Charles Kunkle

Why do good employees leave an organization? This question has been asked many times. Much of the current literature has debunked the old myth that people leave their jobs because of money. Research has shown that one of the main reasons that someone leaves their jobs is because of their boss. Not feeling empowered, lack of respect, not having a say in the decisions that affect their work environments are key factors in an employee’s decision to stay at a particular job. So the real question that every leader should be asking is not, why do they leave, but instead, what can I do to make them want to stay?

So how do Leaders gain the confidence of those whom they lead? The formula is simple

Motivation + Empowerment = Caregiver Engagement

Caregivers need to feel that there’s a purpose to their work, and the end result must be worth the difficult process necessary to achieve it. Let’s admit it. Healthcare is getting more difficult. With less resources and decreasing talent pool, it is difficult to provide the experience we want for all of our patients. The following are some easy concepts that any leader can follow to begin to change the culture of their organization.

Earn Their Trust

In order to earn the trust of others, leaders must be consistent in their behaviors and honest in their approach. Self-accountability to the standards set for the department is again the first step. It starts with you. It starts at the top. Caregivers need to know that you’re not somebody who rules from behind a desk. They need to know that you’re working with them and willing to do the same things that you’re asking them to do, and not doing the things you’ve asked them not to do. If you tell someone that “texting is not allowed on the unit,” and then 10 minutes later, they see you texting, you will immediately lose credibility and, ultimately, their trust.

Be Consistent

Being consistent as a leader helps provide a stable work environment where people understand that they are all being held accountable to the same standards. You cannot discipline one person for something and then ignore that same action from another. Keep in mind that each caregiver is always watching you to ensure that you are being fair. They’re always watching! They will test you to see how you react to certain situations and how you treat certain individuals. This is particularly the case when it comes to new leaders. The positive caregivers will test you to see if you’re different from other leaders they have experienced who didn’t listen to them. The negative ones will test you to see what they can get away with or to see how they can manipulate you to get what they want. They will notice right away if you’re giving some preference to another caregiver or not following the standards consistently.

Be Timely

It’s important that leaders address issues in a timely fashion, regardless of how busy you are during your day. It’s important that you do this follow up as quickly as possible. If the incident happened on a Monday, and you don’t address it until Friday, that’s not a timely response, and the conversation loses its sense of importance.

Don’t Play Favorites

Playing favorites is one of the quickest ways to lose the trust and credibility of the caregivers. We need to make a distinction here, however, between having favorites and playing favorites. It seems logical that you would favor your best caregivers and disfavor the poor performers. When you play favorites, the implication is that an individual is receiving preferential treatment based on nothing more than personal opinion. This subjective point-of-view can be detrimental to building trust among all the caregivers. However, those who become favorites do so by consistently exceeding expectations and positively contributing to the culture of the department. It is based on objective information and an individual’s professional productivity.

Keep Your Composure

Like any other leader, you will find that there are those topics that just set you off. They are your list of pet peeves that when presented to you you find yourself requiring extra vigilant composure and restraint. You, however, must maintain your composure at all times. I know it is difficult, but I have never met an angry leader that was respected by their caregivers. Keeping your composure is paramount when getting your point across effectively. You need to maintain control—of the situation and of yourself. The minute you “lose it,” you’re out of the game.

Be Discreet

As a leader you will have sensitive, and, at times emotional, conversations with caregivers and, sometimes, you may be tempted to share those experiences with others. Although leaders are supposed to set a higher standard, they themselves are human beings with emotions of their own and at times, they need to vent their frustrations. These venting sessions cannot be conducted in a public setting. It’s disrespectful to the caregiver. If you need reminding, just think about a time when that happened to you. Your trust is betrayed. It stinks, and you wouldn’t want it to happen to you so don’t do it to them. If you feel you need collegial support, do it the right way, in private, behind closed doors, and with a trusted colleague.

Caring for the caregiver is essential if you want a group on individuals to work together as a team and accomplish the goals of the department. Without engaged caregivers, you will find that that is impossible to accomplish.

For more information about the No Time To Care movement and how Charles Kunkle can help your organization engage the bedside caregivers go to www.NoTimeToCare.com for videos, blogs and information.

Caring for the caregiver is essential if you want a group on individuals to work together as a team and accomplish the goals of the department. Without engaged caregivers, you will find that that is impossible to accomplish.