Husband & Father | Champion for Equity & Belonging | Transformational Leader | Health Care Futurist | Health Accessibility & Quality Advocate | Business Strategist | Community Leader | Mentor | Speaker | Board Member
In 2022, Erika Andersen wrote an insightful Harvard Business Review piece on #managingchange. "Unfortunately," she wrote, "people often get 'stuck' in their initial negative mindset about a change, and refuse (either quietly or overtly) to support it. And organizations and their #leaders aren’t very skilled at helping their people make that mindset shift." In January, Hutchinson Regional Healthcare System determined that the rate of patients who were leaving our #EmergencyDepartment without being seen was too high and had to change. Reasons were cultural and systemic. Our radiology vendor was taking hours to read scans. Our imaging equipment was outdated and unreliable. Our workflows were broken. We were inappropriately staffed. Our customer service was weak. Our board, medical staff, and administrative leaders pressed for change. We determined that a patient leaving our #ED without receiving care was a "never event," a failure in our commitment to our mission. We analyzed workflows and established a treatment room for acute illnesses. We approved additional staffing during our busiest hours. We chose a new radiology group to read our scans. We replaced a management contract with employed leadership. Those first months were very difficult. Our "Left Without Being Seen (LWBS) rate must be below 1% every month, we insisted. Documentation was to be completed on time. As CEO, I continued to apply pressure, especially toward our ED Medical Director, Dr. Bryan Henderson. "Kindness, compassion, empathy and respect are the floor moving forward," I emphasized. I was also tight about budgets, citing our ongoing financial losses. Dr. Henderson was trying to communicate that pushing for change so rapidly, so quickly, could lead to unintended consequences. "When we move too fast, we break things." In retrospect, I would have benefitted from reading Andersen's article sooner and taking a few notes from her playbook: 1. Increase understanding 2. Clarify and reinforce priorities 3. Give control 4. Give support A breakthrough happened when a wrapped gift showed up at my office door. I smiled when I opened it. In addition to being a great physician, Dr. Henderson is a talented woodworker. He had taken a piece of wood from a common bush and cut it into a triangle. On the front was our logo. On the sides were the words, "Fast," "Good," and "Cheap." On the back was the inscription "Perfection is the enemy of good." There was no note with the gift, but I immediately identified the giver. This block of wood plainly challenged me: "Which two of the three do you choose?" Would we be patient with cost as they improved quality and timeliness? Would we adjust our pace for improvement to remain within budget? Dr. Henderson was calling me to listen, to engage in the solution. He was right, and this was a brilliant example of #leadership. This wise gift will stay with me. Which two do you choose? What is your takeaway from this story?
Jessica Flax
1mo
In marketing we are called often to deliver “good and fast.” Two things happen when that’s the focus, it’s never cheap and there is a compromise of quality and creativity. I appreciate Dr. Henderson’s thoughtfulness to look at both the patient perspective and what is the reality of the ED team. They have done incredible work to meet the challenge of change and are a key piece to changing external reputation of our organization. 🙌🏻🙌🏻
John Norton
1mo
This is a great read! In my over 40 yrs of selling I have kinda used this same philosophy in talking with customers! I tell them that I am going to give them 3 Options and they can pick 2 1) Quality Products 2) On time delivery 3) Cheap They can have 2 of the 3 Service and Product Knowledge are worth a lot! The nice thing about my industry is that everyone is a potential customer…if they want CHEAP we aren’t for them! One question I would have for your Emergency Department is do you follow up after the visit?
Change is hard, and it can be seen as "scary!"-- our teams approach change through Kotter's Methodology which brings the team together vs top town, which builds consensus! https://www.kotterinc.com/methodology/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlsy5BhDeARIsABRc6ZsD5tm4SmTlOLTMCDod6SqblGwaFOdGRY5Yz1iiBL4lAg79sELYkEcaAuB7EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
Erika Andersen
1mo
Benjamin - so glad my article was helpful to you during this critical change, and I love how honestly you described what you went through. You might also enjoy Change From the Inside Out (the book the article was based on). Getting good at change is key to all of our success -
Denice Baldetti
1mo
Creativity knows no bounds! Thank you for this behind the scenes post. Dr. Bryan Henderson is a talented woodworker, and no doubt a very skilled, wise and insightful physician. I applaud his foresight to encourage with a visual challenge! His gift has clearly been an inspiration for you! My takeaway: I LOVE this creative example! The concept has inspired me to reach out in new ways, through my love of crafting and writing, to make a difference in the lives of others. I particularly have a fondness for elderly residents at the assisted living facility where my 90 year old mother resides. Using Dr. Henderson’s trifecta of inspiration, I plan to explore creative ways to spread kindness, compassion, and empathy to each resident . . . the reason for the season!
Sally Mildren
1mo
I love your humility to receive the lesson intended too - that built more bridges and progress than anything. Congrats - your leadership is an inspiration!
Jill White
1mo
I love this!! What a great visual to remind us that with every decision, every solution, there is a give and take and we must be intentional about what 2 sides of this triangle we focus on. We can't have it all, so where are we willing to give?
Patti McCue
1mo
Congratulations on your progress and outcomes!! Love Dr Henderson!! 🤗😘. Yes, sometimes you do have to slow down in order to speed up!!
The reminder to balance speed, quality, and cost is key, and the wisdom from Dr. Henderson is invaluable.
Husband & Father | Champion for Equity & Belonging | Transformational Leader | Health Care Futurist | Health Accessibility & Quality Advocate | Business Strategist | Community Leader | Mentor | Speaker | Board Member
1moAllen Keith Valerie Tom Anna Jill Lori Kimberly Jim Rob Bob Jessica https://hbr.org/2022/04/change-is-hard-heres-how-to-make-it-less-painful