Over the years, I have heard many people say, “We are passionate about wanting to make this change, but it’s not the right time because we have interim leadership. We need to wait for our permanent CEO…our permanent CNO…” and the like. While I certainly understand how people want to make sure they have leaders who will see initiatives through, it strikes me as an illusion that there is such a thing as a “permanent leader” coming.
Having been engaged in healthcare for more than 30 years, I have seen “permanent leaders” come and go, just as I have seen “interim leaders” stay for years.
Being a patient experience leader is an exciting and daunting role. You are expected to address concerns and satisfy patients and family members while at the same time effectively collaborating with staff of every variety and position, including senior leaders—all the while creating the often elusive “culture of caring”. Undeniably, this role, in its many shapes and forms, is one of the most important in healthcare, since it impacts not only the patient and family experience but also financial health, clinical outcomes, patient and staff safety, risk reduction, employee engagement, and the overall culture of the organization.
There is no doubt that being a healthcare leader – especially one who is advocating as an agent for change in Patient Experience – can be stressful. We are besieged with an endless list of tasks, every one of which seems to be a priority. Whenever we try to get one thing done, we are interrupted – in person or by one of the electronic devices to which we are tied. With so many demands on our time, it is hard to stay focused. We try to do everything at once, but find that multi-tasking is seldom productive. Multiple things claim our attention, but none get done with full mindfulness. Too often, we wind up having to re-do things or correct mistakes, which takes up even MORE time.
How can we end this hectic and exhausting cycle?
Being caring and communicating caring are two very different things. In the same vein, having skills and using them are two very different things. When employees engage in communication skills training, they improve their skills, but this doesn’t mean they use the skills in their work.
As I see it, bridging the gap between people’s capabilities and their USE of their capabilities is a major challenge to us as we pursue the consistently exceptional patient and family experience.
