed an epic failure in patient care? Maybe it’s a faux pas on the part of the providers. A breakdown in the caregiver’s communication chain. Conflicting care protocols causing the perfect storm. Maybe someone simply dropped the ball and made a human error. What happens […]
A Gold Standard in Healthcare
The Lay of the Land Hospitals and healthcare organizations are required to address expectant standards of care in the delivery of their services, based on regulatory and accrediting entities. The requirements are representative of the specific regulatory agency’s mission. Evidenced-based medicine, best practices, and delivering high quality of care through clinical patient outcomes, contribute […]