IN THIS ISSUE:

The Leading Edge: Achieving “can-do” attitudes

Communication Corner: How to hold difficult conversations

News You Can Use: Results from a recent healthcare survey

Just for Fun: Humorous work phrases

“I Can Do That!”

How to Achieve a Can-Do Attitude

As a healthcare professional, you probably hear “don’t do this” and “I can’t do that” several times a day. Simply put, that kind of talk can drain your energy and give you—and everyone else around you—a negative outlook. Healthcare professionals need to move away from the “can’ts” and “don’ts” and make the fast track toward a can-do attitude. Below are three simple ways to do just that.

1. Look beyond the “can't” and explore the reason why. If you’re telling yourself that you can’t complete a certain task or reach a certain goal, you need to explore why that is. Is it because you’re afraid you may fail? Is it because you don’t know where to begin? By simply assessing the situation, you can discover what’s truly holding you back.

2. With the barrier in mind, focus on what you can do about it. Once you’ve identified what’s holding you back, you need to focus on how to get over it. For example, perhaps you’re telling yourself that you can’t get accustomed to your new shift at work. From following step #1, you know that the reason you’re thinking this is because you’re not a morning person. Now that you’ve identified this, you can focus on how to get over it. Perhaps you need to get more sleep or treat yourself to a cup of coffee or nice breakfast. Remember, small adjustments can make a big difference

3. Be open to trying a different approach. Perhaps you feel trapped by the way things are always done. Indeed, the monotony of certain tasks can make you feel that there is no other way. Break free from this mold by doing something out of the norm. Perhaps you could switch the order in which you do your daily tasks. Even taking a quick walk or calling a friend for a quick chat can help you relax and move on from negative, unproductive thoughts.

A negative, “can’t do” attitude is a mindset that can creep up on you. If you let it, it can ambush you, eat away at your confidence, and stifle your creativity and personal development. Steer clear from this type of thinking by making the above steps a part of your routine—and you’ll forget the word “can’t” ever existed.

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.”
—Robert Collier

How to Hold Difficult Conversations

Someone consistently dresses inappropriately and unprofessionally for work. An employee’s personal hygiene is often unacceptable. A manager often behaves flirtatiously with other employees. A co-worker uses vulgar language in front of a patient. Have you encountered any of these examples? They're just a few samples of the types of behavior that cry out for responsible feedback.

Whether you manage people, work in administration, or just care about your friends at work, chances are that one day you will need to hold a difficult conversation. The steps below will help you hold difficult conversations when people need professional feedback.

Establish a time and place. Even if you are the employee's boss, start by telling him/her that you have some feedback you'd like to share. Ask if it's a good time or if the employee would prefer to select another time and place (tell them the sooner, the better).

Give them a heads up. Don't dive right into the feedback—give the person a chance to brace for potentially embarrassing feedback. Tell the employee that you need to provide feedback that is difficult to share.

Don’t sell your co-workers down the river. Often, you are in the feedback role because other employees have complained to you about a habit or behavior. If this is the case, don’t name the employees who have complained (i.e., “John and Mary don’t like the way you dress.”) Doing this will only heighten the embarrassment and possibly cause the employee to hold a grudge against those co-workers.

Be straightforward and simple. Don't drag things out or beat around the bush. Start off by saying something like, “I am talking with you because this is an issue that you need to resolve if you want to be successful in this organization.”

Be positive. Tell the person that changing his or her behavior will have a positive impact. Also, be sure to explain how choosing to do nothing will negatively affect their job.

Reach an agreement. Set clear guidelines as to what the individual needs to do, and when it needs to happen.

Follow-up. Whether it’s tomorrow, next week, or next month, you need to follow up, and ensure that the person has corrected his/her behavior. If the person continues down the same path, more feedback and disciplinary action are possible next steps.

Executing the steps above can indeed be difficult, but remember, being able to effectively give feedback can make the difference between success and failure for a valued employee.

“We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.”
—Denis Diderot

The Public’s View on Healthcare & Medical Errors

A recent survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality captures the public’s views and knowledge of medical errors and their experiences with improving the quality of their care.

Below are some highlights of the survey.

• In 2006, the public is somewhat more likely to say they are dissatisfied (51%) than satisfied (44%) with the overall quality of healthcare in this country.

• Most people say that coordination among the different health professionals they see is at least a minor problem, though there has been a slight decrease in reports of such problems between 2004 and 2006.

• Six in ten (60%) say that coordination among all of their different health professionals is a problem, including just over a quarter (26%) who say that it is a “major” problem. Many people also report specific problems with coordination of care, including having to wait longer for test results than they thought appropriate (48%), seeing a healthcare professional who did not have all of their medical information (42%), having to wait for a health professional or make another appointment because they did not have the appropriate medical information (24%), and being sent for duplicate medical tests (19%).

• The vast majority say that physicians should be required to tell their patients if a preventable medical error is made in their care. The vast majority also says that reporting of medical errors should be required and most say that this information should be released to the public.

• Nearly nine in ten (87%) say that physicians should be required to tell patients if a preventable medical error resulting in serious harm is made in their care.

• Similarly, nearly nine in ten (87%) say that reporting of serious medical errors should be required, while one in ten (9%) disagree and say that reporting serious medical errors should be voluntary.

• Nearly two in three (63%) say that if medical errors are reported, hospitals should release this information to the public, while about three in ten (29%) disagree and say that information on medical errors should be confidential and only used to learn how to prevent future mistakes.

“In absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily acts of trivia.”
—Author Unknown

Great Phrases to Use at Work

Below are some comical twists on some common phrases.

• If you don’t know what it is, call it an “issue.”

• If you don’t know how it works, call it a “process.”

• If you don’t know whether it’s worth doing, call it an “option”

• If you don’t know how it could possibly be done, call it a “challenge” or an “exciting opportunity.”

• If you don’t know how to do something, “empower”’ someone else to do it for you.

• Never criticize or boast, call it ‘information sharing.”

• Never call something a failure or mistake, it’s a “positive learning experience.”

• Never argue, have an “adult conversation.”