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All leaders know that communication is crucial to the success of an organization. However, we frequently fail to bridge the gap between senior management and our team members to truly get the pulse of what is happening across the organization. This disconnect is even greater in hospitality and healthcare, where we work in direct contact with customers or care for the health and well-being of patients. As a result, this causes problems reminiscent of:
- Leaders without a clear and accurate understanding of the challenges facing their teams on the front lines.
- Decisions made by management that do not effectively address these challenges.
- Lack of trust between leaders and teams.
- (*5*) of culture and motion.
The solution is easy. As President and CEO of AtlantiCare Health System, I have learned that the most significant thing is to get out of the office, meet with the board or senior management team and engage directly with team members throughout the organization. I spend time in our hospitals and facilities, without a schedule or formal travel itinerary, to learn about their work and the challenges they face.
Leadership Axiom: Business moves at the speed of relationships.
Here are my five leadership principles that enable you to build relationships with lasting and positive impact.
1. Always be present
When I first began walking around the hospitals after my visit, there was one senior nurse who remained elusive, no matter the hour. It was clear that she was avoiding me.
When I walked left to talk to her, she walked right. While I used to be walking right, she was walking left. So I just kept coming back during her shifts. Eleven at night on a Saturday or two in the morning on a weekday – it didn’t matter. She is a well-liked and respected nurse and I knew her insights can be of great value. And finally, one night, she got here up and shook my hand. She said, “OK, I appreciate you being here. Especially during the night shift. Let’s talk.”
Leadership axiom: Presence is the basis of influence.
Establishing a connection may take time and persistence, but the commitment is price it. So make an effort, hold meetings at the skip level, and walk the floors. What you hear will open your eyes.
2. Strengthening trust and leadership with emotional intelligence
My goal in connecting with the senior nurse was to make positive changes and alleviate the pain points the team was experiencing, but I needed her enable you to understand these possibilities. Building trust through a transparent leadership style allows for a mutual understanding of the realities the team is facing and, subsequently, what leadership is trying to achieve.
Leadership Axiom: Transparency builds trust, and trust creates great relationships.
Relying on outside consultants to tell leaders what team members think is counterintuitive to building relationships. I pride myself on being open to what drives decision-making and engaging people to co-create solutions. However, trust may be broken if transparency reveals problems that go unresolved, which is why the next point is so essential.
3. Reducing administrative burdens to empower teams
In healthcare, human contact is crucial. However, team members are also responsible for following procedures and managing documentation, which may sometimes be difficult – and many other industries face similar challenges.
Leadership Axiom: A pacesetter’s responsibility includes relieving unnecessary tasks.
Leaders must remove barriers that prevent team members from focusing on their key roles. So consider implementing the following operational improvements:
- Investing in technology to simplify on a regular basis tasks and activities.
- Removing box-ticking tasks, reminiscent of generating reports, that are done simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done.”
- Removal of coaching modules unrelated to team member roles.
- Eliminating the culture of including everyone in meetings; they only involve those that need to be present. If information may be shared via email, a meeting is not essential.
4. Creating forums to collect stakeholder opinions
At AtlantiCare, energetic listening is the key to our success. My leadership team and I look for opportunities to bring team members together, creating forums and councils, so they will share opinions and engage in honest dialogue.
Leadership Axiom: The only capital a leader has is the willingness of team members to contribute.
Therefore, encourage your leadership team to conduct side meetings to gain broader knowledge and strengthen organizational connections. However, for these forums to achieve success, we must:
- Make sure team members are involved in the technique of implementing recent programs or policies.
- Encourage team members to suggest what they’d do in another way or how they’d improve things.
- Incorporate insights from the front lines into your decision-making process.
5. Create a culture of problem solving by consistently asking “why” questions
Active listening is the basis for developing a culture of problem solving and continuous improvement. We need to challenge our current considering and processes by asking “why” and then asking “why” again to empower penetrating curiosity.
Leadership Axiom: Solutions often lie inside the team, not on it.
My job is not only to listen to the challenges my team faces, but to provide them with the resources and support they need to solve those problems. So I suggest:
- An example of the characteristics and behaviors you expect from your team in achieving their goals.
- Providing ongoing support and resources to team members searching for knowledge and information.
- Encouraging team members to plan changes as if they were their architects.
- Creating a pipeline of future leaders who make problem-solving a part of their way of considering.
When leaders truly listen, they understand the emotions, concerns, and ideas behind the words. This deep level of engagement makes team members feel valued and heard, which in turn increases morale and productivity.
Ongoing conversation
The moment the senior nurse acknowledged my presence, I felt like I had made a connection. And it is only through this connection that we will now be transparent and honest with each other, even if it means raising issues and challenges directly to make the essential changes. If business moves at the speed of relationships, the first step is presence. But you have to be consistent and lead by example. This shall be the basis for successfully overcoming the division at the leadership and frontline levels.