nursing teambuilding

Three Essential B’s for Effective Teambuilding

By Thomas Davis, DNAP, MAE, CRNA

Follow @procrnatom on twitter

The role of boss is a daunting proposition that causes self-doubt in some but motivates other individuals to master the skills required for successful leadership. Your ability to manage the inevitable surprises that pop up frequently will determine your ultimate success, and with a little self-confidence and focus, you can do it. Finding those key behaviors necessary for inspiring a team to achieve greatness is like Harrison Ford seeking the holy grail in the 1989 Indiana Jones movie classic. And like the movie, becoming successful at leadership is a challenging journey that requires commitment and focus while navigating through a maze of complicated barriers. The holy grail for leadership does not exist; however, there are behaviors that, when mastered, will make you and your team champs. Forget about winning the leadership lottery or gaining overnight success; rather, spend time and attention to mastering the 3 B’s to improve your effectiveness as a leader.

“Your job as a leader is to stay as close in touch as possible with those closest to the action.”

~Kat Cole

Be present

To be a leader, you must have followers. The title you have as the designated boss gives you the authority to implement policy, but you cannot truly lead a team without its consent. Becoming the person whom the group wants to follow requires that you have an active presence with the team. Writing for Forbes magazine, author Carol Kinsey Gorman notes that it is not about how you perceive yourself; it is about how others perceive you. Having a presence with your team requires interaction daily and a special connection with each person. As you interact with your colleagues, here are a few behaviors that will help you to be present:

Set the tone for your workgroup by showing up every day with a positive attitude. Your mindset and energy level are contagious and will be imitated by your team. Do a self-check, put a smile on your face and some pep in your step before welcoming your team to the workday.
Personal relationships create a foundation for trust. Be as interested in the person doing the job as you are in accomplishing a task. You do not have to be best buddies but it is important that each employee know that he/she is unique and appreciated.
Use body language to display confidence in yourself and your team. Stand straight, hold your head high, pull your shoulders back and put a pleasant look on your face. When you own your space, your team will feel as if you can protect theirs.
Use the word “because” when making a request. It may sound trivial but when you simply tell people to do something, they feel micromanaged; however, when you tell them why it needs to be done, they feel privy to inside information, see that their work is important, and are more likely to willingly comply.
People will not always remember what you say, but they will never forget how you make them feel.

Be empowering

Show me a workplace with extreme productivity and high morale and I’ll wager that employee empowerment is a part of the culture. Workers who perceive that they are empowered feel as if they are vital and that their effort supports the goals of both the team and the organization. In addition, empowerment creates a bond of trust between the worker, the boss, and the organization. Here are some steps that you can take to be an empowering boss:

Clarify goals and guidelines. Having a goal creates a common purpose for your team and gives them something to collaboratively work toward. A former friend who was active in his church explained that adding a room to the church gave his parish a goal, united church members and injected energy into the group that had previously been lacking. Clearly communicate goals so that all oars are paddling in the same direction.
Create opportunities for workers to take charge. Workers are empowered when they are given responsibility for a task and then given guidelines, resources, and the latitude to complete a task without the fear of micromanagement. By allowing a person to be responsible for an assignment or an entire project, you are saying, “I trust you,” and he/she will likely take ownership.
Assign authority along with responsibility. There is nothing more demoralizing than to be given responsibility to complete a task without being given the authority to do what needs to be done. When assigning tasks and projects, make sure that the person has the resources and authority to bring the assignment to closure.
Encourage communication. Healthy teams have open communication at all levels. When brainstorming, all voices must be welcome, and creativity must be rewarded. Equally, there is a place for small talk that promotes socialization in the workplace. Through casual conversation, workers create friendships that will pay dividends later when they work together on a project.
Promote mentoring and coaching. Professional development is high on the list of characteristics in an empowered workplace. Coaching is a process to teach practical skills to new workers as they join the team or to experienced team members as technology changes. Mentoring can be a long-term partnership in which an experienced person shares knowledge and life experiences with a rising star on the team. Coaching can be a short-term interaction to teach a specific skill. Both coaching and mentoring send the message that you care about the worker and want him/her to reach their full potential.
Encourage self-improvement. Anything that expands the knowledge or skills of a worker adds depth to what they can contribute to the team and supporting their effort shows that you care about their personal growth. A former colleague signed up for a Russian class at the local community college. The leader adjusted the schedule so that he could be out early every Wednesday to attend the class. Not only did the person learn a language, the mood of the entire team was lifted when they saw the support that was given to a colleague.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere in spite of overwhelming obstacles”

~Christopher Reeve

Be resilient

Despite our best efforts, not everything can or will go smoothly and you must be resilient if the train is to be kept on the tracks. Resilience is the ability to meet adversity and then recover and restore business as usual. The healthcare workplace is constantly changing as are the personal needs of team members. Sometimes a head-on collision is inevitable and you, as the leader, may be part of the collateral damage. Setbacks can shake one’s self-confidence and create a sense of personal hopelessness. If left unchecked, your negative vibes will transfer to the team and kill its morale. Here are some behaviors that will help you to develop resilience.

Learn from mistakes. Conflict seldom just happens; someone or something put the problem into motion, and it came to a head under your watch. Take ownership of the problem then step back and reflect on the flawed process that caused the event to occur. Creatively think of ways to avoid recurrence of the problem, develop a plan, and implement the needed change.
Have positive self-talk. Your internal dialogue is a powerful tool that will empower you to solve the problem or will stifle your self-confidence and ensure your demise. A problem does not make you a poor leader or a bad person; it gives you an opportunity to resolve an issue. Remind yourself of your strengths, sources of support and your expectation that you are up to the task of implementing a solution. Use confident body language, assure yourself that you are highly qualified, and then fix the problem.
Re-define your purpose or goal. When problems arise in the workplace, often it is because people have lost sight of the purpose of the organization and the team. Pause to reflect on your goals and question whether they have changed. If so, update them to reflect the current reality. If not, the team must be brought back into alignment with the goals. Regardless of the source of the glitch, decisively communicate targets and expectations to the team.
Be a champion for the cause. Show your resilience by becoming the person to champion the changes necessary to ensure that the problem does not emerge again. Determine a desired outcome and focus your activity on achieving it. Use your energy and position to create grassroots support among team members and solicit their help as you move forward.
Be a realist. Avoid giving a knee-jerk, fix it now response to a situation. Rather than coming in with guns blazing, first visualize a best-case scenario for resolving the issue and then temper the vision by assessing resources. An OK plan that can be quickly implemented is better than an idealistic plan that is unrealistic and doomed for failure.

Leading a healthcare team presents challenges that are quite different from those experienced by Indiana Jones; however, like the archeologist, the three B’s will help you navigate the traps that would defeat a lesser person. Being present gives you visibility and enables communication that will bond your team into a collaborative unit. Being empowering ensures that creativity is tapped and that the team works toward a positive goal rather than being paralyzed by the fear of making a mistake. Being resilient enables you to climb out of the pit, regain your composure and continue your quest to find the holy grail. Use the three B’s to be all you can be.

Tom is an experienced leader, author, and requested speaker. Click here for a video introduction to Tom’s talk topics.

Workplace champions

By Thomas Davis, DNAP, MAE, CRNA

Follow @procrnatom on twitter

On the sports field, the champion walks away with the trophy; in the workplace, the champion scores high points for being the catalyst that converts an idea into the modus operandi. When introducing a new protocol or implementing a policy change, having a champion who is all in for the change and works with personal passion can make the difference between success and failure. The person who champions a cause is not always the designated leader, rather, he/she is a person who has a deep belief that the change is both necessary and possible to achieve. In contrast, a change agent is a person hired to implement a new policy and often lacks the internal drive and commitment that is found in a champion.

Workplace Champion; a person who voluntarily takes extraordinary interest in the adoption, implementation and success of a cause, policy, project or product. The person will force the idea through entrenched internal resistance and will evangelize it throughout the organization.

~businessdictionary.com

Speaking on the topic of implementing an opioid sparing anesthetic technique, Dr. Gary Brydges, former president of the AANA was asked what to do when resistance to change came from within the workgroup. First among his recommendations was assuming the role of champion and then locating and teaming with a surgeon champion and a nurse champion. Then, move forward as a team of champions to educate all stakeholders about the necessity for and the benefits of the change.

During my tenure as Chief CRNA at The Johns Hopkins, I witnessed first-hand the wisdom of Dr. Brydges’ recommendation to engage champions who are committed to implementing change. The institution was entrusted to develop and implement an early recovery protocol for patients receiving bowel surgery; a plan that required a radical change to the usual perioperative flow, including the anesthetic technique. To move the strategy forward, champions, including an anesthesiologist and a nurse anesthetist, joined surgery and nursing champions and formed a united front to overcome resistance and implement the new plan for bowel surgery patients. Meetings were held, a protocol was developed, and champions from each area aggressively marketed the new plan to their respective groups. The champions were essential and, with their dedication to the project, the protocol was successfully implemented.

In 1996 John Kotter introduced an eight-step model for implementing change and although he did not specifically use the word champion, several of the steps in his model describe actions that are commonly taken by those who are the driving force for change. The Kotter model calls for the leader to create a sense of urgency, build a coalition of supporters, create and communicate a vision, and push for buy in from stakeholders…all actions commonly taken by a champion.

Building on the John Kotter’s recommendations, the University of Georgia published a white paper outlining the role of a change champion to include:

Streamline implementation/reduce complexity
Take ownership and build accountability
Enhance speed of project completion
Maximize productivity
Promote understanding
Advocate position change
Explain “what’s in it for me?”

So, you want to be a champion…

A key to job security and promotion is becoming the person that the workgroup can’t live without and being a driving force for change places you in the coveted position of being indispensable. First and foremost, you must believe in the new protocol that you are striving to achieve and then actively work to develop the skills required to create momentum and achieve the goal. Writing in People Development Magazine, author Julie Gordon lists the essential personal traits of a successful change champion:

Willingness to listen
Skilled at networking
Understanding of the workplace culture
Not afraid to take risks
Openly markets the positives
Solicits help from colleagues and other champions
Emotionally intelligent/sensitive to people needs
Openly supports the goal, quickly correct misinformation
Driven by the value of the change

Recognizing a need for change and having a desire for it to occur is not enough; follow these steps and become the workplace champion who elevates your team and organization.

Be knowledgeable. Keep up with current best practice guidelines, attend meetings and communicate via social media with colleagues who have a professional practice like yours. Recognize techniques that produce the best results and then review your current method looking for alterations that could be made in order to improve results. In addition, keep a keen eye on the culture of your workplace and the receptiveness to change. Finally, tie your proposed practice upgrade to the stated vision of the organization to increase the likelihood of buy-in from upper level management.

We can do better. Always work with the mindset that there is room for improvement. As a change champion, your belief in the new method must be apparent and contagious to those around you. Be vocal in convincing others that there is a different method that will produce better results.

Team with another champion. The ultimate outcome is often dependent upon the work done by many parallel workgroups with a common interest. In the previous example from The Johns Hopkins, implementing an enhanced recovery program affected the workflow of the surgeon, pre and post-operative nursing and anesthesia. Having champions from each area who were equally committed to achieving a positive result increased the likelihood for success.

Develop a plan. Work collaboratively and develop a comprehensive plan that works best for all and explain the plan to your workgroup. Remember, the best plan for your individual workgroup may not be the best for other stakeholders.

Market the change. Here is where you must have superuser knowledge and exude passion to persuade colleagues that the change is essential. The first pitch to the team will let them know about the project; however, the ongoing push over the next days, weeks and months will take the plan across the finish line.

“Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle”

~ Martin Luther King Jr.

Change doesn’t happen in a vacuum, nor does it happen by default. There must be an apparent need, a belief that it can/must occur, and an individual with the stamina to push the project forward. The next time you think, “we ought to,” take the next step and commit to making the desired change happen. Become the champion who looks back and says, “this is what we have done.”

Tom is a noted author, speaker, educator, and dedicated clinical anesthetist specializing in leadership development and team building. Contact tom@prosynex.com to book a speaking engagement.

Build a Bridge

The Team Is The Trestle

By Thomas Davis, CRNA, MAE, DNAP candidate

Great leaders know that even the most brilliant plans fail without the support of members of the team. Motivating workers to leap on board to work collaboratively toward a common goal is a challenging yet important part of being a leader. Don’t be daunted or intimidated by the collective roll of the eyes when you introduce the topic of teambuilding. Instead, appreciate the importance of inspiring team spirit by doing projects outside the scope of normal work. In addition to uniting team members, they will experience the reward of creative collaboration and the energy generated from the project will be carried back into the workplace.

On teambuilding.com, Samantha Mc Duffee identifies several essential benefits from teambuilding activities and puts improved communication/collaboration at the top of the list. When a group who works together daily is removed from the normal workplace and given an open-ended challenge to solve a problem, an amazing spirit of collaboration emerges. Take for example a teambuilding activity that was used with a group of nurse managers during a leadership course.

The large group of eager participants was divided into 5 groups of 5 people; each group was given 25 pieces of uncooked spaghetti, a string, a role of scotch tape and a pair of scissors; the individual groups were challenged to build the tallest tower in 15 minutes. The simple rules were to use only the materials provided and to work collaborative with a positive focus on what is possible with the available resources. During the first 5 minutes each group quickly constructed a tower and each tower collapsed; then each group spent the next 10 minutes collaborating to create a better design and re-build the tower. At the end of the allotted time, each group had a standing tower; however, two tables opted to combine resources, work as a larger group and constructed the tallest tower. Remember, they were told to work collaboratively and seek the best use of available resources and there was no rule about working across group lines.

Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of O2E brands, took another avenue toward teambuilding by treating his team to a country music concert at a local dance hall. They enjoyed sharing the evening together with music, adult beverages and learning the two-step and taking advantage of the relaxed venue outside the workplace to appreciate each other as individuals. Brian encouraged the team to continue the networking within the workplace and to share personal interests with one another. From interaction developed during the two-step, a book club emerged. You might not be permitted to treat your workgroup to a night out; however, you may be able to arrange a group discount at the ballpark or reserve a park pavilion for a barbecue.

Community service is important to the image of a company and opens another opportunity for teambuilding. By serving the community outside the scope of normal business, a bond is created between the organization and the people it serves. Employees’ hidden talents are revealed and, as well, the community receives support for projects and events important to the local area. Here are two examples of teambuilding projects that solidified ties between the organization and the community.

Example 1 While on faculty at the University of Kansas Medical Center, I participated in the annual KU community service day. Over 100 energetic volunteers from the hospital assembled in a cold parking lot at 7am on a Saturday morning and were greeted with hot coffee and pastries. We were told ahead of time to wear work clothes and bring a few basic tools. The Medical Center had identified a two-block area within the city with run down homes that were inhabited by elderly indigent people and pre-arranged permission for us to do basic repairs on their homes. We went to the neighborhood, divided into teams and went to work. Some raked, some cleaned gardens and others did inside repairs. We re-attached cupboard doors, fixed locks, patched cracks and even fixed some plumbing leaks. At the end of the day the residents of the area were all smiles as were the UKMC volunteers. I spent my day working with one person from radiology and another from the lab and from that day forward had a point of contact in each area.

Example 2 A group of nurse anesthetists, at The Johns Hopkins was actively seeking a teambuilding activity that would serve the community and arranged to do a craft night at the local Ronald McDonald house. After scheduling the activity, the team set a goal of providing the most amazing “craft night” ever for the children and families staying at the facility. Planning sessions were held where creative ideas were shared and then supplies were assembled. On the big night, children cautiously entered the craft room and quickly became energetic as they engaged in the numerous projects provided. Parents and siblings jumped into the fun and none were ready to quit at the end of the evening. As with the experience at KU Med, when the evening was over it was difficult to tell whether the residents of the Ronald McDonald house or the volunteers were the happiest.

Workgroups across the country routinely participate in community service teambuilding activities. Use the comments box below to share your project with other readers.

Successful teambuilding is evidenced by the momentum that is brought back into the workplace following the event. Whether joining in a social interaction event or a community volunteer enterprise, those who work collaboratively outside the workplace are more likely to work well together on projects serving the organization. Encouraging people to enjoy one another’s company and appreciate creative ideas carries innovative vitality forward and becomes contagious. A collaborative environment is the bridge to elevated productivity in a preferred workplace. A collaborative team is the trestle linking the organization to the community. Teambuilding activities strengthen both.

Tom is a clinical anesthetist, noted author and requested speaker.