Identify and develop communicators. You do have to try to identify people who have the potential to be good communicators, even if it is not well-developed potential initially. But we do recruit and recently did recruit the head of our children’s program. One of the key things we were looking for was vision and communication skills. That can be enhanced and fostered in someone in a variety of ways. You can send someone off to courses and stuff like that, and that is of some value. But I think setting an example and establishing communication as an important accomplishment, then monitoring their progress, that is what you need to do. Someone coming into this organization should see that there is a high level of communication and be a part of that, then gradually assume more and more of that responsibility.
When it comes to finding people with communication potential, there are two factors at work. First, it is what they have accomplished thus far and what you can glean from letters of recommendation. If you look at someone and you see that they have moved up the leadership ladder, that they have been asked to assume leadership roles and responsibilities, that generally would indicate that they have pretty good communication skills. You don’t get there without good communication skills.
Second, it’s the interview process itself. We ask our applicants to give presentations, to study our organization and give a fairly lengthy presentation on what they see for the future, what they would establish as priorities and goals and where they would take the organization. That is then open for discussion afterward. It is an elaborate process to determine if that individual really has that communication ability.
Bring people together. Direct communication is what I’ve found to be the most effective. Newsletters are great, people look at them, but they may or may not take the time to read or think about it. Getting a group together and giving them an update on what is happening in an institution, but even more important than that, getting them to ask questions and get engaged in the discussion, that is the best method.
We have team meetings on a regular basis. We have senior team meetings twice a month, and we have employee forums quarterly. We have an internal journal newsletter we send around on a quarterly basis. We have a lot of functioning groups that meet as often as necessary in every department. For the physicians who work here and senior staff, we have lunch together every day. That is extremely valuable, a lot of important communication occurs there.
We place an emphasis on team building. As an example, I am part of a team that takes care of patients with bleeding disorders. The reason they have orthopedic problems is they bleed into their joints and have terrible arthritis starting in childhood. The only way people can make progress in a disease of that magnitude is with a team, and that team has to be a very broad team of hematologists, orthopedic surgeons, nurses, physical therapists, social workers, clerical staff and so forth.
How to reach: Orthopaedic Hospital, (213) 742-1000 or www.orthohospital.org
