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Leadership strategies
leadership strategies Following the Golden Rules of Leadership Betsy Bernard, the new president of AT&T, listed seven main principles as the foundation for leadership. They are simple to identify, she notes, but hard to achieve in practice. They are, in her words: 1. Everybody’s time is valuable. Everyone—CEO, newest entry level, everyone. 2. No temper tantrums. You should never have to say that to anyone after preschool, but we do. 3. Get to the bloody point! 4. Be candid. Again, both obvious and hard to do. And requiring an understanding of the difference between communicating and bragging. 5. Just say thank you. And mean it. 6. Integrity is everything. 7. If you don’t know, who does? In other words, vision. I’ll challenge you to figure out who supplies it if the leader doesn’t or won’t or can’t. The answer, of course, is nobody does, and you go round and round in circles. Wharton Leadership Digest, January 2003
Emulating the Mayo Clinic Success The Mayo Clinic has a sterling clinical and operational reputation. The Mayo name is so well-known that it is recognized by 85% of all Americans. From the collaborative practices of clinicians to the management structure of the Mayo Foundation, teamwork is built into the clinic’s way of working. In “The Agenda—Total Teamwork,” Paul Roberts lists five principles that define Mayo’s teamwork and can be replicated at other organizations: 1. No one is big enough to be independent of others. This tenet calls to mind a guiding principle of the Internet: None of us is as smart as all of us. After more March/April 2003
than a century of operation, the Mayo Clinic continues to make collegial interdependence a touchstone for how it practices medicine. 2. Teamwork is part of the culture. Collaboration permeates the clinic’s entire organizational culture. The Mayo experience sends a consistent and coherent message to everyone who works at the facility (including medical students and residents): You’re expected to participate in the activities that run this place, and teamwork isn’t optional, it’s essential. Cooperation is built into the treatment of patients and integrated into the governance fabric. 3. Language matters. “Consultant” is what staff physicians call one another because, at the Mayo Clinic, doctors are expected to confer with one another about their cases. This terminology reinforces the clinic’s sense of openness and collaboration. 4. Money also talks. Another Mayo innovation is its solution to the problem of money and medicine. Doctors are on salary—period. Freed from having to think about economic incentives, physicians can focus on providing quality health care through organizationwide teamwork. 5. The customer is part of the team. Equally important to collaboration is recognizing that patients are part of that team. The Mayo Clinic’s approach to health care allows patients to be involved in their diagnosis and treatment as much or as little as they want. www.fastcompany.com/online/23/ totteam.html#TOP
ly enjoy living. His strategies for longterm care can be applied in leadership situations with similar success. Have a good story to tell Stories help people understand your ideas. Through your passion, stories inspire others to buy in and make your vision a reality. Watch your language Eden has its own vocabulary, most of which grew from its defining metaphor of cultivating gardens. It may sound goofy, but creating an organizational jargon is a way of changing the conversation for the better. Don’t mistake tokens for real change Regardless of how cool an innovation may appear, unless you change the culture and philosophy, the facility won’t be different. It will still be an institution, just with a gimmick. Big deal. Make innovation a group activity Provide a framework and some guidance, but there are times when individual departments or units should have the autonomy to decide which changes are best to make. Expect setbacks Failure is an inevitable part of the change process, so you’d better be prepared for it, or you won’t be able to bounce back. Understand that people are going to get scared or lazy and revert to doing things the old way. Forgive them and move forward—but expect it to happen again. www.fastcompany.com/online/55/ newwisdom.html 1541-4612/2003/$30.00+0 doi:10.1067/nrsl.2003.33
Creating Thriving Environments Eden Alternative founder Bill Thomas is turning institutions into places where elderly residents actualNurse Leader 9
Emulating the Mayo Clinic Success The Mayo Clinic has a sterling clinical and operational reputation. The Mayo name is so well-known that it is recognized by 85% of all Americans. From the collaborative practices of clinicians to the management structure of the Mayo Foundation, teamwork is built into the clinic’s way of working. In “The Agenda—Total Teamwork,” Paul Roberts lists five principles that define Mayo’s teamwork and can be replicated at other organizations: 1. No one is big enough to be independent of others. This tenet calls to mind a guiding principle of the Internet: None of us is as smart as all of us. After more March/April 2003
than a century of operation, the Mayo Clinic continues to make collegial interdependence a touchstone for how it practices medicine. 2. Teamwork is part of the culture. Collaboration permeates the clinic’s entire organizational culture. The Mayo experience sends a consistent and coherent message to everyone who works at the facility (including medical students and residents): You’re expected to participate in the activities that run this place, and teamwork isn’t optional, it’s essential. Cooperation is built into the treatment of patients and integrated into the governance fabric. 3. Language matters. “Consultant” is what staff physicians call one another because, at the Mayo Clinic, doctors are expected to confer with one another about their cases. This terminology reinforces the clinic’s sense of openness and collaboration. 4. Money also talks. Another Mayo innovation is its solution to the problem of money and medicine. Doctors are on salary—period. Freed from having to think about economic incentives, physicians can focus on providing quality health care through organizationwide teamwork. 5. The customer is part of the team. Equally important to collaboration is recognizing that patients are part of that team. The Mayo Clinic’s approach to health care allows patients to be involved in their diagnosis and treatment as much or as little as they want. www.fastcompany.com/online/23/ totteam.html#TOP
ly enjoy living. His strategies for longterm care can be applied in leadership situations with similar success. Have a good story to tell Stories help people understand your ideas. Through your passion, stories inspire others to buy in and make your vision a reality. Watch your language Eden has its own vocabulary, most of which grew from its defining metaphor of cultivating gardens. It may sound goofy, but creating an organizational jargon is a way of changing the conversation for the better. Don’t mistake tokens for real change Regardless of how cool an innovation may appear, unless you change the culture and philosophy, the facility won’t be different. It will still be an institution, just with a gimmick. Big deal. Make innovation a group activity Provide a framework and some guidance, but there are times when individual departments or units should have the autonomy to decide which changes are best to make. Expect setbacks Failure is an inevitable part of the change process, so you’d better be prepared for it, or you won’t be able to bounce back. Understand that people are going to get scared or lazy and revert to doing things the old way. Forgive them and move forward—but expect it to happen again. www.fastcompany.com/online/55/ newwisdom.html 1541-4612/2003/$30.00+0 doi:10.1067/nrsl.2003.33
Creating Thriving Environments Eden Alternative founder Bill Thomas is turning institutions into places where elderly residents actualNurse Leader 9