Amanda Glover posted: " Ann Voscamp wrote the book "The Broken Way: A Daring Path to the Abundant Life." In the promotional video for it she states, "You don't need to be afraid of broken things because Christ is redeeming everything," (Voscamp, 2016). Something which we can al"
Ann Voscamp wrote the book "The Broken Way: A Daring Path to the Abundant Life." In the promotional video for it she states, "You don't need to be afraid of broken things because Christ is redeeming everything," (Voscamp, 2016). Something which we can all keep in mind. This mindset explains not only my journey through leadership, but also my life.
For every great challenge I faced and every great hurdle I got over, the pieces that broke off in the process came together to create who I am today. The bad and negative were chipped away as I saw they were good to rid myself of. Some of that good may have chipped away as well, however, that was resynthesized later as it became apparent it was necessary. Each of these processes redeemed that person that I was before. All was done through the mindset of Christ's redemption, something that also applies to broken me.
Sometimes we must go back to move forward.
I recently did an anger profile survey to see how I handle anger. It is something which most of us could get a better handle on and when we feel that we finally grasp it, clutch harder. In it, I found that I was a "stuffer." No, I am not the one who prepares the turkey and roast pig for banquets. Instead, a stuffer is someone who handles anger by stuffing it into a little box and praying that it does not explode. This defines me well. When angry, I do keep it in for many reasons. My position does not allow me to wear my heart on my sleeve.
This can be any emotion, but anger especially. I am limited on what I can say or do when angry and certain people with issues with authority tend to push buttons. Even people without issues with authority push buttons to see what they can get away with. When I am in "boss mode," I am stuck with standing there, face void of anger even when I am seething inside or standing there calm and relaxed when my nerves are pushing me through the roof. However, this has not only been in boss mode. When in any professional workplace, your tone and mood can set your success and set the stage for your interactions.
Dave Moen did a TED talk in which he speaks of behavior change and the importance of belief. He says that belief of the patient in you as their healthcare leader and in themselves can affect whether patient outcomes are positive or negative. This belief can strongly be affected by the face that you show both the patient, your staff, and the world. For every healthcare leader, this is a point to ponder.
The way you handle conflict can affect your relationships as well. I recently took the Thomas-Killman Conflict Mode Instrument. According to it, my style of dealing with conflict is through compromising. I try to listen to the other party and combine what we want through give and take to reach a resolution. While effective, the instrument instead champions collaborating. By collaborating, you involve both parties to come up with a common solution. This can be difficult when put in a leadership position if the issue is with your staff but is something that gives you the possibility of growth. This is a style that I intend to try to incorporate to maintain relationships.
Toxicity is contagious. Think and act above it.
Patient experience heavily affects how they feel about their care and the relationships that you build. Fred Lee did a TED talk on what patients experience and their overall satisfaction. He finds that hospitals based off the service industry with scripted conversations is outdated. While I was a nurse in Shawnee Mission, they gave us scripts to read from. We were also tested on the scripts to ensure that we knew what to say. This is one of the things that I did not like about working there. There shouldn't be set things to say as that limits your interactions with your patient and takes away the "realness" of your interaction. Once I stopped following the scripts, the real healing began.
Yet, that communication can be hard to facilitate. Matt Abrahams had a lecture on Effective Communication Techniques. He stated that "spontaneous speaking is more prevalent than planned speaking," (Abrahams, 2014). This is something that rings true to any speech that I have ever given. I get up there and "wing it." There have been times where this has not gone in my favor, where I end with a hanging sentence and wanting to crawl under the table, however, there are times where it goes better than expected. He brings up the effect of listening to someone who is nervous and how it makes people uncomfortable, with the solution of controlling your anxiety and making the audience comfortable (Abrahams, 2014). Two techniques that he recommends that can hold their weight is not getting into your head by acknowledging your anxiety as a normal part of what you are doing as well as viewing the speech as a conversation which start with questions to get the audience involved (Abrahams, 2014). These are not things which I have used automatically. For many years I did not use them and dreaded these speeches. However, over time, I developed more of a conversational style as the amount of public speaking that I was forced to do increased. Even though I have used these, I plan to fortify my use in them to increase the power behind more words.
This power behind words is a common theme in many communication lectures and TED talks. People want to know what they can do to maximize the impact of their words. If you cannot capture the attention of your audience in the beginning, they begin to lose interest rapidly. If you are nervous, the audience will feel uncomfortable and limit their attention. In order to capture their attention, you must also know your audience.
Considering a large percentage of our workforce is millennials and the positions that they are gaining are getting higher, it becomes important to learn their views and how to deal with them (says the millennial). Simon Sinek calls them entitled and narcissistic. These two traits build toxicity, something that I have noticed growing as that generation increased in my buildings. He also finds that they cannot handle stress nor can they form real relationships. These workers will need to be guided through the process of being a successful and appropriate behavior at work. Older generations, on the other hand, tend to be hard workers and less toxic. They grew up learning that if they want to be successful, they need to work hard. They come into work expecting to do their job. This of course can vary from person to person; however, it is still a pattern that I see.
Many people are quick to dismiss millennials as not worth helping. This in itself is a toxic mindset.
Toxicity is present in everyone to a degree. There was an article and quiz that I recently read that asks if you "are a toxic nurse." As I went through the questions, I realized that the person that I had been many jobs ago has grown and developed the more toxicity that I came across. In my head, the responses were more once-upon-a-time than current. I do realize this as well. When I was under pressure, I did have those gripe sessions that I spoke about in my previous blog posts. However, as I saw the effects of toxicity and began to work through my feelings through writing, I moved away from it, something that we are all capable of doing. Shifting through your feelings (or your teams) can help mitigate this.
This quiz combined with Alberts et.al. (2022), showed me that I have some room for growth in helping the communication of staff between themselves. "The way individuals communicate, interact, and behave in organizations can differentiate a highly performing team from one that is toxic," (Alberts et.al, 2022, p. 462). I have been addressing each staff member exhibiting that toxicity individually, however, it looks like more time will be needed in observing and handling their interactions with each other. Handling this can improve the feeling of the building, thereby improving care given.
Care becomes the focal point in leadership for healthcare. Toxicity can destroy a relationship, family, or workplace, all affecting care. Learning to recognize and weed out those toxic behaviors can save both a relationship, a building, and a patient. As leaders, it is your goal to know your staff and guide them in the right direction.
Sounds like a self-improvement author's dream.
Pearls of Wisdom:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.
Ephesians 4:31
References
Abrahams, M. (2014 December 4). Think Fast, Talk Smart: Communication Techniques. In Youtube.
Albert, N. M., Pappas, S. H., Porter-O'Grady, T., Malloch, K. (2022). Quantum leadership: Creating sustainable value in health care (6th Edition). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Voscamp, A. (2016 August 5). The Broken Way - A Daring Path into the Abundant Life: Take the Dare. In Youtube.
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