Listening.
Listening may be one of the most important things we make time to do with our teams. And not just in scheduled one-on-one meetings.
A big part of my day is spent on acute care units rounding with staff and leaders. One big opportunity I've seen recently lies with the engagement of our Patient Care Techs.
This morning, I asked one of the unit leaders to share the names of a couple of Patient Care Techs who are very high performers and who were working today.
I shadowed them as they cared for patients, and then I found a quiet place for us to sit and chat. After giving them feedback on my observations, I asked them a few questions.
Why did you choose this role?
What brings you joy at work?
What is your greatest challenge?
What needs to happen to ensure all of our PCT's are as engaged as you?
Their answers were quite simple.
1. Hire the right people.
2. Our success rises and falls on the quality of our teamwork.
Hiring the right people is an obvious answer, for sure. But, honestly, after that I expected to hear about workload, staffing, pay, resources, etc.
Teamwork. (Which, by the way, is a well-known driver of both patient and employee experience.) When healthcare professional work together as a cohesive team, the benefits are manifold. Teamwork fosters a sense of belonging and purpose. When employees feel valued and supported by their colleagues, they are more likely to be engaged and motivated in their work. This leads to higher job satisfaction and increased productivity.
And the employees I listened to this morning had lots of ideas about how to encourage and promote better teamwork. They had ideas about how to better streamline processes that are annoying for both patients and staff.
The best part of this listening session? They walked away feeling valued and respected. They believe their contributions matter and their expertise is crucial to our success.
Fifteen minutes later, as I was walking to the elevator, I heard them chatting about how they could better assist new PCT's orienting on the unit to ensure they wouldn't feel overwhelmed in a new role. When they saw me they shouted out and said, "Hey, Ms. Michele! We have another great idea when you have time to chat!"
It made me smile so big my cheeks hurt.
Leaders...listen.
#patientexperience
#employeeengagement
#thepoweroflistening
