Team

Recruiting and hiring can be time-consuming but deliberate planning can help make it more efficient. One approach is to implement processes that streamline how you work with your HR business partner. Another approach is to look critically at your team members and determine what makes a good “cultural fit” in your department for new hires.

While many organizations have formal recognition programs, leaders must take daily ownership of timely, personalized recognition. This goes beyond rewards for outcomes, focusing on authentic connections about team members' approach to work. Leaders should create ways to recognize all contributors and invite others, including peers and managers, to join the recognition process.

Setting clear expectations establishes standards for performance, behavior, and outcomes, while feedback with accountability ensures individuals meet those expectations. These elements are interconnected. Transparent communication fosters trust by providing clarity on expectations and illustrating what high performance looks like, making it easier for teams to align.

Ongoing education is crucial in healthcare due to its regulated and ever-changing nature. Professionals must continuously learn to meet job demands, balancing mandatory training with proactive development. As a healthcare leader, ensuring your team stays engaged in continuous education is key to maintaining high standards of care but can be a challenge.

Effective leaders recognize their role extends beyond merely managing performance; they also serve as coaches and mentors to their teams. In the coaching capacity, you act as a guide and accountability partner for achieving specific goals. When providing mentorship, you help them focus on their overall growth and long-term career aspirations.

Transparent communication from leaders encourages others to do the same, fostering open dialogue across the team and organization. Most importantly, it builds trust and confidence. Use varied methods to reach as many team members as possible, ensuring your communication is accurate, clear, and timely—especially when addressing sensitive or challenging topics.

Regularly gauging how your team and customers feel is essential to building trust, but it's crucial to act on the feedback. Pair feedback collection with clear actions. Teams aren't typically frustrated by surveys, but by the lack of response to their input. If you survey your team, ensure you follow up with debriefs and action plans to address their concerns effectively.

Strong relationships are the foundation of great teams, boosting engagement, improving processes, performance, and collaboration. As relationship-building expands across the organization, its benefits multiply. Workplace connection thrives on trust, inclusivity, offering and requesting help, and maintaining open communication with colleagues and employees.

Healthcare is a team sport. It takes everyone in all departments to work towards high quality patient care. Interdepartmental collaboration is essential to ensure high-quality patient care, operational efficiency, effective communication, resource optimization, organizational cohesion, and regulatory compliance.

Strong working relationships and effective processes are essential for optimal workflows and work environments. Chapters 11 and 12 focus on building relationships with interdepartmental colleagues. This chapter builds on those ideas, applying systems thinking and a Lean operations approach to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.