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By Joy W. Goldman RN, MS PCC:  CEO SixSEED Partners

In a recent discussion with a colleague, we were discussing an observation that there appears to be reluctance on the part of some front-line patient care leaders to hold staff accountable for “bad behaviors.” What is cited as the reason for the reluctance is the fear of losing “a warm body” and not being able to find replacements. I immediately felt myself react, not so much to the observation as to the term “bad behavior.”

What is it we label “bad behavior” and what impact does that have on our holding others accountable and providing constructive, performance feedback?

• Bad behaviors are those which are foreign to you as a leader – they are behaviors that are least like you.  In fact, rarely would people use those terms to describe you
• Bad behaviors are disruptive to the natural and normal flow of the workplace
• Bad behaviors lead to negative outcomes within your team, patients, and other departments

What’s the risk in labeling behavior as good or bad?  Having done this in the past, as is human nature, the label of judgment and my resulting attitude and mindset only serves to upset me further as I obsessively confirm my belief yet do nothing about it.

As Marilee Adams teaches us with “the choice map” and her book: “Change Your Questions, Change Your Life,” we can be more effective leaders and heal ourselves if we can switch from the judger path to the learner path.  This is the time to get curious—

• Who is informing this individual about the impact of their behavior on others?  Might people be doing work-arounds or avoiding them instead of offering perceptions and entering into dialogue?
• What might be motivating the behavior that is causing the adverse outcome?
• What development opportunity exists for this individual and how am I supporting that?
• How does this behavior that I’m witnessing relate to my strengths, or my own opportunities for development?
• How might this disruptive behavior be exactly what is needed for the team to improve and grow?
• How is this behavior different from the majority and how are we embracing it as a unique expression of a different culture? What evidence do we have that there are negative patient/ system outcomes?
• How might I demonstrate compassion for myself and this individual as I speak to them directly about the impact of their behavior?
• Can I shift my internal belief system that “holding accountable” is a systemic feedback process that carries no greater emotional weight other than that which I place on it?

If you find yourself wrestling with these questions, contact us.  We’d welcome supporting you!

“As you announce peace with your mouth, make sure that greater peace is in your hearts. Let no one be provoked to anger or scandal through you, but may everyone be drawn to peace, kindness, and harmony through your gentleness. For we have been called to this: to heal the wounded, bind up the broken, and recall the erring.” St. Francis of Assisi

If you are a C-Suite Leader in Healthcare, this blog will challenge your thinking and belief systems—if you are courageous enough to be curious. If you are wedded to the status quo and believe your perception of reality is the truth, read no further. If we want to stem “the great resignation”, we must start with ourselves. Leadership is an inside-out job!

At SixSEED Partners, we have the privilege of partnering with senior-level leaders on their development. Our mission is to provide integrated solutions to heal healthcare. In recent posts, we’ve applauded the work of the leaders at www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org: transformational skills for sustainable development. With scientific advisors like @jennifergarveyberger, @ottoscharmer, @petersenge, @robertkegan, @dansiegel, and @amyedmondson, this enlightened coalition knows that if we want sustainable change in our world, we must focus on changing ourselves. You can read more about their work in our prior posts.

What does this have to do with a challenge of our time: “The Great Resignation?” My motivation to write comes after hearing and witnessing repeated stories of senior-level, Vice-President or C-Suite leaders who have been asked to leave their positions and have been dealt with as if they were criminals. Some have been notified virtually and then asked to clean out their offices that they can only access with an escort and supervisor. Many have been informed that they cannot say good-bye to people they have hired and worked with for decades. Those at the organizations have been told that they cannot reach out to these leaders with whom they’ve done what many would consider combat duty.

What assumptions drive behaviors such as these? Perhaps: “we need to safeguard the organization from bad press;” “the individual will respond in anger and want to retaliate against us;” “since our perceptions of performance differ, we can’t trust this person and must act with control-power over.”

Here’s the challenging thinking part: I ask you: How do these very beliefs contribute to the manifestation of your own fear? In your efforts to protect, what cultural messages are being conveyed to your leadership team and the rest of the organization? It would seem this message is loud and clear: “If this is how our senior leaders are treated, then we are not safe and it’s each person for themselves!” No wonder people are resigning!

How might we lead differently so that we create the cultures we desire? The Inner Development Goals (IDG) suggest we cultivate the competency of Presence as part of Being: Relationship to Self:

Presence
“Ability to be in the here and now, without judgment and in a state of open-ended presence.”

Might we lead with safety for the organization AND safety for the individual? What would that look like? Perhaps we might see these behaviors:

• Validated behavioral assessments administered in the selection and hiring process that continues upon hire as part of a proactive development strategy
• Ongoing dialogue and mutual assessment around capacity and performance so there are no surprises
• Courageous conversations that are grounded in relevant and timely situations to assess and challenge thinking and the ability to adapt and grow
• Belief in the human being’s desire to serve and exploration around best fit—for them and the organization
• If parting is necessary, a co-created exit plan that provides safety for the organization while respecting this person who has sacrificed much of their life in service to their job
• A way to honor how they want to say good-bye to those with whom they’ve served

Behaviors like these require a different way of thinking. They require presence. If you’d like support for you and your leaders in how to sustainably shift individual and organizational mindsets so that you can be a place that attracts the type of leaders you most need, contact us.

That is our work—at SixSEED Partners and for our time.

“Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times.” This 34-minute film by the United Nations speaks to the urgent need for sustainable change in our world. As Peter Senge was speaking to a group attending a May 25th, 2022 Inner Development Goals gathering around the UN’s 7-year- old Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), I was saddened to hear Peter comment that those in the United States speak the least about these as compared with the rest of the world. As you read this, do you know what I’m speaking of? If not, why not?

Vinay Kumar and I will be continuing our work with the patient care and nursing leaders at an academic medical institution and we will be focusing on “the inner game.” Tying into the work of the IDG, we cannot hope to create sustainable change if we don’t first focus on changing ourselves. We can no longer afford to be pointing our fingers at others in blame: we must take radical responsibility and develop and evolve our thinking so that we can act in ways that honor each other, our families, our communities, our planet. As CEO of SixSEED Partners, I am proud to support this work and to work with colleagues who do the same.

You can read more about the IDG Framework at this link: https://tinyurl.com/bdzxshmx.

Thanks to the American Hospital Association for producing this video honoring healthcare workers: “America’s Healthcare Workers are Worth Fighting For.” Especially during National Hospital Week, SixSEED Partners wants to honor everyone who works in healthcare for their dedication and commitment to serve. Your dedication is evident in this heart-wrenching, yet common story from a Healthcare Leader:

“I don’t think I slept for the entire year of 2020. When Covid hit, my role required me to serve in our hospital’s command center. With a newborn at home, I would sleep by myself in the basement to avoid the risk of exposing the rest of my family to Covid, should I happen to be infected and not know it. To allow my partner to get their rest, I would sleep 2-3 hours and then get up to feed the baby before heading back to the command center.”

As I witnessed this leader summon the courage to allow himself to cry, I was also moved to tears, knowing this was just one story of many that were just like this. As this leader told his story, it was told with humility and a work ethic of loyalty and servant leadership. And the tears were the culmination of two years of “just doing his job.”

This year saw hospitals have to do something they’ve never had to do before: ration healthcare. During National Hospital Week, take a moment to thank your healthcare and hospital workers. More than thanks, commit to taking action to keep yourself healthy to avoid preventable diseases so that we ALL have access to quality healthcare.

Learn more about National Hosptial Week at https://www.aha.org/ahia/get-involved/national-hospital-week.