Healthcare leaders can motivate staff through the use of stories, according to a Fox Business column.
Stories are effective because they stick in people's memories, writes Michael Stallard, primary author of "Fired Up or Burned Out: How to Reignite Your Team's Passion, Creativity and Productivity," and a leadership and employee engagement workshop instructor. Stallard offers three tips on how to use stories to "enthuse, engage and energize" employees.
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Tell stories that tie in people and your organization's vision
Putting a human face on your organization, Stallard says, keeps the vision in clear focus. He cites videos of patient stories on New York-Presbyterian Hospital's website as a great example. "The stories you'll see don't always have happy endings," he writes, "but they are very effective at communicating the importance of their work." -
Use stories to convey your leadership values
For example, Stallard says, while talking with leaders from New York-Presbyterian, he found many of them were familiar with a story about then-CEO Herb Pardes, M.D. As a child, Pardes spent several months in the hospital with Perthes disease, and described the unfriendly atmosphere and limits placed on the time he could spend with family members. As a result, he said Pardes made sure New York-Presbyterian employees understood his desire to provide healthcare with a personal, human touch. -
Live up to the values you promote
Effective leadership involves reinforcing your values by walking the walk, Stallard writes. Pardes, for example, did not just tell his employees about the importance of connecting with patients. He also regularly made bedside visits to patients and family members. In addition, he worked to foster a culture where other New York-Presbyterian workers formed similar connections, urging them to take steps like learning the names of patients and their family members. These strategies, Stallard writes, helped New York-Presbyterian achieve recognition as one of the nation's top hospitals for both patient care and consistent profitability during Pardes' tenure.
To learn more:
- read Stallard's column
- check out New York-Presbyterian's patient stories