Three Groups at Boeing Zero in on Performance Measurement (published by National Productivity Review, Spring 1994)

The Blossoming of Melissa (published by Roots and Wings Adoption Magazine, Jan/Feb/Mar 1996)

Learning to Walk the Leadership Talk? (published by Healthcare Executive Mar/Apr 1994)

Using Leadership Criteria to Measure and Reward Performance (published by Physician Executive, Aug 1995)

Practice what you Preach (published by Best Practice, "Measuring Performance" Issue, IFS International Lmt, UK)

Integrating Processes and Performance: Benchmarks and Keys to Quality (published by Performance & Instruction, Sept 1993)

...and 19 more

Learning to Walk the Leadership Talk? 

(by JT Carr, published by Healthcare Executive Mar/Apr 1994) 

        When you are rewarding members of your management team for demonstrating leadership, don't forget yourself.

        Productivity. Entrepreneurship. Teamwork. We have long paid these particular leadership concepts a lot of lip service in the healthcare industry-- never more so than now, as hospitals, in the face of reform, struggle to do more with less. Alliances and mergers, for example, so prominent in reform proposals for cooperative provider networks, are the very essence of teamwork. But there is a big gap between talking about this kind of leadership, even institutionalizing the required skills, and living it.

          "I've set up incentives for creative problem-solving" well intentioned CEOs may be saying to themselves. "I've incorporated specific productivity measures into performance assessment. I've initiated training in team approaches to planning and implementation. And I'm still not seeing an impact on my bottom line. What am I overlooking?" In too many cases, the answer is, quite simply, their own behavior.

           Recognizing and rewarding others for doing the right things may be a lot easier than leading by example when it comes to productivity, entrepreneurship and teamwork-- all qualities that require a certain relaxed confidence, an enjoyment and trust in your colleagues. Many top executives, having come to rely on sheer tough-mindedness to tackle one challenge after another, have flat out forgotten how to have fun-- and how important fun is.

         Practice what you Preach: To "walk the talk" in their own organizations, healthcare executives must improve and assess their own performance in these key areas, using the same standards they apply throughout the ranks. Here are some suggestions.

             Promote and reward productivity-- Ask yourself: Am I a productive leader? Do I encourage and reward productivity in myself as well as in others?

         Any number of professional development seminars and courses can help you sharpen your productivity-enhancing skills. But there are also day-to-day activities you can undertake to encourage streamlining and standardization:

               * Write it Down: When gathering thoughts, providing instructions, discussing ideas, or seeking agreement, put it in writing. Whether it's guidelines on patient relations or requests to contractors, you'll find it easier to clarify misunderstandings and arrive at consensus.

                * Keep it simple: When it comes to creating documents and directives to guide your managers, the simpler the better. Strip your definition of quality down to the bone and make sure it is understood by all your customers throughout the organization.

             * Avoid duplication: Evaluate the reports you and your management team generate. Is there duplication? Take time to calculate how much could be saved by eliminating some of these reports.

             * Understand and integrate key management processes: Step-by-step approaches to most basic management processes--planning, writing, negotiating-- already exist and don't need to be reinvented. You can save a lot of time by making them standard operating procedures. Review each step, simplifying whenever possible, teach them to the rest of your team, then reward everyone-- including yourself-- for using them correctly.

           You will know that you have been successful when your management processes lead directly to and document the achievement of your management goals.

              Foster and reward entrepreneurship-- Ask yourself: Am I using my entrepreneurial talents? Do I reward (and forgive) myself when I take risks with innovative approaches?

         It's true that necessity is the mother of invention, but only if you empower people to invent without fear of making mistakes. Trial and error are at the heart of creativity, in which (1) ideas are tested using prototypes; (2) changes are made; and (3) failures are seen as opportunities to modify and try again.

          Encourage entrepreneurship in yourself and others in these ways:

               * Stimulate creativity: Rather than purchase new technology, seek ideas to add to, subtract from, modify, or share existing resources.

                    * Be tolerant of mistakes: Admit and laugh at your own mistakes, discuss the lessons you've learned with others whose problem-solving abilities you respect, and reward yourself for trying with fun and relaxation in order to regenerate those creative juices.

                    * Remove roadblocks: Lecturing, evaluating, and belittling all work to close off communications; substitute coaching, which frees people to take risks and offer ideas. You'll know you're on the right track when innovative solutions surface in writing as well as in conversation.

          Encourage and reward teamwork--Ask yourself: Do I reward myself for getting along with my colleagues? Do I show tolerance for others and speak respectfully to them at all times?

         Teamwork is about working together for a common goal. It's also about integrity and ethics, sharing, and supporting one another in failure and success. Again, coaching is important, but no more so than being an example.

                 * Build trust: Learn to say: "I'm sorry....I made a mistake...You did a good job...What is your opinion?...Let's work together....Thank you". And don't forget "we". These are simple ways to help create a climate of self-esteem, respect, dignity, and trust.

              * Be a team player: Structure goals so that they can be achieved only be working together with others. Hold yourself accountable to the same codes of courteous conduct you impose on others. Take time to praise yourself and others. You'll know its working every time an agreement is reached in writing, a procedure is simplified, a compliment is offered, or a resource is shared.

        Measure Your Performance

         In addition to a formal evaluation, usually done annually, healthcare leaders should rate their own performance on an ongoing basis. To do this, you'll need plenty of input from your colleagues and your customers. The simplest way it is to ask: Have I met your needs? This might be done through a patient satisfaction survey or a project evaluation.

      And, you can--and should--praise yourself for a kindness offered, a job well done, or a risk taken. Reward yourself with an informal celebration, a favorite work assignment, or time off. Treat yourself as you would any other member of your management team, and you'll have a better chance of fostering the leadership qualities your organization needs to succeed in the years to come.##