Becker's Hospital Review

72 THOUGHT LEADERSHIP of things about the work environment. A university president and the mayor of Pittsburgh have been fea- tured, though no healthcare executives so far. However, many healthcare CEOs not in disguise are "managing by wandering round." One of them is Chris Van Gorder, CEO of Scripps Health in San Diego. In his book, e Front-Line Leader: Building a High-Performance Organization from the Ground Up, he recalls that when he was working as a hospital security guard decades ago, he learned the impor- tance of reaching out to your employees — through a negative example. Back then, he was in the basement of the hospital late at night, when suddenly the CEO appeared be- fore him. "He walked right by," Van Gorder recalled in an interview with Becker's Hospital Review last year. "I didn't think it was going to be a long conver- sation, but I thought at least he'd acknowledge me or shake my hand." Now, when Van Gorder walks the hospital halls, he makes a point of having meaningful conversa- tions. He looks employees straight in the eye and asks questions like, "What do you like?," "What don't you like?" and "Do you like working at this hospital?" If you're interested in wandering around your institution — or simply holding planned meetings with employees — I've put together some tips on how you might go about it: 1. Be personal. Talk to people individually, wheth- er they are physicians, nurses, housekeepers or even patients. Patients can tell you a lot about employee morale and whether the organization is functioning properly. Choose the people you want to speak with rather than having your people choose them. A Po- temkin Village assembled for you isn't going to help you get a true glimpse of the environment in your organization. 2. Meet in groups, too. In addition to one-on- one meetings, meet with groups of nurses and ask how they feel about their jobs, hours and supervisors. Answer questions as openly an honestly as you can. is will go a long way toward building trust. 3. Try visiting on off-hours. You might want to occasionally visit your hospital late at night so you can see firsthand how it functions then. Try to get around to as many different parts of your operations as possible. Don't return to the same places every time. 4. Treat people with respect. If you show them you care, they will respond more readily to your questions. A conversation over breakfast and over a cup of coffee is a good way to get confidential. Keep eye contact at all times. Don't be clever and try to smile your way through the interviews, so you don't offend anyone! You won't learn anything meaningful that way. 5. Have a real conversation. Ask everyone how they see the mission of the hospital. One question to always ask is whether people feel comfortable about their jobs. Is it getting too difficult? Are the hours getting too long? Do people see how they fit into the big picture? 6. Look professional. Formal clothing shows respect, even if everyone around you is dressed more casually. Always present yourself as a person willing to listen. Be open and sincere, keep your comments brief and don't interrupt. 7. Give your undivided attention. Don't sit there and take notes, because people will think every word will go into their personnel file. Turn it into a personal discussion about work, and keep an open mind. Remember, listening is the most powerful tool we have. Use it liberally! 8. Follow up on your conversations. If you couldn't answer an employee's question, get back to them later. Send everyone you've talked to a hand- written note telling them how much you appreciated the time they took to talk to you. 9. Review what everyone said. Pull your man- agement team together and go over the interviews you had. Tell them everything you learned — the good, the bad and the surprising. Some suggested changes in the organization may seem warranted, while others might not be necessary. If you do all these things, the morale in your institu- tion will rise and it will move on to greater things. It all starts with taking the time to listen. n

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