A Bad Day or a Lousy Attitude?
Everyone has a bad day now and then, but there’s a cumulative effect for people who seem to have more than their fair share of bad days. At what point are the bad days an excuse for a bad attitude? ...
Culture Catalyst Blog & Articles
Wait Times: It’s Not About the Time. It’s About the Experience.
Wait time has been a measure in patient experience for years. And, for decades, we measured the number of minutes spent in the waiting room beyond the scheduled appointment time. What we learned is that it isn’t always about the number of minutes, but about the ...
Every Generation of Workers Needs This From Their Leaders
Today’s workforce is comprised of five generations, all with their own set of unique attributes and needs. Despite their differences, there are some important common denominators for leaders to consider. Because they are all human beings, they are much more likely to follow ...
Want ROI From Training? – Leaders Must Do These 4 Things
When healthcare leaders set out to train staff, it's important to have a plan to get a return on investment, or ROI from Training Customer service training only sticks when the training event is seen as the beginning and not the end. For over 25 years, I have been helping healthcare organizations ...
Unique – But Not Really
I recently heard a fascinating statistic. According to research from NRC Health, when people feel they are treated as unique, they are 312% more likely to rate your organization as excellent. The question then is, how do we make every patient feel ...
Survival of the Loudest: An All Too Common Patient Experience
I heard an incredible story last week about a father’s journey through his daughter’s childhood cancer. One thing the father said struck me to the core. He said, “Technology didn’t save my child’s life, communication did.” He went on to share his personal patient experience. His concerns were diminished and his inquiries were delayed until he ...
Little Perks Won’t Cure a Broken Culture
It’s been decades since Peter Drucker first said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” His words ring more true today than ever. When healthcare organizations compete for talent, salary may get candidates in the door, but it’s culture that will entice ...
Nurse Coaches Improve Quality, Safety and Service
A few years ago, I started working with two hospitals to train and embed nurse coaches in inpatient units. Their goal was to provide staff with ongoing feedback on behaviors tied to quality, safety, and service. Their results have been ...
Delight or Drudgery? How Employees View Training Matters
Many things in healthcare require skill development and reinforcement. Sometimes those things require mandatory training to ensure quality and safety. But just because it's mandatory doesn’t mean it can’t be enjoyable. When you hear the word “mandatory,” how do you react? ...
One Email Is Not Communicating
When I coach executive teams on culture transformation, one of the first things I do is a communication audit. A few of the areas I look at include: Channels used for communication (email, newsletter, talking points for huddles and rounding, ...
