David Ross does not like the idea that employees would be afraid to see him walk into a room at Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital.
“The worst thing that can happen is we have a relationship or a culture here where every time the president comes around, something must be wrong,” says the president of the $260 million hospital. “‘Uh-oh, here come Dave Ross; that’s not good.’ I want them to think the exact opposite. I want them to think, ‘Dave is here; I have a question or a comment for him.’ The only way you can do that is through consistent, ongoing devotion to making rounds and trying to interact with your staff. I’m trying to make them feel like I’m just another staff member who happens to have the title of president.”
With just under 1,000 employees at the hospital, it would be nearly impossible for Ross to develop relationships with each and every one of his people. But the opportunity to interact with at least some of the people who work for you can pay great dividends.
“I went down to ICU, and I spent about a half-hour there, and I found out the nurses were very frustrated because the computer system, the electronic medical record system, was not working as well as it should or as quickly as it should,” Ross says.
“They were very frustrated by that. It’s just much more compelling when you witness it face to face as opposed to getting an e-mail or hearing it from a third party. If you can see something firsthand, it’s going to resonate more strongly.”
Ross got the message that there was a problem, called his IT department, and the problem was resolved.
“Hopefully, the nurses in ICU have the belief that I do care and I try to follow through and help them out whenever possible,” Ross says.
By making regular visits to other parts of the hospital, Ross is able to stay in touch with what is happening at a more personal level. He is also able to work more closely with his employees to build a stronger team that can follow through on fulfilling the hospital’s mission, vision and values.
