Clintcast

We are all familiar with the traditional meaning of ‘popping the question’ (aka, ‘will you marry me’) but this common phrase also has an important counterpart in the healthcare profession... ‘will you help me’. These four little words have a similar power to create a strong partnership between two people as they work toward a common goal in delivering service excellence. It infers a 50/50 relationship whereby the pair can mutually benefit for a combined output of more than 100%. When you multiply these pairings to the extent of the whole organization, it is easy to see the gains these partnerships can garner for the whole. As we celebrate this 300th episode of Clintcast, let’s be sure to pop the question to other to get them involved in helping with the Care Crowd so we can magnify our collective efforts nationwide!

For many, the very word is a downer... Monday. However, it doesn’t have to be this way (in fact, it should be just the opposite). If Mondays seem to be a day set aside to triage the remains of what occurred over the weekend, then you have a pretty good indicator that there are systems and policies in need of repair/replacement in your organization. From a sales/marketing/morale perspective, Monday should be the roaring start to a successful week, filled with goal-setting, strategic planning, morale-boosting, etc - the keyword being an ‘action’ day, not a recoup/readdress day. Listen in as Clint provides some tips for ensuring that Mondays become a day to look forward to, while on the path to deliver great customer service and continual growth.

Intelligence vs. Ignorance of an organization is not a measure (necessarily) of collective IQ. Instead, it has everything to do with the growth of the organization. IQ has little to no impact on the true nature of intelligence - the choice to consciously and relentlessly pursue growth in examining and implementing new/more successful means of carrying on our work (or adding new work avenues to expand our positive reach). Ignorance, conversely ‘is bliss’ as they say, at least internally... content to stay stagnant with what works (which in fact, may not). As our world involves guaranteed, constant change, by this very definition, stagnation can only lead eventually to failure. Get some tips today to ensure your organization is continually growing strong!

There are times for all of us when emotions can become a factor and we have a ‘moment of drama’. That’s okay - it’s human nature to have emotions. However, there are times when, for some, the spotlight becomes a bit addictive and the drama plays on and on. Today, Clint examines how this situation, left out of hand, can become very debilitating for an organization and how to nip it as quickly as possible when it does rear its head. The biggest way to prevent the drama in the first place is to be out of your office and amongst the staff in first hand to help resolve questions/misunderstandings/etc before they become an issue.

Our brains are our local, mobile computers that we rely upon every minute of every day to support us in our life processes. Furthermore, they are in a life-long, constant state of being ‘programmed’ by external ephemera and inputs beyond ourselves, some positive, some negative. As such, it is critical that we take an active role in the ‘programming’ our brains absorb, being wary of the programming maxim that garbage in = garbage out. Only we can determine for ourselves what to let in, what to let stick and what to discard of this constant influx, and when we neglect to take responsibility for this, others have an opportunity to influence us in ways (usually negative) that we do not necessarily intend or desire. Learn about installing your own virus-detection program!

When the ‘sticky-note’ came into existence, it did not take long for folks to instantly recognize how helpful those little yellow slips of paper could be to our self organization processes. However, one must carefully guard against their use as a serious means of communication within an organization (as well as their virtual counterparts, email and voicemail) as you will eventually (and likely routinely) get burned when something as simple as failing adhesive, for instance, comes into play. Clint elaborates on more positive and effective ways to communicate, especially in regards to vital information, as this is a key determinant of success in our US healthcare system, especially given the advanced technological and communications advances that are available to us today.

A critical aspect of leadership is the ability to believe in people. This is a fundamental requirement in order to be able to setup an environment of follower-ship whereby team members not only foster trust in each other, but can utilize that trust to build upon each member’s strengths in a synergistic manner to achieve successes unreachable by single members. This too, helps to prevent anyone from feeling overwhelmed under the weight of having to deliver success totally on their own (which leads to burn-out, health issues, jumping ship, etc). Check out Clint’s 9-item list of things you can do to foster a positive belief system with others in your leadership processes.

A key tactic in the practice of shunning excuse-making in your daily work/life is the avoidance of the use of the word ‘if’, as this word commonly prefaces an excuse or reason as to why something is not successfully occurring. The ideal conditions for success, free of any impediments, rarely occur on their own out of thin air. As such, it is vital to be cognizant of which impediments are holding up progress, how to overcome them in which order, and then to utilize ‘when’ statements instead, showing a positive energy of resolve and confidence that the task can in fact be ultimately achieved once some pre-factors are resolved. Listen in for some help in playing the cards you are dealt!

Strategic planning is a critical component to any organization’s success and great care and diligence should be put into its process. A major sub-component to this process is not only to consider what makes (or will make in the future) your organization a success, but also that of your competitors. Thus Analyzing Competitive Advantage is likewise a key factor to ongoing success and planning. Aspects to examine include entrepreneurial spirit, acceptable calculated risk-taking, integration of growth-oriented tools and techniques, strategic partnerships and so on. Clint discusses how you can put factors such as these to positive benefit in your organization!

The healthcare profession, in comparison to other professions, is obviously one that requires a great deal of attention, energy and continual effort. As such, it becomes a debilitating issue when a team-member is chronically not willing to put forth the necessary requirements/effort to perform the duties as needed. When this happens, it is critical that team members (without necessarily waiting on management action) address the lazy person’s behaviors and get them on board, or in a different line of work, as the person is doing themselves and everyone else a great disservice in their current behavior model. Learn how to effectively deal with these drains on your organization’s energy and effectiveness.