Fresh, usable ideas to help your team think differently about patient and team engagement

It is Christmas Day as I’m writing this blog. This quiet afternoon took me back to a similar Christmas afternoon in 1998. I was the new CEO of Phoenix Children’s Hospital, and that afternoon I made one of the best spur-of-the-moment decisions I’ve ever made as a healthcare leader.

Our kids were young at the time. Between the excitement of opening gifts on Christmas morning and our traditional holiday dinner, things were very quiet … Read More

“Are you crazy?!”

That’s the reaction I might get from some leaders when insisting that staff meetings are more important now than ever. Yes, staff meetings take some thought and time to be effective. But team meetings are the only place where staff have a chance to have a focused conversation with all their colleagues. That is, when we shut up and let them talk.

At no time in recent memory have the demands on

Among the many responsibilities of frontline health care leaders, activities that help the team work as a highly-functioning unit are critically important. Understanding the dynamics of the team as a whole is essential to nurturing the teamwork that improves quality, safety and patient experience.

For over three decades, the health care industry has faced rapid change and unique operational, financial and market challenges. But at no time in recent memory have the demands on health

Is exceptional patient experience a priority in your organization? Virtually all leaders in health care I talk with answer with a resounding “yes.”

But this question also prompts reflection. How much of a priority is improvement in patient experience? Does our stated philosophy drive our everyday practice, especially in what we reward … and what we penalize?

First, we need to acknowledge and celebrate the fact that the vast majority of dedicated healthcare professionals provide … Read More

Overwhelmed. Exhausted. On-edge. Discouraged.

As the pandemic has worn on longer than most of us imagined, the adjectives to describe our collective emotional state grow increasingly pessimistic. From small children frustrated by virtual learning to the elderly isolated without physical contacts with family, everyone is stressed.

For staff on the frontlines, their stress is exacerbated by the public’s feelings of restlessness, economic uncertainty, frustration, and anger. For leaders, acknowledging that your employees are being verbally … Read More