Tune in now to the latest Moments Move Us episode with Rhonda Brandon, SVP and Chief Human Resources Officer at Duke University Health System 🎧
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Rise & Lead with Rhonda Brandon
Steve Long is the President and CEO of Hancock Regional Hospital, where he has helped develop a unique culture of inspired and engaged employees. Before taking over at Hancock, he served for 20 years in various healthcare leadership roles across the country.
The motto at Hancock Hospital is, “What a blessing it is to work in a place where we love people for a living.” This motto, coupled with their goal to be nationally recognized for kindness, has created a special culture of caring; A culture that is so tangible, you can actually feel the difference as you walk through the doors.
Nikki’s conversation with Steve focuses on creating a mission employees want to follow. Steve is a strong believer in creating and living by a core mission statement, in both your organization and in your personal life. To find your personal mission, ask yourself: what kind of legacy do you want to leave?
Steve Long: “This is why we hire for just the right kind of folks, because it comes from that intrinsic sense of ownership, that intrinsic sense that I have a part to play here. So we make sure that we hire for that. Again, it gets down to the attitude. It’s the difference between a person that sees a piece of trash in the corner of a room or on the edge of a hallway and walks by it and says, ‘Well, I sure hope that the person whose job is to pick it up, comes and picks that up.’ Then compared to a person who says, ‘Wow, I really don’t want our place to look like it’s not clean, so I’m going to stop and pick it up and throw it away.’ That’s the difference, and that’s what we look for as we hire people — the ones that are going to reach down, pick it up, and throw it away.”
Steve Long: “We look at our goals and our objectives. We program ourselves to look at outcomes. For example, have we seen a measurable improvement in patient safety? Have we seen an improvement in patient experience scores? And it’s not about did I walk through the unit four times in the last week? That’s an activity. What we actually measure and what we hold ourselves accountable for are the outcomes, and we do that because we have built an incentive plan that is actually organization-wide. We have both organization-wide incentive plans, and we have department-level incentive plans, and they’re also based on these outcomes.”
Steve Long: “I was building a house, and as I was framing it up, my boss, who was a physician, a very busy leader in academic medicine, came over to my place on a Saturday and he spent half a day cutting boards for my house. I was so impressed that he cared enough about me, that he would take time out of his very, very busy schedule on a weekend to come and help me work on my house. Because he did that and he showed that he cared about me, my loyalty to him and my desire to do the things that we needed to do as an organization, really were a result of his investment in me.”
If you liked this podcast, listen to Dennis Murphy’s podcast episode on Uniting Culture With a Higher Purpose.
In collaboration with Wambi, the Gut + Science Podcast Healthcare Series hosted by Nikki Lewellen, Director of Partnerships at Wambi, highlights accomplished, people-first healthcare CEOs (and executives) that share their powerful mindsets, experiences and tools that have helped them succeed. The show encompasses all areas of human capital at work and the successful best practices that breed healthy, engaged organizations.
Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages” philosophy introduced a simple idea that growing relationships with one another starts with a foundation of understanding. Indeed, a large part of building community rests on showing love and celebrating togetherness. Similar to the love shared between two people in a committed relationship, at the heart of the Wambi platform is the sincere intention to give, and receive, love that has the power to transform. Whether it’s colleagues sharing their appreciation for one another, or patients and their families singing the praise of care providers who showed up in a time of need, the five love languages established by Dr. Chapman have all found their place in the Wambi community. Find out how Wambi is developing positive relationships and strengthening healthcare environments through the lens of the five love languages.
Words of affirmation harness the power of language to encourage, affirm, and/or provide empathy. An easy way to express yourself is by sending a Carepostcard today to healthcare workers who made a difference in your life! Uplifting messages and reviews received from patients through Wambi are so impactful that hospitals find Wambi is an early predictor of improvement in HCAHPS scores. Read our latest UCH case study to learn more.
Acts of Service is a love language centered around partnership and the provision of care. Integral to the work of healthcare professionals is this notion of service above self. We acknowledge that there are so many unseen moments of care, that part of what Wambi does is capture as many of these meaningful moments to boost morale and engagement among healthcare workers. These positive interactions are so fundamental to strengthening culture that our organization coined the mantra, “Moments move us,” as a reminder of our purpose.
Gift giving is a love language that is often misunderstood for its materialism. However, the essence of this love language leans on thoughtfulness and purposefulness. Some of the ways Wambi enables thoughtfulness is through Awards and Carepostcards . Our users are surprised and delighted by the positive feedback and accolades they accrue. And Wambi also loves celebrating its community by gifting our friends with free resources such as an editable gratitude workbook, zoom backgrounds, and desktop calendars.
More reading: Want to thank that special healthcare worker in your life? Check out this curated gift guide to express your gratitude in a tangible way.
Quality time is one of the most important love languages because it focuses on prioritization and uninterrupted one-on-one time. Since the pandemic, quality time in healthcare settings has increased because healthcare interactions have shifted to one-on-one interactions between patient and staff member. When patients take the time to send heartfelt gratitude to their care providers, they are helping to spotlight the significance of their care experience using their valuable time and energy.
In lieu of the love language of “physical touch” as dictated by Dr. Chapman, we focus on the power of virtual connection in these difficult times when COVID-19 safety requires healthcare workers pivot to contactless ways to demonstrate their care. Making more intentional eye contact with patients, taking extra care to gently dress wounds, or helping to keep a patient’s space clean are small but powerful non-verbal gestures that leave a strong impression on those who are looking to stay as safe and as comfortable as they can be during their time in a clinical environment.
A thriving culture starts with Wambi. Wambi can help you create a healthier work environment by delivering real-time feedback from patients and other team members that recognizes, rewards, and motivates optimal care. Click here to learn more!
Let’s get together, yeah, yeah, yeah! This month at Wambi, we are focusing on celebrating our healthcare communities. Building and cultivating community in the workplace during a pandemic requires thoughtful planning. But extra effort doesn’t mean a heavier lift—it’s an opportunity to connect in meaningful ways despite being physically distant from one another, or even on opposite shifts. We listened to our partners at various hospitals around the USA talk about the critical need for genuine connection and from that need, put together a list of fun, playful ideas to connect virtually with your team members. You can use these ideas one-off for “after hours” socializing or as themes for weekly watercoolers. Or, go big and design a fully virtual online retreat using a number of these events in your agenda.
All you need is decent wifi and a preferred video conferencing platform with screensharing like Zoom, Google Meets, or Microsoft Teams. Now, here are 10 meaningful ways to connect virtually with your colleagues!
Open mic fans rejoice! Find out who has talent in this karaoke-off. Before your karaoke night, designate an emcee who will collect the names of the songs each person volunteers to sing. You can create a themed karaoke night (eg. movie theme songs, 80s pop, summer hits) or have everyone go with their tried-and-true favorites. If you are singing a song, queue it up on your phone by finding the song on Youtube using the search query: “Song Name + Singer/Band + Karaoke”. See this video for reference. Now make sure your audio is on its highest volume so your colleagues can hear the background music. Do not screenshare the lyrics as it creates an audio lag.
Tip: You can track these songs via a google spreadsheet that you can share collaboratively with your team.
Book or film clubs are a great way to bring together the cultural mavens on your teams for a routine meeting. Whether you’re hosting a book club or film club, the formula is simple: agree on a book or film and have everyone in the club read or watch the film of choice by a specific date. If you are hosting a book club, give a 2-week runway for all members to order their book or borrow it from their local libraries. For those hosting a film club, make sure the chosen film is on platforms that your group can access (eg. Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, ). You can find discussion questions online for most films and books, but feel free to have an informal discussion.
Tip: Utilizing the polls feature on Zoom is also a great way to drive engagement in book and film clubs!
Food is one of the surefire ways to bring people together. If you’re missing those lunchbreaks or happy hours with colleagues, try your hand at learning new recipes together. Cooking sessions can be very informal by choosing an easy recipe to all create through Bon Appetit’s Basically resources. Or you can pay for a private class through hospitality services-turned-culinary purveyors like Airbnb Food & Drink Experiences, Online Cooking Classes with Culture Trip, and Traveling Spoon. The perks of a formal experience is that you will have either have a teacher sharing a recipe from an overseas location, or even a professional chef leading the efforts. You can find even more cooking classes at your local city’s Center for Adult Education.
Tip: Make sure you choose a budget-friendly recipe with easy-to-find ingredients.
A number of games have transitioned into the virtual space including cult classics like Taboo and CodeNames that you can play for free. For those looking for a test of wits, try the Player vs. Player Classic mode for any of Kahoot’s free learning-based games or Geoguessr, where you guess the location of different photos using Google’s satellite feature on maps. If you and your team members like Pictionary, try this copycat game Skribbler.io that lets you draw color pictures in real-time. If you have a little bit of a budget, invest in The Jackbox Party Pack on Steam ($25), a bundle of multiplayer games that let you connect virtually.
Tip: Make sure your phone is fully charged since a few of the games use your phone as a remote control.
Experience the world’s most celebrated masterpieces from the comfort of our own home. As a group, check into a stream together and give commentary on different pieces of art. Have fun with it and try to find different art pieces that speak to you individually so you can learn something new about a colleague’s artistic preferences as you connect virtually.
Tip: You can even take virtual tours of national parks around the USA.
With the added barriers of masks, shields, and enhanced safety practices, getting to know new team members can prove tricky. Introducing cultural practices into online get–togethers is an innovative way to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion, while connecting on a personal level. Bringing cultural traditions into your workplace can range from a craft day to mealtime togetherness. You can do a Kitsugi home improvement workshop, repairing broken bowls with imitation gold through the Japanese art form of Kitsugi. For birthdays, instead of having cake, spoil celebrants with a bowl of longevity noodles, a Chinese birthday tradition. At Wambi, we have adopted the Swedish practice of Fika, a social coffee break where we leave work behind and have more personal, intimate conversations. The fun rule of Fika is coffee (or tea) and a pastry are highly recommended to accompany the good conservations.
Tip: Here are even more resources to learn about various cultural traditions around the world.
Personality tests are not only a great way to get to know your colleagues but also to build self-awareness and become a better team player. Completing personality tests as a team strengthens culture as it allows you to identify strengths and way to better yourself in areas of communication, work management, behavior, and collaboration. Here are some of our favorite tests, including the one we use in-house:
Gentle Reminder: Use these assessments to bring your team together and not to pigeonhole or form misconceptions of others.
Healthcare workers are living up to more rigorous expectations than ever right now, and with vacations out of the question there’s little room for escape. Using the Google Maps free tool with its real-time location sharing, invite your team members to embark on a mental escape by sharing their personal stories through pictures. Determine a storytelling topic, for example, “Where I Was Born, A Memorable Vacation, or An Unforgettable Meal” and invite colleagues as collaborators on the map. They can answer the prompt by “pinning” their locations on the map and attaching a photo(s). When everyone has answered the question sufficiently, take turns telling 2-minute stories of the provided topic as a meaningful way to connect virtually.
Tip: The photos you attach to the map will be public unless you set your map to ‘Private’ and viewable only by collaborators.
There’s nothing like a heart-pumping activity to release stress and build resilience! But we all know that sometimes, we need some accountability when it comes to exercise. Schedule a private workout class for you and your teammates. Youtube is a great resource for free fitness classes. For those looking for a 15-minute meditative stretch to help with mobility and relaxation, try Mady Morrison’s video. For a more intense full body workout without equipment, try a 10-minute or 15-minute HiiT workout by Chloe Ting. And if you’re ready to invest some time to cardio, here’s a 30-minute workout by PopSugar fitness with both modified and advanced workouts. Wambi has invited Zumba instructor Dean Seda to lead workout classes for our organization. Contact him on Instagram for private classes or join his weekly Zoom classes on Tuesday and Thursday night at 6PM EST.
Tip: You will need a yoga mat for all these workouts as there are standing and mat exercises.
Wambi’s real-time recognition and cultural transformation solution takes the work out of connecting with your team! Just encourage your team to login daily to view patient recognition, join in celebrations, lift up their colleagues, receive awards, and even compete in fun challenges.
Tip: Learn more by requesting a quick demo here.
Group journaling is a great activity for virtual hangouts and we have just the thing for you. Our Gratitude Workbook features mindfulness prompts to help guide your practice of daily gratitude. This collection of bite-sized exercises is fully editable so share out the resource with your team members and choose a journal prompt to do collectively as a team. At the end of each exercise, encourage everyone to share their answers to foster connectedness. Download it for free today!
Written by Dr. Bonnie Clipper, DNP, MA, MBA, RN, CENP, FACHE, Chief Clinical Officer at Wambi
Shaping culture and outcomes in healthcare takes time and effort–there is no shortcut! Organizational change comes from strategy that involves everything from patient experience and staff engagement to offering meaningful recognition and building resilience in your teams. However, a 43-bed surgical unit in a Magnet-designated, acute care hospital discovered a novel approach to make this an easier feat: using the Wambi platform.
Upper Chesapeake Medical Center obtains real-time recognition and feedback from patients and their families through Wambi to gather insightful patient experience data prior to the HCAHPS surveys. This allows leaders to share timely recognition with their team members as well as identify and address opportunities for improvement in the moment. This creates a dual cultural shift.
Since data is harvested in real-time from patients and their families, UCH leaders can monitor trends and immediately facilitate the behavior changes needed to turn a downward data trend in the right direction. This type of visibility and chance at course correction is a powerful new opportunity for strong performance on the HCAHPS survey, while also helping to shape culture.
A patient shared this message in Wambi about a member of the UCH care staff:
“I listened as he talked to my roommate who is very confused. He calmed her down and treated her as if she were his own mother. Truly a fine young man who does a great job.”
This comment was instantly viewed by UCH leadership and was immediately shared with the staff member as acknowledgement of a job well done. Comments like these can provide clues to leaders as to whether care and service are on track. Plus, when positive comments are shared with the team members who provided the care, it is a big morale boost. “It makes us feel really good and puts some pep in our step,” said one team member. This is where the second shift is felt as the organization moves from a culture of pointing out what’s wrong, after-the-fact, to celebrating what’s exceptional, in-the-moment.
Sharing patient gratitude directly with care providers provides positive reinforcement of their good behavior; doing so regularly creates a positive feedback loop that can have a dramatic impact on the patient experience. At UCH, patient comments such as “she went out of her way to explain things to me and my wife,” or “He took his time with me and was very attentive” are regularly captured in Wambi and shared by leaders with their care teams.
For Upper Chesapeake, HCAHPS domains such “Communication with Nurses” and “Responsiveness of Staff” went up by 12.3% and 26.5% respectively and team members reported feeling more valued in their work.
These findings establish the predictive power of real-time patient feedback on the overall human experience in healthcare.