Value your employees
As the leader of your company, one of your jobs is to continually make sure that the puzzle pieces of your organization fit together. You do that by showing people in every area and department of your organization how their daily tasks help the organization meet its overarching goals and mission.
At RMC Bayonet Point, showing employees that they matter means showing them how their work improves the experience of the patients who are seeking treatment at the facility.
Arming employees with that knowledge can mean the difference between an adequate customer experience and a great experience that makes customers loyal to your service, product or brand.
“When people come to our organization, they expect us to help them get well,” Rector says. “So if we do everything perfect and help them get well, we’ve met their expectations. But how do we exceed their expectations? It’s typically those small things around the periphery of their care. Did we notice that someone was cold and, without asking them, went and got a blanket? Did we set up someone’s dinner tray the right way? Did we help them prepare their food the way they want it? Do we offer a simple smile and introduction to a patient when we walk into a room? Those little things turn a hospital stay from a clinical success, which is a good stay, to an exceptional stay. We need to focus on those little things.”
Focusing on those little things comes back to the principles of good communication and reinforcing the foundational building blocks of the culture. That means relying on good top to bottom communication that maintains a strong signal from your desk all the way to the bottom of the organizational ladder.
If making your mission personal helps to engage the employees who interact with your customers, your managers and directors need a way to make their jobs personal, as well.
“We want all of our director-level people to become CEOs in a sense,” Rector says. “Each of our directors have big business units with lots of employees. If our units were separate businesses, they’d still be among the largest in the community. So we ask them to become CEOs. I always ask them what they would do differently if their income was dependent on what was left over at the end of the day, then take that view as an entrepreneur. ‘What would you do, how would you retain customers, how do you measure their satisfaction, and what might you do differently the next time?’
“It’s not as hard to do if you have engaged management that is able to move ideas across an organization and facilitate communication with employees. That ability to communicate, facilitate and share best practices is really the mark of a great leadership team.”
How to reach: Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, (727) 819-2929 or www.rmchealth.com
