From this article, prepare aLocal healthcare provider that addresses these three areas:Why teamwork is important in healthcare, be specific.Which of two of these seven strategies to build stronger teams in healthcare would be the most beneficial and why?
- Offer one additional suggestion, not in this list of seven, that would build stronger teams in healthcare. Be specific and explain how.
Every day, find one person whom you can express gratitude for who they are and what they do.
3. Break down the silos by recognizing other teams
Silos in healthcare, let’s just say, have pretty thick walls! Silos exist between roles (nurses, physicians, technicians, etc.) and between departments (pharmacy, ICU versus medsurg, etc.). We often forget that every person in every department can somehow be linked to the same patient (ever hear of the degrees of Kevin Bacon?).
Therefore, we all play an important role in patient care and need to start acting like it. Recognizing someone from a different department can be the start of breaking down these long-standing silos.
Notice someone’s good work who is NOT in your department. Congratulate them and share this in an email with their boss and with your team. During huddles or monthly meetings, give kudos to a sister department or share a positive comment about pharmacy, radiology, or dietary. The key is to reinforce and remind your team that they re not the ONLY team that matters. Building stronger healthcare teams beyond one department strengthen the entire organization. Shared by Dr.
Mitchell Kusy, HWI Consultant.
4. Avoid the Communication Triangle
It’s much easier to talk to your co-worker about the behavior of a 3rd colleague instead of addressing it directly. Many leaders want to be problem solvers and feel good when they can jump in to help work out a disagreement. This causes the Communication Triangle and isn’t a healthy team behavior. It weakens trust and builds walls.
The next time one of your direct reports approaches you complaining about something a co-worker did (or didn’t) do, ask “What did Co-worker ‹Name> say when you talked to her?” Nine times out of 10, the team member will say…” haven’t talked to her.” This is a great opportunity to coach on assertive communication and role-play how to have to directly address behaviors. When members of a team are comfortable addressing challenges in real time, the team gets stronger and results improve. Shared by Vicki Hess, RN, MS, CTP, CVP To learn how to improve employee engagement from Vicki, click here.
5. Show your team that you care about them as individuals
People will accept negative feedback and will follow you anywhere if they first believe you care about them. I’ve said this so many times to the leaders I work with
– Be tough on standards and tender with your people.
Schedule a 1:1 with each employee. Ask this question – What matters most to you right now? And then incorporate what matters to them into conversations. For example, If an experienced nurse says that getting her advanced degree is most important, then ask about what class she is taking this semester and if there is anything you can do to support her – might be accommodating her through scheduling
6. Make self-care a habit
To build stronger healthcare teams, leaders must sincerely care for their staff and offer them specific tools and programs for self-care. This is proven to instill trust. boost morale, decrease burnout, and increase retention. Just as negativity and incivility can spread through your department like wildfires if left unattended, so can positivity, resilience, and well-being.
Incorporate self-care tips during huddles. Ask your teams what they are doing to care for themselves. And, be the role model for self-care by sharing how YOU are incorporating wellness into your life (stop “bragging” about not getting enough sleep!). Shared by Leanne Thieman, CSP, CAE
Click here to learn more about self-care for healthcare from LeAnn.
7. Make giving and receiving constructive feedback a habit I saved the best for last. High performing. professional, and respectful teams consistently go out of their way to improve as individuals and as a team. Like the collective powerful fist, each “finger” plays a role. Good teams know this and don’t get defensive when receiving feedback – they embrace it as part of their improvement plan. Great teams actively seek feedback.
Ask your teams consistently – What do we need to work on (team)? What’s one thing that I can do better (leader)? What’s one thing you’re working on right now (individual)? You can’t build stronger healthcare teams without establishing a culture where giving and receiving feedback is the norm.
We all want 2021 to be a better year. Actually, that’s an understatement! And it is possible even if this pandemic drags on for most of this year too. It’s possible when leaders and their teams take the actions necessary to help them become stronger and better despite what’s happening around them. One thing 2020 has taught us is that there are some things beyond our control. However, you do have control over
