Tag: Chief CRNA teambuilding

What’s in a brand name?

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, Lt. Col. (ret)

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Branding

“Rebranding generates enthusiasm and brings attention to an existing operation

that may be taken for granted.”

The morning news grabbed my full attention with this announcement:  Dunkin donuts is doing away with donuts.  “What?” I screamed silently.  “No more Bavarian cream filling or toasted coconut crunch?  How could they do such a thing?”  The reporter went on to explain that the company (relax, everybody) will not stop making donuts but will be dropping the word “donuts” from the company name, logo and advertising.  The intent is to rebrand and give the company a fresh look while opening the door to promote a line of drinks that will compete with the Starbucks grip on the grounds. The purpose of the press release was to make me visualize Dunkin Donut coffee.  Rebranding works.

Dunkin’s announcement comes only a few months after the media blitz surrounding the rebranding of IHOP to IHOB – International House of Burgers.  The pancake giants “want the world to know that they also have a great menu for lunch and dinner.”  Even though it was a hoax, the announcement certainly got the public’s attention as people all over the country flocked to IHOP for an IHOPB.   Weight Watchers is in the less startling process of rebranding as they plan to rename themselves WW with an emphasis on wellness rather than strictly on weight loss.  Branding works and when a company wants to renew enthusiasm for their product, they regain attention by rebranding.

A recognized brand serves many purposes and collateral benefits within a crowded marketplace.

  • Recognition Established brands stand out and are known for the product they deliver.  When you pull off the highway and see McDonalds, Starbucks and Shell gas, you immediately know who they are and what they provide.  Branding promotes consistency thus removing doubt and uncertainty.
  • Credibility Attached to an established brand name is the appearance of expertise.  When I was at The Johns Hopkins, we treated a global patient population most of whom were attracted to the JH brand and the expectation of proven excellence tied to the name.  Branding expert, Lisa Cron, notes that good branding increases revenue because clients are willing to pay at a higher price and are more compliant with making payments.
  • Loyalty Branding promotes loyalty both from the customer base and from employees.  Established quality brands attract the top applicants who perform at a higher level.  Good people providing a quality product for a recognized company creates a loyal customer base.
  • Culture Brand identity promotes a company culture of excellence and collaboration.  Workers who feel pride in and loyalty to a known brand will develop a loyalty to the company and embrace the company culture initiated from the front office.  Branding lets both clients and employees know what the company stands for and forms a basis for acceptable behavior.

 

Brand your Workgroup

In healthcare, we are not BK or Mickey D’s; however, a recognizable brand identity for your healthcare team offers some of the same advantages as those in the business world, namely consistency, collaboration and a loyal customer base.   One simple suggestion to develop a team brand that yields big results is for your team adopt to a motto or tagline that represents your team’s shared values.  For example, the Cleveland Clinic has kept their name but updated the corporate motto to reflect their collective values; “We are all caregivers.” To create or update your healthcare team motto or tagline, bring the group together and review the organization’s mission, vision and values.  Discuss the purpose of your team, for example, I work in a busy GI clinic where we pride ourselves in the service we provide for patients, gastroenterologists and referring physicians.  Challenge your group to establish a motto that will both inform clients and remind one another of why the team exists.

Sample mottos and taglines

  • A personal relationship with medical excellence
  • Exceptional people, extraordinary care
  • Changing the way you receive healthcare
  • A passion for putting patients first
  • A Transforming, Healing Presence

 

Once your team has established its identity, treat it as your brand and use it to tell the public about the excellent service they will receive from your team.

Market your new brand

  • Posters Create and hang posters with your team motto in common areas where they can be viewed by both patients and staff.
  • Business cards Make business cards with your team motto on one side and a place on the other side for the care giver to write his/her name, freely giving cards to patients and their family members.
  • Buttons Make campaign style buttons with your team motto and encourage your team members to wear them prominently at team meetings, department parties, state meetings and healthcare fund raisers.
  • Messages/Memos Make a template on your signature block that includes your team motto ensuring that every message you send is a reminder of the purpose of your work.
  • Signs at work stations  Attach your motto to the base of every computer on your unit as an ongoing reminder to staff members.

 

Literature arising from today’s business community reinforces the importance of having a recognized brand to attract customers and standardize the product delivered by workers.   Whether branding for the first time or rebranding to renew interest, you can create advantages for your workgroup by developing a team motto and tagline, advertising it and then using it to promote team identity, collaboration and consistency.   Creating or recreating consumer familiarity takes time but soon enough your patients will become just as confident about the expectations of care that they will receive from your team as you are about the Pike’s Place with a shot you pick up on the way to the Hospital.  Brand your team for success, and in the meantime, I think I’ll pick up a Dunkin dozen…just in case.

 

Tom is a noted author, speaker, educator and clinician.   Join Tom the second Tuesday of each month on the Leadership journal club webinar.

Getting the Right Match


By Thomas Davis, CRNA

“What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are but how you deal with incompatibility.”  ― Leo Tolstoy

Neil Clark Warren is a name that you may not know, however, when you see his face and hear his voice you will say, “Oh yeah, that guy.” Mr. Warren is a clinical psychologist, Christian Theologian, seminary professor and CEO of eHarmony.com. Most likely you know him fromeharmony over a decade of TV commercials.   As a marriage counselor, Neil worked with couples who, despite their love for one another, had compatibility issues.   The eHarmony.com web site was designed to assess the basic character and values of each person and then match them with a partner based on compatibility. The success of this online dating plan has been impressive.   Compatibility is foundational to every good relationship, including work relationships.

Compatibility is just as important in the workplace as it is to your personal life.   Being in the wrong job is like being married to the wrong person…lots of work and not much fun. All too often production pressure influences a manager to hire a person primarily to get them on the job and working quickly.   After months or years of frustration, the manager realizes that the employee is not compatible with his leadership style or the institution’s values. Both are unhappy and neither is as productive as each could be.

As healthcare managers, Chief CRNAs have a vested interest in ensuring that employees are fully engaged in their work.   Engaged employees provide consistent, high levels of productivity. They are your problem solvers and proactively identify ways to streamline workflow and improve patient satisfaction. They embrace the vision and values of the organization and are on board with your management style.

In contrast, disengaged employees are actively or passively against just about everything. They believe that they are right and everybody else is wrong and would rather hold on tightly to the problem than fix it. Most people reading this article can name both engaged and disengaged co-workers.   As a manager, you seek to increase the number of workers carrying the load and to reduce the number of those who put a drag on the system. Your goal is to have a fully engaged workgroup, and employee engagement starts with the hiring process.

As my mother used to say, “It’s easier to avoid getting into a bad relationship than it is to get out of one.”   As a manager building a team, the Chief CRNA must assess compatibility of every applicant and stay out of bad relationships. Always remember, there are highly qualified, fully capable applicants who have the work experience that you seek but still may be a terrible fit on your team. Compatibility is as important as capability when assembling your team.   Building compatibility into your team begins with the application/interview process.

Competence and capability are foundational for any employee to become a valued member of your staff. Competence is evident by the applicant’s having the education and skills required in the job description, however, capability relates to the willingness to work and the quest for professional growth. When interviewed, an engaged applicant will ask about your expectations and will also ask about taking on more responsibility.   The person will want to know how you define and reward excellence.   When you follow up with calls to references, ask about work ethic and ask for examples of when the applicant went above and beyond the basic requirements of the job.   If all the person does is show up, earn a pay check and go home, don’t expect to see an attitude change after becoming your employee.

An applicant’s Commitment to the mission, vision and values of the larger organization aligns them with others in the workgroup and provides a stable platform for future interaction. When you interview, ask the applicant why they want to work with your group. Are they committed to the group values and are they committed to a long term work relationship or are they passing through until a better option arises? Before the interview ends, get a verbal commitment that the applicant supports the values of the group. Regardless of their competence, if the applicant cannot commit to the values of the group, the person is not a good fit.

Compassion and caring about the welfare of patients and co-workers are signs of emotional health.   Having a sense of happiness and a good sense of humor will elevate the mood of the entire group and make your hospital a preferred workplace. Build your team with people who appear happy, who support one another and have a desire to connect socially.   The interview is your opportunity for a conversation with the applicant that is relaxed and easy.   If the interview is stressful or there is not a free flow of thoughts, the applicant is not a good fit.

Compensation to include both pay and benefits is important to the institution and to the applicant. The offer should be competitive with the local market and the applicant should be satisfied with the offer. Employees who feel that your offer is too low will feel under-appreciated and may quickly become under productive. Not only do they become a drag on your system, they drag others down with them and create discord on your team. Don’t apologize for your offer. If the applicant does not gladly accept it, they will not fit in and will jump ship at the first opportunity.

Communicate with people who know the applicant and their work ethic. The applicant will provide a list of people who can be relied upon to give a glowing testimony.   When you interview, ask the applicant for names and contact information for current employers/supervisors. Follow up with a phone call to validate the things told to you during the interview.

Just as Neil Clark Warren uses eHarmony to assess values and characteristics of people to increase the likelihood of compatibility, the Chief CRNA must have a working knowledge of the values of the institution, conduct a focused interview, and follow-up to assure that the applicant is a good match. A happy, healthy and engaged workgroup is founded on a compatible partnership.

Remember, it is easier to teach technical skills to the right person than it is to change the basic personality of a highly skilled but wrong person. For eHarmony in your workgroup, do your diligence and make a good match.

 

 

Tom is an experienced leader, educator, author and speaker with a passion for team building.      Contact tom@procrna.com