Ty Miller

How Healthcare Leaders Foster Proactive Teams: The Power of New Social Scripts Recently, I spoke with a healthcare executive who shared a transformative moment during his paternity leave. A team member independently implemented an idea that significantly improved a process. Previously, the executive felt his team relied on him for solutions, reflecting common "wait and see" or "blame" scripts in healthcare. We discussed strategies to reinforce proactive behaviors within his team—empowering individuals who innovate and inspiring others to follow suit. We talked about "Creating a New Social Script": This means reshaping team identities by discarding negative narratives like blaming external factors. We crafted a new script: "Make It Better - I continuously look for opportunities to improve." To embed this new script, we outlined two weekly practices: Recognition: One-on-one acknowledgment of team members for embodying "Make It Better," emphasizing its impact on key results. Storytelling: Sharing success stories in team meetings, inspiring all to contribute improvements in their roles. These intentional steps are crucial in shaping team behaviors aligned with achieving impactful outcomes in healthcare. How do you empower managers to reinforce positive behaviors in your organization? #HealthcareLeaders #Leadership #LeadershipSkills #LeadershipCoaching #LeadershipDevelopment

From Head Nods to Honest Dialogue: Improving Team Alignment in Healthcare In many healthcare organizations, the challenge of superficial alignment through head nodding in meetings is all too common. These nods often mask underlying misunderstandings and unspoken concerns, hindering genuine engagement and decision-making. Recently, a CHRO shared insights about this issue, noting how what seemed like agreement in meetings often didn't translate to true alignment among team members afterward. Many felt unheard or reluctant to voice their perspectives. But there's a better way to foster alignment. Introducing "Gauge and Discuss," a skill that transforms how leaders facilitate team alignment. It encourages probing questions, creates space for open dialogue, and ensures meetings are platforms for genuine conversation and feedback. Here’s a practical tip: Start with "Score It." Ask team members, "On a scale of 1-10, how confident are you in delivering on our team key results?" This simple score sparks discussion and reveals insights crucial for alignment. The key? Encouraging honesty. Leaders must genuinely seek and value honest feedback to bridge the gap between nodding heads and true alignment. What strategies have you found effective for building alignment on your teams?  #LeadershipSkills #LeadershipDevelopment #Leaders #OrganizationalDevelopment #TalentManagement

Why Healthcare Teams Need More Than Instructions: Purpose-Driven Communication One of the most common challenges healthcare managers face is failing to articulate the purpose behind key goals or policy changes. When this critical skill is overlooked, meetings and presentations often become unfocused and ineffective, leading to wasted time and hindering decision-making. Managers can deploy a simple yet powerful skill called “Make the Case” to effectively communicate the purpose of any new initiatives or changes to their team. Imagine a scenario where a manager introduces a new set of team key results. Instead of just outlining tasks, they use "Make the Case" to craft messages that compellingly argue why these results matter. This technique isn’t limited to goals alone; it applies to policy changes or any directive that needs buy-in and alignment. Why does this matter? Because purpose-driven communication transforms team dynamics. It shifts individuals from feeling obligated to enthusiastic about their work. Leaders must recognize that connecting their team with a deeper purpose is key to sustained motivation and alignment with organizational goals. Here’s how it works: Managers create a variety of “why” statements that resonate with different values within their team—whether it's fostering community, promoting achievement, or serving a meaningful mission. These statements help team members see how their daily efforts contribute to something they truly value. For instance, a manager might say, “Our mission is to provide compassionate care that enhances the well-being of every patient. Achieving our Team Key Results means not just immediate comfort but long-term recovery and quality of life. Each action directly impacts our patients' journey towards health and happiness.” At the end of the day, motivated teams drive results. It’s about fostering a sense of purpose that inspires individuals to go beyond tasks and embrace their roles with passion and dedication. Do you have any strategies for helping leaders effectively make their case to their team? #HumanResources #HR #WorkforceDevelopment #HealthcareLeaders #PatientCare #LeadershipSkills

This CEO's Demand for Unified Leadership - Here's the Solution In a recent interaction with a CEO, the challenge of aligning effective leadership behaviors across their organization became crystal clear. He emphasized the need for all leaders to embody what we call the "3rd leader." Individuals capable of creating clarity, building alignment, and driving movement towards key results. Achieving consistency and effectiveness in leadership behaviors and language across any organization, especially in healthcare, is pivotal. Here are two critical strategies: 1️⃣ Marry Leadership Development with Healthcare Organizational Priorities: Align leadership training directly with organizational priorities. This not only boosts executive buy-in but also shows leaders how their skills impact critical areas like patient satisfaction, revenue, and employee engagement. 2️⃣ Embrace Stickiness: Ensure your leadership concepts are easy to grasp and apply. The focus on clarity, alignment, and movement makes it simple for leaders to integrate these principles into daily operations without friction. What are your best practices for establishing a common leadership language in your organization? #Leadership #LeadershipSkills #People #WorkCulture #OrganizationalDevelopment

Leading Beyond Metrics in Healthcare: Cultivating Trust and Performance   In a recent discussion with a VP at a healthcare organization, we delved into a common challenge many leaders face: Transitioning from manager to true leader in the eyes of their teams. She emphasized the need to build trust, foster a supportive culture, and move beyond mere task oversight, especially as her team grappled with budgetary challenges. But here’s the key insight: creating a new narrative can transform leadership dynamics. It starts with defining the script you want others to believe about you and your team. As leaders, envision how you want to be perceived. For instance, "I support and empower my team to excel," or "Our Clinical Care team embodies compassion and puts patients first." The real magic lies in consistently creating experiences that align with this new script. This isn’t just a one-time effort but a daily commitment to reinforce positive behaviors and attitudes. What's your experience? Do you see negative scripts holding back teams from achieving their full potential? #EmployeeEngagement #People #WorkCulture #HealthcareLeaders #LeadershipDevelopment

3 Skills That Develop Your Newly Promoted Clinical & Non-Clinical Managers Learn how to help your new managers create highly engaged teams and improve patient outcomes in just 30 days. OVERVIEW OF WHAT'S COVERED: Are you struggling to develop newly promoted leaders within your healthcare organization? You're not alone. In 2024, new leaders are often thrown into their roles without the necessary training to lead and engage their teams effectively. On top of that, succession planning adds pressure to develop leaders with the wave of executives retiring. Along with the demands of meeting financial metrics and HCAHPS scores for value-based payouts, the need for impactful leadership development has never been more urgent. Watch the recap of the webinar where we explore three skills to address these challenges head-on and transform your newly promoted healthcare managers into leaders who drive team engagement and deliver superior patient outcomes. TOPICS COVERED: ✔️ Identify the 8 biggest challenges in healthcare leadership development. ✔️ Understand the "clay layer" problem constraining leadership development in healthcare organizations. ✔️ Explore five approaches to leadership development that aren’t working. ✔️ Discover the Leader Operating System (LeaderOS) that empowers leaders to create high-performing teams. ✔️ Learn about the #1 leadership pattern that instills manager confidence and drives results. ✔️ Align leadership development with key healthcare outcomes such as HCAHPS scores, reduction in falls, and patient-centricity scores. ✔️ Scale leadership training to impact every leader in your organization. ✔️ Learn how three health systems reversed declining outcomes such as patient satisfaction, employee engagement scores, and central line infections. Click here to watch: https://lnkd.in/dsB8srXk

Bridge the Gap: Awareness vs. Alignment in Healthcare Leadership Recently, a CHRO shared a common scenario: A leader excitedly presenting solutions without ensuring their team's full engagement. This one-way communication approach isn't unique—it's a challenge many healthcare managers face. This kind of communication often leads to disengagement, communication barriers, and limited collaboration among team members. We focus on teaching leaders the crucial difference between awareness and alignment. Awareness is simply knowing about a change, like new policies or infection control measures. Alignment, on the other hand, is when the team actively supports and implements these changes. In our work, we emphasize this distinction within the framework of team key results, applicable to any managerial objective. Many HR teams are grappling with how to shift from mere awareness to genuine alignment. How can we foster engagement and ensure teams rally behind their leaders' vision? It starts with helping leaders recognize the difference. Ask them: What does awareness look like versus alignment? Awareness often involves one-way communication—presentations or emails. Alignment, however, requires two-way engagement, where team members feel heard and contribute meaningfully. Do you notice this confusion between awareness and alignment in your organization? #LeadershipTips #EmployeeEngagement #People #HealthcareLeaders #OrganizationalDevelopment

The Two Leadership Patterns You Must Know About in Healthcare It’s crucial for clinical and non-clinical managers to reflect on their natural leadership styles. Often, these styles—while well-intentioned—can hinder effective decision-making and team performance. New managers, for instance, may prioritize consensus over action, delaying outcomes. Our research shows that 90% of healthcare managers fit into one of two common leadership patterns. Understanding these patterns is pivotal for improving healthcare outcomes. 1️⃣ The First Leader (40%): Struggles with setting clear priorities and avoids conflict, leading to slow decision-making and frustrated teams. 2️⃣ The Second Leader (50%): Sets many priorities, micromanages to ensure outcomes, but risks team burnout and lack of alignment. Helping leaders recognize their patterns is key to improving their team's potential and achieving results. Have you encountered these leadership patterns in your career? #CareerDevelopment #HealthcareLeaders #Leadership #LeadershipSkills #LeadershipCoaching

Do you need your leaders to improve people metrics & patient satisfaction? Do you have leaders who are experts in their clinical or non-clinical field but lack leadership skills to engage their teams? Are you struggling to develop your bench strength? (L&D, OD, TM, & HR professionals, keep reading) We help HR teams scale leadership ability while improving people metrics & patient satisfaction. But what we really do is provide time back to busy HR teams -- so they can spend more time working on the CHRO’s most important initiatives. In 30 days, your leaders install the Leader Operating System (LeaderOS) by learning how to create clarity, build alignment and generate movement on key goals. Here’s how our proven program, “Lead In 30”, works: 1️⃣ Performance Alignment: Align your organization’s leadership development with your key organizational outcomes. These might include financial metrics, employee engagement, safety, etc. This alignment will show a clear return on investment. 2️⃣ Scalable Development: Develop leadership cohorts of up to 1000 leaders at once. This helps your leadership pool grow quickly. Even if you have limits like budget, size, time, or remote/hybrid workforce. 3️⃣ Layered Learning: This helps with retention & practical use. We use a multi-layered learning approach. It includes live web classes, on-demand video lessons, A.I., & interactive huddles. The cadence repeats over four weeks. Clients we’ve helped: 🏥 Piedmont Athens Regional Challenge: Struggling to reverse declining Patient Satisfaction & Employee Engagement scores across its 12 units serving over 18,000 hospitalizations. Results: 20% avg. increase in HCAHPS scores. 5 units scored in the top 10% of HCAHPS. Increased EE from 2nd to 74th percentile. 🏥 Inova Challenge: Long-term challenges with clinician engagement & core measures performance. Results: 60% reduction in central line and catheter urinary infections. 42% reduction in falls. Hand hygiene improvement to goal of 85%. Nearly 50% reduction in hospital acquired clostridium difficile (CDiff) cases. 🏥 OSF Healthcare Challenge: Patient satisfaction score decreasing for four straight years. Employee engagement scores were in the 27th percentile. Results: Patient satisfaction percentile increased from 35th to 73rd. Dramatic increase in number of referrals. Patient-centricity score doubled from 40% to 80%. 👉 Curious to learn more? Direct message me.

How do leadership patterns impact people metrics and patient satisfaction? Learn more in the 3rd Leader White Paper