BUILDING AN “A” TEAM AND DRIVING RESULTS!!!

I want to share some of what I’ve learned from my healthcare leadership experience that has helped propel me to build a solid team and leverage each team member’s strengths.  Early on in my career, I would treat every member of my team…the same.  Just get the work done no matter the cost. While that may work temporarily, it doesn’t drive employee engagement, loyalty, and quality work. Building an “A” Team and driving results doesn’t come without focused effort, time, and investment. Focusing your efforts to select the right team members, knowing your team’s skillset, stabilizing the company culture, and selecting the right mentor are key to driving outcomes.  

SELECT THE RIGHT TEAM MEMBERS: As a leader, I’ve studied effective leadership under Steven Covey’s 7 habits of highly effective people, Good to Great by Jim Collins, Atomic Habits by James Clear, Baldrige Foundation The Baldrige Excellence Framework, and many others.  No matter what you read, it always comes down to ensuring you have the right team members on the bus and adjusting your leadership style to leverage the best out of each team member.   Some team members need more time and some guidance while others need to work on their own with a feedback loop later after diving into a project.    

KNOW YOUR TEAM’S SKILLSET: While working with management over the last few decades, I have witnessed leaders viewing their employees’ skill set for the position they were hired for instead of the skill set they developed over a career.  Leaders feel more comfortable assigning team members to projects based on the skills utilized in an employee’s current job role. Management may look to consultants and even create new positions because they feel their current team doesn’t have the talent. Sometimes, it’s the management team’s inability to properly assess their own team’s skill set. After an employee is hired, leaders rarely review accomplishments from previous positions, past experience, and education.    

STABLE COMPANY CULTURE COUNTS: How can any leader leverage their team’s talents when they have little time to do so and rotate leadership through a revolving door? If employees are moved from one manager to another, how can you effectively coach and leverage the talents from any team member? Building a stable culture and consistent team are critical to create an infrastructure that is set up for success supporting the frontline. I spent 3 ½ years at a previous company in which I had 7 supervisors. Yes, a lot of turnover, instability, and constant reorganization. Building an effective team takes time, investment, and understanding of the expertise each member has to offer. Terms like change management are utilized during reorganizations without the understanding that multiple changes in a short period is a killer of company culture.  

MENTORSHIP IS CRITICAL: Some of the best training I received was from AltaMed Health Services, one of the largest community health centers in the country. I’m thankful for that. Thank you Castulo de la Rocha and Zoila D Escobar! During my years at AltaMed, I received significant training from the Studer Group, CAPE & Baldrige Examiners, and learned how to assess and coach employees following the framework from “FYI…For Your Improvement…A guide for Development and Coaching by Michael Lombardo”. Invest in your development and utilize great leaders as mentors. Not all leaders are great mentors so be careful of that. 

In closing, get to know your team and ensure you have the right team members. Tailor your approach leveraging each individual’s skillset to drive results.  Coaching conversations should occur often.  Constant turnover and reorganization is a killer of culture. Lastly, work with a mentor that you respect and will support your professional growth.  

NOW…..GROW YOUR AMAZING TEAM THAT WILL DELIVER RESULTS!

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON HOW I CAN HELP GROW YOUR HEALTHCARE ORGANIZATION, CONTACT ME AT [email protected]

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