Dr. Paul DeChant is a thought leader to C-level executives pursuing organizational well-being. He is an authority on reducing physician burnout by fixing dysfunction in the clinical workplace. He is co-author of the book, “Preventing Physician Burnout: Curing the Chaos and Returning Joy to the Practice of Medicine”, speaks internationally, and blogs regularly at www.pauldechantmd.com.
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Everyone says they value teamwork, but too often, rewards and recognition focus too much on celebrating the individual. In many cases, it is not even clear what different organizations mean when they say they value teamwork.
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Of course, these are hard times, but recently I have been encouraged by stories from the health system of ingenuity, bravery, and solidarity as we respond to COVID-19. This includes accounts of repurposing sections of hospitals, changing how supplies are managed, implementing telemedicine, implementing new sterilization techniques, and modifying staff roles. As the saying goes, “necessity is the mother of all invention”, and the current crisis is demonstrating how a difficult situation can push us to adapt.
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Today, I was talking to a colleague of mine, Sue Kiernan. She is an executive coach who is thinking about what she can do at this time of crisis for the health system. She recognizes the pressures clinicians are normally under, and she sees how the current situation can contribute to even more stress. We talked about the concept of volunteering “In the Moment Coaching.” This is coaching for physicians and other healthcare professionals who think they might benefit from a 30-minute conversation with a professional coach. One short phone call is not going to change the world, but at the very least, the call provides a brief opportunity to focus clinicians on their well-being rather than just on the problems they are seeing and dealing with all day. There is no long-term contract and no fee for these coaching discussions. She envisions this as her way of contributing.
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So many of us work in complex political environments where we do not want to offend anyone or overstep our authority. When we disagree with someone, it can feel presumptuous to tell someone he or she is wrong. This is particularly true if the person is in a position of greater authority. Are we really sure they are wrong? Perhaps, does the other person know something we don’t?
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We all know how to write by first creating an outline and then filling in the remaining details later. However, a few years ago, I took a writing class and…
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At times, we all get angry. As you calmly read this, I am sure you are more than capable of contemplating negative ramifications that can come from using your anger to…
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When a client recently said this to me, it was hard for me not to think about the implied contradiction in this sentence. Someone who does everything that is asked is following (not leading).
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Recently, I was talking to a physician who has taken on a new role in an industry that sells to healthcare organizations. He commented that most of the time, it was not clear what his company wanted him to do. Clearly, they valued him when he presented to customers and prospects, but that was only a small percentage of his time.
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I remember in medical training, I was taught to walk quickly rather than run to a code. The idea is that it is better to arrive in the right state of mind, even if it means you are a bit delayed. In management, the time frame for decisions is even longer…
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