Story 3: Culture Isn’t a Buzzword

by Kate Dunn | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog

The hospital was a little better than the emergency room, but not much. My mom saw a steady stream of doctors, starting with the kidney specialist who was working on her sodium levels.

Because she had gotten an MRI and CT scan through the ER, she had visits from the doctors associated with all of the places the cancer had spread. By this time, Mom had perfected her death with dignity speech, so these visits were like stops at a drive-in fast-food window. No more than 3 minutes for each one. She would try to tell her story of how healthy she had always been and her decline since the cough started, but they were all in a hurry. Especially the hospitalist who was in charge of her case. His visits could be measured in seconds. When Mom asked a question, the look on his face was annoyance. The last time we saw him, she asked him a question, and he said, I don’t have time; I’ll get the nurse. Mom was trying to explain what she thought was an adverse reaction to one of the drugs they prescribed. I know these doctors are busy, but at least pretend to be interested.

The Oncologist reiterated that she had three to six months to live. He stayed the longest. He seemed like a nice guy who couldn’t bring himself to cut her off. The others didn’t have that problem. She would say that she elected not to treat anything and they would say ok and leave. My mom was sure she didn’t want to be sick from chemo, but what was dying with cancer going to be like? No one talked about what would happen without treatment of any kind.

She had cancer spots on her brain, and I literally chased the Neurologist out into the hall after one of the drive-bys to find out what to expect. She said the spots were small, and she didn’t expect them to have any cognitive impairment in the time she had left. A bit of good news.

We also faced specialization and staffing issues on the floor. She never had the same nurse or nursing assistant across the three days. I’m sure there is a good reason for scheduling this way, but it doesn’t make a good patient experience. Nurses couldn’t help with the restroom, and nursing assistants couldn’t help with the pain. It wasn’t the right person to ask for anything she asked for.  They all left to “let someone know.”  I’m pretty sure they don’t tell anyone; they figure the right person will eventually end up in the room.

My mom was a fall risk, so she was supposed to wait for help to the restroom, but my sister and I started to take her because of the wait times. No one seemed to care. One less thing for them to do. I wondered about the liability briefly, but seeing my mom uncomfortable wasn’t an option for us.

There was always a crowd at the nurse’s station looking at computer screens or joking with each other. You could see them visibly sigh when you interrupted them to ask for something. Some, and that may be an exaggeration, would respond to you. Others barely looked up from their computer screens and said, “They would get someone.”

The entire staff seemed disengaged, and no one cared about how this appeared to the patients. To add to the irony, the hospital was in the middle of an engagement-themed campaign, something to do with being a HERO. I knew about it because the computer screen in the room timed out the campaign messaging. The last thing that would come to mind from this experience was the word hero. It was just blah.

The one highlight was the palliative care and hospice teams. They were the opposite. They were very engaged and caring. They provided good information, answered their phones, and returned calls quickly. Since my mom didn’t want to treat her cancer, Palliative care took over her case and was focused on keeping her comfortable.

Lesson: Culture matters.

A few years back, one of my daughters was sick, and we went to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. EVERYONE was engaged, from the security guard to the cafeteria checkout person. We were scared, but we knew we were in good hands. When you have confidence in the people caring for you, it trumps everything else. I don’t remember that much about the facilities at Sloan Kettering. It must have looked like every other hospital I’ve been in, but I remember the doctors, the nurses, the lab technicians, the security guard, and the cafeteria check-out person. They all seemed to know they had an important role to play in caring for patients and families during a very terrifying time in their lives.

If you or anyone you love has cancer, find out how to be seen by the teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

My Mom’s experience was not like the one we had at Sloan Kettering’s. Almost everyone—save Calvin and the Palliative and Hospice teams—appeared to me more focused on their workload than patient care.

Your teams have jobs, but do they understand their role in helping their customers accomplish their objectives? Would they say they run a press or help small businesses find customers? Would they say they are in customer service, or do they help nonprofits find and keep donors? Do you sell e-discovery services to law firms or help law firms successfully defend their clients? Do you pack up paychecks or help businesses ensure their employees have money to buy milk and diapers for their families?

Culture develops from a shared mission, processes that support the mission, and employees that honor the mission. Culture continues because you constantly inspect how your culture makes your customers and employees feel. If your culture doesn’t deliver to customers or employees what you promised them, it’s broken.

Understanding what your customer’s world looks like and feels like is how you build a culture that delivers on a promise to improve their situations. People at the hospital took vitals, gave medication, charted, and cleaned, but did any of them think about how those things were part of a bigger picture of my mom preparing to die? Maybe they did once, but they didn’t seem to now.

No one at the hospital was going to make my mom well, but their mission statement says they want to improve the health and well-being of their communities and bring good help to those in need. I think they should define “good help.” If they define it as performing duties, then they accomplished their objective. If they meant providing compassionate care, they fell short.

What’s your mission? How do your customers feel when they interact with your business? Is it transactional, as in they wanted to buy something and they did – or do they feel you are invested in their success?

Doing things right is about following rules, policies, procedures, and norms. Doing the right things is about aligning your objectives and values with those of your customers while you do your jobs.  When the two philosophies align, there’s no issue. But when they don’t, your customers are probably getting the short end of the stick.

Story # 2: Unhappy Employees and Broken Systems

by Kate Dunn | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog

Local Hospital Emergency Room:

My mom was staying with me, and her legs just gave out. We decided to head to the Emergency Room of a local hospital and ensure she hadn’t injured something in the fall. Within a few minutes in the ER, she was diagnosed with low sodium levels, and they decided to admit her. After 5 or 6 hours, I sought someone to get an ETA on the room. I was told there were plenty of rooms but insufficient staff on the floor to accommodate another patient. I asked how long it could take and was told that the worst case was a couple of days.  I can certainly understand capacity issues, but two days in the emergency room? She was taken to her room after 4:00 AM –  15 hours after arrival.

As a professional problem solver, I find it hard to believe that there is no other available option than having an 86-year-old woman on a gurney in the emergency room for 15 hours.

To make matters worse, no attempt was made to make the ER simulate a patient room. No food, water, additional blankets, or pillows were offered to make my mom more comfortable. I had to interrupt the staff at the nurse’s station to ask for some water and an extra pillow. I was wrapped up in my coat because it was freezing there, and I sat in a chair resembling my elementary school’s cafeteria chairs for 15 hours. It was miserable. No one apologized, updated us on the progress of a room, or acknowledged that we were not having an ideal experience.

While there, we interacted with a steady stream of technicians, nurses, and doctors. If I had to describe the overall feeling, I would say “disengaged.” Everyone was doing their job, but they weren’t happy about it. You could hear them talking and joking with each other at the nurse’s station, but once in the room with my mom, they did their work only. I even tried pointing out that my mom had been a nurse, thinking it could help create a connection. They were not interested.

The other thing I noticed was a level of specificity that impacted the experience. If my mom asked a nurse to use the restroom, they would leave to find a nursing assistant, which at one point took more than an hour. I understand the productivity that is supposed to come from specialization, but it delivered a very poor patient experience.

During the night, I met a more personable nurse. I noted she was wearing a sweatshirt from a local University, and we discussed her alma mater. She was a traveling nurse, which gave her the flexibility to care for her ailing mother. She shared that her shifts were never in the same department or with the same staff because of how the scheduling was done. I asked if that type of schedule made it hard to make friends in the workplace. Her response was one of those moments when many client situations flashed before my eyes. She said didn’t want to develop friends. She said she just wanted to come in and get her work done because all the permanent staff did was complain.

She shared that the older nurses were great mentors and helped her learn when she started. Today, she claimed most of the more tenured nurses had left the profession, and the newer nurses weren’t trained properly and had no one to show them the ropes.  Hearing this story, it ran through my head – why aren’t you helping them? Even the talkative one was disengaged and also complaining.

There was one bright spot, and it was Calvin. Calvin transported my mom to imaging at about 4:00 PM the first day. He was personable and kind. He talked and joked with my mom, assured her she was in good hands, and made his few minutes with us pleasant and memorable. A few days later, I ran into him in the elevator, and he remembered me and asked how my mom was doing. Calvin was the highlight of the hospital stay and possibly the entire two-month period.

Lesson #1: Unhappy Employees Impact Your Customers

I read a statistic yesterday that 53% of Americans are unhappy at work. Unhappy people are probably doing “just enough,” like most of the hospital ER staff.  Consider what a “just enough” experience feels like for your customers.

Think about how your employees interface with your customers. Are they just about completing their work? Or do they create pleasant and memorable experiences? Do you have disengaged employees? Do they complain to the other staff? Are they poisoning the well of employee happiness? Are your employees complaining to your customers? What impression do they leave with your customers? How difficult do these employees make it for you to find better employees? How can you improve your culture and make your business attractive to happy, engaged employees?

When I ask business owners questions like this, I often hear, “I’m paying them; that should be enough.” It’s not enough. Owners and managers must pay attention to their teams, notice when an employee is disengaged, and try to fix it.  If they can’t, it’s better for the employee, the owner, and the customers if they find another position. Disengaged employees hurt our healthcare system, businesses, and educational institutions.  Don’t settle for a warm body. Find the people who care.

I will never go to this hospital system again.

Lesson #2:  Minimize the Impact When Something Goes Wrong

What happens when your system is disrupted? Do you react and try to improve the situation to minimize the impact on your customers? Or do you fail to recognize that your internal problem negatively impacts your customers? Systems go down, employees call out, and machines break down. It’s your job to identify and quickly minimize the impact on your customers.

I was on a JetBlue flight delayed out of Richmond many years ago. After the announcement, the team wheeled out a cart full of drinks and snacks for their customers waiting at the gate. It was impressive, especially compared to what happens with the other carriers. The cost is minimal, but the impact is substantial.

Were there snacks for people at the ER that day? Could they have moved the patients who would be there for a prolonged period to one end of the ER and tried to minimize the noise? Could they have acknowledged that it was an unpleasant experience and asked if they could make us more comfortable? Could management realize that their staffing issues put undue pressure on the ER and change the process to accommodate longer stays? Could they have floater personnel that can be redirected to a floor when new patient needs increase? They could do all of those things; they just didn’t.

Take a look at your processes from the customer’s viewpoint. Do they have to wait for email responses? How quickly do you deliver bad news? Does your sales team avoid telling a customer there is a problem until the customer asks? What do your conference rooms and other meeting places look like? Do customers feel welcomed, or are you moving boxes out of the way to make a place for them to sit?

Your customers have choices. They will not continue to work with you if they have terrible experiences.

Story 1: Problem Solving and Preparation

by Kate Dunn | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog

Originally Published on LinkedIn on April 5, 2024

My Mom was a little dynamo. She walked two miles multiple days a week, ran a bible study class, was a prison minister, and a lector at church. She had a cough for six months before her diagnosis. She went to her internist, who diagnosed allergies and sent her home with various medications. She went back every couple of weeks for months with the same diagnosis – allergies. She was coughing so hard at one point that she went to urgent care. Same diagnosis. I went with her multiple times and tried to impress upon the Doctor that this didn’t seem normal to me. I told them she was missing valuable time with her family, which wasn’t like her. I asked them to investigate further. They told me I was worrying too much. They listened to her lungs and heart, did a chest x-ray, and told her to return in a couple of weeks if she didn’t feel better.

I took her to my allergist twice, but he couldn’t find anything she was allergic to. He concluded that the cough resulted from irritation caused by the cough. Six months after the cough started, she was referred to a pulmonologist who looked at the same tests that the others had looked at and ordered a CT scan. What made her so smart? Something her internist should have known.  I learned later that if you have ever smoked, you should have a chest CT once a year. Like most Americans, my Mom had been a smoker. However, she had been smoke-free for 35 years.

The results of the CT were disturbing, so the pulmonologist ordered a PET scan. After the PET scan, my Mom made an appointment with her internist to review the results because her pulmonologist was on vacation. When we were called back, the nurse noted we were there for the PET scan results. Once in with the doctor, he asked – “so what brings you here today?” The nurse reminded him of the purpose of the appointment, and he responded that he hadn’t looked at the test results yet. He pulled them up on the screen, spent approximately 30 seconds looking at them, and then announced that it was metastatic cancer. My Mom said she didn’t want to spend the remaining time sick from chemo, and the doctor asked if she had a DNR. My Mom said no, and he instructed the nurse to get one. He and my Mom signed it, and we were out of there in 5 minutes. She gets a death sentence, and they don’t even talk about the options or the expectations of what those six months would look like. I watch the news and hear stories about treatments that don’t necessarily make you sick. I tried to ask about those options, and the Dr. was busy signing a DNR and telling her to pin it to the back of her door where the Rescue Squad would see it.

I hate this guy.

Most of the time, things are what they are supposed to be. Every once in a while, they are not. Many people in Richmond have allergies, but it’s not normal to cough for six months. If you go through the motions of your job, you will only see what is most likely. Great employees, including sales reps, keep asking why. Why is this still happening? Why didn’t the first solution work? What can I do differently? Apparently, her doctor didn’t think in those terms. He assumed allergies because everyone in Richmond has them in the Spring.  When her cough continued through the summer and fall, he didn’t try to figure out why. He wasn’t willing to question his judgment when my Mom and I asked if the cough could be something besides allergies.

Second lesson: be prepared. When I think of my Mom getting in my car that day to head to the doctor, I want to wring the doctor’s neck. She was worried but hoping for the best. The damn doctor could have looked at the report before he walked into the exam room. The nurse knew the appointment’s purpose, and I assume that was because she saw it in their system, the same system the doctor uses. He could have looked, and then maybe he would have led a more thoughtful discussion following his death pronouncement.

Maybe his lack of preparation is why he let the cough go for so long without doing anything. Perhaps he wasn’t looking at his system data and seeing that she had been in and out of his office for months. Maybe he never noticed that he had prescribed antibiotics, steroids, various other allergy medications, and cough medicines, none of which had worked.

We all have tons of information at our disposal. It’s there to make us more informed and help us make better decisions. But those won’t happen if you don’t look at it and think about what it means.

Conflict Resolution

by Kate Dunn | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog

A Cautionary Tale

Originally posted on LinkedIn October 23, 2023

Yesterday, I received a call from an owner who doesn’t usually call outside her weekly coaching session, so I picked up immediately. She related a story about two employees having a verbal confrontation that included unkind words and some off-color language. The owner had overheard the confrontation but hadn’t stepped in because she was busy and hoped the two would work it out themselves.

Another manager was now relaying that one of those involved was saying he couldn’t work in a place where he wasn’t respected.  The owner wanted to know what I thought she should do. I asked questions about the situation and concluded that both employees had contributed to the dispute. I asked her what she had done so far, and she relayed that she had done nothing because she had a lot on her plate. I felt the situation was critical because at least one employee talked openly with other managers. I advised her to speak with each separately and ask coaching questions, leading to each person admitting they could have acted differently. Once she got them to that point, she could encourage them to apologize. I prompted the owner to remind each that the company culture is respectful and that swearing and name calling is never acceptable in the workplace. I suggested ending with, “Let’s put this in the rearview mirror and move forward from here.”

About ten minutes after this advice, I got a text sharing that one of the two employees had resigned at the end of the day. I asked if she tried to save the employee;’ her text replied: “There was no saving her.” Then I texted, “How long ago did the altercation happen?”  a question I really should have asked earlier. Her text reply: “About three weeks ago.” I thought silently; plenty of time to look for, interview, and get another position.

When Owners Avoid Conflict

In today’s fast-paced business environment, owners have many responsibilities and typically handle additional tasks beyond running their companies. Ordering supplies, estimating projects, selling, and making deliveries are often part of a busy owner’s day.  One aspect that is often overlooked or avoided is conflict resolution between employees. Owners tell me stories of interpersonal conflict between employees and between managers and employees, and the stories often end with “I don’t want to be a “babysitter” or “I don’t have time to deal with this.”

When these situations arise, I coach owners and managers on the importance of a company culture where disputes can be resolved amicably, and the downside of letting hurt feelings fester. But far too often, I hear the story after an employee or manager has resigned. When I ask questions about the length of time the conflict existed, the answers tell me that the turnover could have been avoided.

When owners avoid conflicts between themselves and employees, between employees, or between managers and employees, they inadvertently create a culture that fosters disrespect, allows conflicts to escalate, and ultimately impacts employee attrition, productivity, and, very often, customer experience.

The Growing Need for Conflict Resolution

As Millennials and Gen Z employees become an increasingly large portion of the workforce, it becomes critical for owners to instill a culture that emphasizes respect and provides a framework for conflict resolution. These digital natives are far more likely to have a texting battle than a verbal one. They are used to altercations where they can’t look into the other person’s eyes.

Even for your older employees, COVID-19 and its aftermath provided an environment that may have allowed them to avoid interpersonal conflicts more often because of remote work. Now that more coworkers are physically back to work, employees may fail to comprehend the implications of a “real-time” passive-aggressive comment, an eye roll, or a short answer when looking at someone face to face.

Since many younger employees lack experience handling conflicts in a professional setting and many older workers are out of practice, owners and managers need to offer guidance and model behaviors to help the entire workforce understand how to avoid and address workplace conflicts.

Avoiding conflict resolution may seem convenient in the short term, but the long-term consequences can harm any organization. For companies, these consequences include higher turnover, poor employee morale, more product or service issues, and poor customer service.

Speed Matters: Swift Action for Long-Lasting Solutions

Conflicts can easily snowball into more significant issues when left to fester. As an owner, it is crucial to address issues swiftly and effectively. Proactive engagement in resolving disputes at the earliest signs of tension prevents future escalations and creates a positive environment that encourages employees to address problems responsibly.

Leading by Example: Modeling Healthy Conflict Resolution

In addition to modeling good behavior, business owners must teach appropriate conflict resolution strategies to create a healthy work environment. By demonstrating effective techniques and leading the way, owners empower their employees to navigate difficult conversations on their own, fostering a more independent and unified workforce.

When a company invests in building a culture that prioritizes respectful conflict resolution, the benefits are multifold. Employees in such environments are more likely to be productive, remain loyal to the company, and provide exceptional customer experiences.

Key strategies that company owners can employ include:

• Keeping an ear to the ground to know when conflicts arise in the workplace.

• Providing training workshops and resources on conflict resolution.

• Setting clear expectations and policies for resolving workplace disputes.

• Encouraging open communication and feedback among employees and management.

• Regularly reviewing and updating conflict resolution methods as necessary.

• Monitoring resolution efforts and getting involved quickly when disputes occur, and communication breaks down.

• Regularly scheduled one-on-one sessions between managers and employees. In addition to regular feedback and career development conversations, these sessions offer employees an opportunity to confidentially discuss conflicts in the workplace before they erupt. Managers can provide coaching to help employees address issues or intercede if the situation warrants it.

Employees dealing with outside stressors may become irritable, easily frustrated, and less patient. This can lead to conflicts with coworkers or even management. As a company owner, it is important to be aware of the impact of external stress on employees and how it may manifest in the workplace, leading to disputes and a negative environment.

Company owners must have a clear process to effectively resolve conflicts arising from external stress. This could include setting up confidential channels for employees to address their concerns and providing access to counseling or support services. Additionally, owners should be open to adjusting workloads or schedules for employees with significant external stress.

When an employee’s external stress manifests as conflict in the workplace, the company owner needs to approach the situation with empathy and understanding. Here’s a process to follow:

1.     Arrange a private meeting: Set up a one-on-one discussion in a neutral setting. This gives employees a safe space to express their concerns without feeling judged or embarrassed in front of their coworkers. (Note: Regular one-on-one conversations with employees to discuss departmental improvement plans and career advancement help remove the stigma of being called into the principal’s office when a conflict exists.)

2.     Open the conversation tactfully: Begin the discussion by acknowledging the issue without blame. This could start as follows: “I’ve noticed some tension recently, and I wanted to check in with you to see if everything’s okay.”

3.     Listen and empathize: Allow the employee to share their perspective. Show empathy and understanding, even if you disagree with everything being said.

4.     Address the issue: Once the employee has opened up about their external stress, steer the conversation towards the impact of their behavior on the workplace. Highlight specific instances where their behavior caused conflict.

5.     Explore solutions together: Collaboratively discuss ways the employee can manage their stress in a way that doesn’t disrupt the workplace. This could involve strategies like taking regular breaks, adjusting their work schedule, or providing resources for stress management.

6.     Follow up: Continually check in with the employee to ensure the agreed-upon solutions have been implemented and assess whether the situation is improving. If necessary, adjust the approach based on progress and feedback.

Conclusion: Embracing the Future of Conflict Resolution

Conflicts in the workplace can be caused by a variety of factors, including external stress. By staying aware of potential sources of stress for employees, having a clear conflict resolution process in place, and acting quickly, owners can effectively manage and minimize conflicts in the workplace. This promotes a positive work environment and improves overall employee satisfaction and retention.

As workforce demographics continue to shift, a focus on building a culture that encourages respect and promotes the resolution of disputes quickly and effectively will pay dividends in the form of building your employer brand, reduced attrition, increased productivity, and improved customer experiences.

Productive At-Bats

by Kate Dunn | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog

Originally published on LinkedIn on September 15, 2020

I come from a long line of baseball fans. We aren’t just your average hot dog-eating, beer-drinking variety of fans either. We care about the history, the strategy, the statistics, and the nuances.  We’ve lost two of the great ones in the last couple of weeks with the deaths of Tom Seaver and Lou Brock. That’s probably why my sales coaching mind started to connect prospecting and the baseball concept of productive at-bats.

Prospecting is hard work, and a lot of it doesn’t pay off right away.

·      Studies indicate that it takes somewhere between 5 and 21 touches to get a conversation with a prospect.

·      I’ve never met a rep who can successfully manage a 21-step cadence so most companies use 8 or 12 steps.

There are still plenty of reps who can’t consistently complete the 8 steps of the cadence. It’s hard for reps to feel productive when they send emails that aren’t returned, leave voice mail messages that are often deleted unheard, or send connection requests on LinkedIn that go unaccepted.

So when faced with a choice of what to do with the available time in a day, many reps choose to do things that feel more productive at the time – clearing out emails, checking in on customers or checking on the status of projects already in production –  all feel like a better use of time…at the time.

These seemingly unproductive tasks associated with prospecting are critical to long term success for companies and the reps who sell for them.

• The task avoidance practiced by many sales reps coupled with the inherent lack of productivity when reaching out to prospects 8 to 12 times several times a year, has led to the development of much improved lead generation strategies and the creation of a specialized sales position entirely focused on prospecting.

• These sales development reps, as they are often called, are not burdened by account management duties, solutions development, demos or even closing. Their entire job is to follow up on inbound leads, execute the outbound prospecting cadence and qualify opportunities for their reps who specialize in converting leads to customers. The industry needs to move faster in this direction.

In the meantime, many companies find themselves in a position where their sales reps must still prospect.

This is where baseball comes back into the picture.

For all you non-baseball fans out there, there is a concept known as a productive at-bat. The batter doesn’t have to get a hit to have a productive at-bat.

• The batter can draw a walk and get on base to help their team.

• They can ground out but move the runner into scoring position so the next batter can hopefully drive the run in.

• They can foul off 15 pitches to tire the pitcher for the next batter or give the rest of the bench a good look at what the pitcher is throwing improving their odds of getting a hit later in the game.

Productive at-bats is the way reps should think about prospecting.

• Every time they deliver their insightful message in a voicemail, it can improve their delivery.

• Every time they write an email and position their product in a slightly different way, they are fine tuning their message.

• Every time they try new words or tell their story differently, they are looking for a better way to resonate with their prospects.

• Every time a rep changes the intonation in their voice, slows down or delivers the payoff question in a more compelling way, they are turning themselves into a better prospector and a better sales rep.

Just like the hitter who focuses on a productive at-bat, reps should focus on small improvements to their sales game with each prospect interaction.

If the rep learns something to do or not to do, it’s a productive outing. It’s that work that ultimately gives the rep the power to have great conversations with prospects, schedule first-time meetings, and ultimately close the big deals.

When my kids were young and playing travel baseball and softball, their coaches always focused on having a productive at-bat. It was their ability to learn from those at-bats, to accomplish small goals inside of the big goals that ultimately made them better ball players.

That same focus works when prospecting too.

Instead of focusing on getting a meeting–focus on making small improvements in your messaging, your delivery, your questions and your conversations. Those small changes, happening every day, improve your skills and make you a better sales rep. And back to baseball one more time – you won’t feel like you are striking out all the time. You will feel like you are getting better all the time.