We hear it all the time, “I’ll try”, in response to a request to do or accomplish something. Almost inevitably, the actual result will come up short. It isn’t that the person is not necessarily capable of the goal, but rather may have some impediments that are sketchy and s/he doesn’t want to just say “no”, but rather at least offer hope. As the wise Yoda said, “Do or do not - there is no try.” How do you help someone set up an environment where “I will” is the desired answer? The key is chunking!

Are you coachable, teachable, open to new ways of thinking or looking at your world? The basis of mentoring begins with your ability to be mentored. The need to grow and develop should foster an attitude in which you don’t know all the answers and thus need to find new ones, or perhaps at least new approaches that can supplant or provide alternatives to old ones. Where you get your mentoring can be just as varied - coaches, newsletters, books, seminars, even these podcasts can provide teachable moments if you are open!

Today, Clint speaks with Bob Chur of Elderwood in the greater Buffalo area of New York regarding long term care and the state and future of healthcare in general. Listen in for a glimpse of healthcare from a real-world example!

We all (hopefully) has a set of beliefs we feel strongly about and can build our lives around. It’s okay to not have a solid opinion about EVERYTHING as well as it is okay to change our minds along the road. The important point is to find your beliefs and hold them strongly so that you can articulate them and be able to discuss them with others so we can work together (being respectful of others’ beliefs) towards common solutions. I believe you should give this podcast a listen!

In most organizations, the HR department has come to have a very predictable and fixed role or realm within the scheme of things as a ‘fixer of problems’, a role-definer, a confidentiality holding tank, etc. This team has much more to offer an organization open to using the department in a more consulting-style capacity. Not only can they act more nimbly in this manner as a resource of information, guidelines and procedures, but they can also more effectively help the workforce in its goals of working together more smoothly and efficiently. Hear some ideas!

We hopefully celebrate all sorts of events that herald successes and goodwill in our teams and work environment - birthdays, anniversaries, promotions, educational achievements, etc. However, one event that often slips by is the celebration of bringing in a new hire. This is a critical event that should be enjoyed as not only is a new employee being made to feel welcome, but the team is now going to benefit from some ‘pain relief’ as well as get a leg up on future hires. Learn how today!

The Care Crowd Creed notes that customers are great, and indeed, without them, we don’t have a reason for our job! Likewise, another required participant in the healthcare process is the physician. Our abilities to coordinate our care with the physician is critical to positive outcomes for our customers. Therefore, there is a great incentive to cultivate our interaction/partnerships with our physicians to better serve our customers to ensure their happiness and to attract new customers in the future.

One of the greatest advantages of teaming, the creation of superteams and subteams to address the tackling issues within an organization, is the natural by-product of development of leaders within those teams. This process helps to empower employees to take on and learn leadership qualities in the context of their co-workers, yet often without the accompanying management-level overhead. Learn how to grow some leaders in your facility today!

In the healthcare field, there is an obvious need to be able to handle tasks in an expeditious manner, but it is also critical to be aware of when we are pushing things too fast and as a result, quality (and usually quantity too) begins to suffer. It is okay to slow down, especially when the outcome from continuance of the blazing pace will result in shoddy work that will need to be supplemented/redone as a result. Get some tips on how to hit the brakes a little!

Celebrating the little things does indeed make a big difference! Just as we break up major tasks into smaller levels of accomplishment that build to bigger successes, we should do the same in our healthcare work. More so, we should be sure to celebrate our accomplishments as we succeed in each milestone along the way. Better yet, teams can pre-plan for these celebrations so the goal is clearly defined, as well as the beneficial outcomes and a sense of urgency and success in thus built into the project. Get some tips in today’s podcast!