Culture Change RX

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In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue and Jess Nuutinen discuss the impact of crises on healthcare innovation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jess shares her experiences as a nurse and leader, highlighting the importance of adaptability, teamwork, and community support in navigating challenges. They explore how partnerships and innovative solutions emerged from necessity, and the ongoing need for healthcare to embrace change, engage staff, and improve patient care.

• Innovation often arises from necessity during crises.
• Partnerships with local organizations can enhance healthcare delivery.
• Rapid changes in healthcare require effective communication and teamwork.
• Staff engagement is crucial for successful implementation of new practices.
• Sustaining innovations post-crisis and post-change is essential for future success.
• Leadership plays a vital role in fostering a culture of innovation and engagement.
• Rural healthcare faces unique challenges that require tailored solutions.

Connect with Jess Nuutinen:

• By email
• On LinkedIn
• At Frontier Strategy Partners
• Blog (shared governance)

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this solo episode of Culture Change RX, Sue Tetzlaff discusses the critical role of behaviors in workplace culture, particularly within healthcare organizations. She shares insights from her experiences facilitating discussions on creating a 'utopia' in healthcare, emphasizing that behavior change is essential yet challenging. The episode outlines the importance of establishing clear behavior standards and offers practical strategies for maintaining these standards within organizations, including commitment events, campaigns, giving and receiving feedback, and hiring practices.

• Behaviors are crucial for transforming organizations.
• Creating a utopia in healthcare requires clear behavior standards.
• Behavior change is the hardest aspect of organizational change.
• Establishing behavior standards is best done by an empowered team of employees.
• Behavior standards should be written positively, focusing on what to do.
• Align behavior standards with the organization's mission, mission, values and top strategic priorities (such as the Patient Experience).
• Commitment events can mark a new beginning for behavior standards.
• A feedback culture is essential for maintaining behavior standards.
• Visual, verbal or virtual “campaigns” help to keep behavior standards top-of-mind.
• Hiring for behavior can enhance the future of the organization’s culture.

Need help improving the culture, performance, and results of your healthcare organization? If so, let’s talk:  https://www.capstoneleadership.net/contact-us

Are we connected yet on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/suetetzlaff/

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, Sue and Julie Coneset discuss effective strategies for ongoing leadership development in healthcare organizations. Julie shares her extensive experience in creating impactful training programs, emphasizing the importance of mandatory attendance, setting clear expectations, and fostering engagement through relevant and interactive learning experiences. They explore the significance of feedback, creativity in logistics, and the role of internal peer champions in enhancing leadership training. The conversation highlights the importance of establishing a distraction-free learning environment via established ground rules to ensure effective engagement during training sessions.

• Clear communication to all employees and leaders sets expectations for the accountability to put into place what is learned.
• Engaging learning experiences enhance retention and application of skills.
• Training content must align with organizational plans and goals for relevance.
• Feedback from leaders is crucial for continuous improvement of training events.
• Creativity in logistics can reduce costs and enhance training effectiveness.
• Internal leadership development fosters a culture of continuous growth.
• Internal leaders serving as “subject matter experts” (aka Peer Champions) bring additional perspectives and voices to training sessions.
• Minimizing distractions during training improves focus and engagement.
• Establishing ground rules promotes accountability and respect during sessions.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode of Culture Change RX, I discuss the concept of high reliability in healthcare, emphasizing the importance of setting ambitious goals. The conversation delves into the challenges of goal setting, the significance of a growth mindset, and the systems necessary for fostering high reliability organizations. I highlight the upcoming Healthcare Executive Forum, where healthcare leaders will explore strategies for achieving high reliability and continuous improvement.

• Setting ambitious goals can drive organizational improvement.
• Leaders and employees can often feel that big goals are impossible goals and a set up for failure.
• Setting ambitious goals can lead to significant performance gains.
• Celebrating the positive gains is important, even when goals are missed.
• Goal systems are crucial for continuous improvement.
• High reliability benefits patients, employees, and communities.

Need help improving the culture, performance, and results of your healthcare organization? If so, let’s talk:  https://www.capstoneleadership.net/contact-us

Are we connected yet on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/suetetzlaff/

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode, Sue and Tami Chambers discuss the transformative journey of leadership development at Grant Regional Health Center. Tami shares her experiences as a first time senior leader and the impact of the two-day leadership immersion program facilitated by Capstone Leadership Solutions. They explore the importance of structured leadership practices and continuous learning. Tami emphasizes the significance of the nine core leadership practices that make up the “leadership bundle” and how they have shaped her approach to leading. Her experience with the leadership bundle practices, and her belief in their value, motivate her to teach these practices to others. The conversation concludes with encouragement for other healthcare organizations to invest in creating their own internal leadership development process.

• The two-day leadership immersion provided the official start to Grant Regional’s leaders adopting a common and synergistic way of leading.
• Structured leadership development was lacking at Grant Regional before partnering with Capstone.
• Teaching others reinforces Tami's own learning and growth.
• Empathy is crucial in connecting with leadership immersion participants.
• Continuous learning is necessary for leadership effectiveness.
• Accountability meetings help reinforce what was learned during leadership development.
• Investing in leadership development is worth the initial effort.
• Healthcare organizations should take the leap to enhance their leadership. 

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this solo episode of Culture Change RX, I discuss the critical concept of psychological safety within healthcare organizations so that employees feel safe to voice their concerns and ideas and freely provide feedback and input. This episode prompts leaders to consider:  Are your employees hiding behind anonymity? If so, this episode outlines practical tactics for leaders to foster psychological safety, including embracing both anonymous and identified feedback, responding to feedback effectively, modeling vulnerability, and celebrating employees who speak up. The conversation highlights the journey towards a culture of trust and continuous improvement in healthcare settings - in essence, a culture where employees are safe to “own their voice.”

• Low response rates in employee surveys can indicate a lack of psychological safety.
• Anonymity in feedback can reflect a lack of psychological safety.
• Leaders can model vulnerability to encourage open communication.
• Celebrating brave voices fosters a culture of safety.
• Feedback should be acknowledged and acted upon.
• Creating a safe environment improves patient care and employee satisfaction.
• High reliability organizations prioritize psychological safety.
• Trust in leadership grows when employees see tangible outcomes.

Need help improving the culture, performance, and results of your healthcare organization? If so, let’s talk:  https://www.capstoneleadership.net/contact-us

Are we connected yet on LinkedIn? https://www.linkedin.com/in/suetetzlaff/

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode, Sue and Courtney discuss the importance of team learning and networking at events like Capstone’s annual Healthcare Executive Forum. They explore how attending such events can lead to actionable takeaways, enhance camaraderie among executives, and provide valuable networking opportunities. The conversation emphasizes the need for simplifying complex topics for practical application, especially in small and rural healthcare organizations. Courtney shares her experiences and insights on maximizing the return on investment from learning events, highlighting the significance of having a plan for applying new knowledge back in the workplace.

• Whether attending training alone or with all or part of your executive team, attendees will want to optimize the benefits of a learning event.
• Capstone focuses on making learning immediately applicable.
• Executives can't learn and apply everything all at once; prioritize key takeaways.
• Capstone provides tools and resources for application after learning.
• Simplifying the “how” part is crucial for effective implementation.
• Small incremental changes in follow up to new learning is  impactful in healthcare settings.
• You can find accountability buddies at events to support your learning and implementation.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode, Sue and Amy Yaeger, Director of Strategic Marketing and Business Development at Astera Health, discuss the importance of connecting brand promises to employee experiences across the employee lifecycle. They explore various strategies for onboarding, employee engagement, and communication, emphasizing the need for transparency and celebration of achievements. Amy shares insights on rebranding efforts and the significance of maintaining excitement and engagement within the organization. The conversation also highlights the value of building an alumni network to foster ongoing relationships with former employees.

• Every employee plays a role in delivering the brand promise.
• Connect the organization’s brand promise across the employee lifecycle.
• Celebrating milestones boosts morale and engagement.
• The company’s brand can enhance recruitment efforts for new employees and patients.
• Rebranding requires emphasis beyond “the honeymoon period.”
• An alumni network can help maintain relationships with former employees and keep them in touch with the brand promise.

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

Want to improve your organization? Effective communication, training, campaigning, and meetings can help.

• Great organizations define and implement effective communication strategies.
• Clarity around key terms enhances communication efforts.
• Training is distinct from communication and focuses on skill development.
• Campaigns support ongoing learning and engagement.
• Meetings should prioritize goals and projects over communication.
• Regular communication reduces stress and misinformation.
• Employee-driven teams can enhance communication efforts.

In this episode of Culture Change RX, I discuss the importance of improving communication within healthcare organizations. Key terms such as communication, training, campaigning, and meetings are defined to clarify their distinct purposes and their role in leading change initiatives. The episode concludes with a call to action for leaders to prioritize communication as a crucial element in fostering a positive organizational culture.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The Capstone Chronicle (February 2025 Issue) – Features a sample communication plan and insights into four key tactics for improving communication.

Episode 12 – Shift from Chaotic to Consistent Communication

Need help improving your healthcare organization? Let’s talk https://www.capstoneleadership.net/contact-us/ 

Let’s connect on LinkedIn!

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.

Send us a Message

In this episode, Carol Breen, founder and principal of Sedona Partners, a human resources and rewards consulting firm, and show host, Sue Tetzlaff, discuss the concept of “Total Rewards” in the workplace. They explore the framework of Total Rewards, which includes compensation, benefits, learning and development, and organizational culture. The conversation highlights the significance of understanding your organization’s rewards systems and emphasizes the efforts to continually improve them. Carol shares insights on navigating pay equity issues and the role of recognition in keeping employees satisfied and committed to their organizations.

• The total rewards framework encompasses four quadrants: compensation, benefits, development and learning, and work environment.
• Employees leave for relational reasons, not just pay.
• Pay equity issues can complicate workplace dynamics.
• Understanding employee perceptions can improve retention.
• Work-life integration is increasingly valued by employees.
• Total rewards framework aids in organizational improvement.
• A strong organizational culture attracts and retains talent.

Access Carol’s Total Rewards HERE

Connect with Carol Breen at:

• [email protected] 
• http://www.sedonapartners.com/contactus.html
• 248.227.2641

The Virtual Patient Experience Boot Camp is designed for healthcare leaders and team members involved in patient experience improvement, communication, quality, culture, and organizational change, including:

• CEOs, COOs, and CNOs
• Patient experience leaders and improvement team members
• Nursing and department directors and s

Hi! I’m Sue Tetzlaff. I’m a culture and execution strategist for small and rural healthcare organizations - helping them to be the provider and employer-of-choice so they can keep care local and margins strong.

For decades, I’ve worked with healthcare organizations to navigate the people-side of healthcare, the part that can make or break your results. What I’ve learned is this: culture is not a soft thing. It’s the hardest thing, and it determines everything.

When you’re ready to take your culture to the next level, here are three ways I can help you:

1. Listen to the Culture Change RX Podcast
Every week, I share conversations with leaders who are transforming healthcare workplaces and strategies for keeping teams engaged, patients loyal, and margins healthy.

2. Subscribe to our Email Newsletter
Get practical tips, frameworks, and leadership tools delivered right to your inbox—plus exclusive content you won’t find on the podcast.
📩 Subscribe here

3. Break through to the next level of greatness in your organization with help from my team and me.
When you’re ready to be the provider and employer-of-choice, we’ll help you implement proven frameworks that strengthen culture, improve experience and ensure your organization thrives.
You can email me at [email protected] and put “BREAKTHROUGH” in the subject line and I’ll get you all the details.