Category: Featured

Inspiration for my columns on how to improve employee retention, engagement, and customer experience come from many places. Often, I’m the beneficiary of great insights from the work we’re doing with leading organizations across the country. But recently, I was given one of the best lists of questions I’ve ever seen for guiding a truly meaningful conversation between supervisor and employee right in my own hometown … from my wife. A life — and career — changing experience My wife Luanne joined the Guest Relations department at Barnes-Jewish Hospital after her life-changing spine surgery there early last year. She expected the 7-hour procedure to make a major difference in her physical condition. But what she didn’t expect was the impact that just being at the

Within moments of the recent announcement that Berkshire Hathaway, Amazon and JP Morgan Chase would team up to form an independent health care company for their employees, predictions around their likelihood for success were rampant. Central to the debate was one key question: would the fact that none of the partners have significant experience in the provider industry be a roadblock or an enabler to thinking differently about how health care should be delivered? Quickly, many focused on Amazon’s expertise and power in logistics, technology and online retailing. But perhaps Berkshire Hathaway is just as intriguing to study. The massively successful conglomerate has broad ownership of successful companies across diverse industries, ranging from manufacturing and transportation to retailing and insurance. Maybe looking at the common

When I speak to audiences across the country, I always share that, first-and-foremost, I learn and draw inspiration from dedicated health care professionals who I’ve had the privilege to work with. But over time, I’ve found that inspiration in patient experience work can come from many places, including airlines and hotels where I spend much of my time when I’m not in a hospital. Antione, who cheerfully welcomes visitors to Delta Airlines’ SkyClub in Terminal B of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, is one of the most inspiring non-health care professional I’ve ever met. Five days a week, Antione greets visitors with a broad smile and uplifting welcome or sendoff. “Good evening, young lady. How are you this evening?” “Thank you, young man. You travel safely.”