I worked with a system executive who regularly preached, “Toolset. Skillset. Mindset” as he supported our shift with major strategic initiatives. The idea has always stuck with me. He understood effective leadership cannot solely thrive if all it does is tell people what to do.
Toolset. Skillset. Mindset.
Whether onboarding a new employee through orientation, championing a change initiative, improving patient outcomes and satisfaction, or driving team efforts towards organizational goals, this 3-pronged approach has consistent application. It’s a foundational leadership model worth fine-tuning.
It’s not dissimilar to Simon Sinek’s Start with Why concept and his golden circle, which emphasizes the need for teams and individuals to know why they are doing something in addition to what and how. It also nicely complements the Just Culture mentality of ensuring people are set up for success and exploring the cause deeper when they miss the mark.
TOOLSET
People must be given the proper resources to achieve any given outcome. Not just the tools and environment in which to succeed, but the proper sequencing of steps and models for care delivery…the WHAT! They must be taught what to do and the outcome (the intention) for that work.
- A nurse must have access to the necessary IV equipment and medications and have been taught the steps for effective insertion and set-up for administering the correct dosage for patient treatment.
- A team member in Patient Access needs a computer for capturing the registration details, software in which to enter those details, and the core training on customer service models such as AIDET to conduct the interaction successfully and ensure insurance processing later.
- An employee in Environmental Services must have mops, towels, disinfectants, and gloves to properly clean rooms and know which areas to clean first and the techniques to use.
When an employee isn’t complying with expected performance outcomes or making a necessary process shift, have you verified they indeed have the tools (process resources and equipment) to be successful?
SKILLSET
It’s not just having the right resources but the know-how that aids in suitable outcomes. Employees must be trained HOW to do the work and practice until they are proficient to do so…along with the critical thinking skills to navigate when things go wrong. This is why competencies are so vital. Showing someone something once doesn’t mean they grasp the skill to do it. Skill development and change adaptation requires attempts, failures, reflection, problem-solving, learning, and re-tries until eventual mastery.
- That nurse likely practiced inserting the IV needles on mannikins and student peers long before she administered an IV to a patient.
- The flow of the many questions to ask and the correct responses to common patient inquiries while maintaining a smile and calm demeanor took time for the individual in Patient Access to master.
- Cleaning a hospital room is far different than cleaning a home. An employee in EVS had to progress from conscious incompetence to unconscious competence over time.
When have you rushed someone’s proficiency as they’re learning or adapting to change? Or become frustrated with the errors that naturally occur in the learning process? Developing skill takes patience. How you allow for and support that transition?
MINDSET
This is the piece we sometimes forget to emphasize as leaders…WHY what they’re doing is important. The purpose and meaning. How it ties to other organizational efforts. The downstream effect it has on those they’re serving. When employees know why they’re doing something, their compliance with the process dramatically improves.
- The nurse must understand implications of potential infection or wrongful medication delivery.
- The employee registering patients must be aware of the many downstream challenges that improper receipt of patient detail could cause…or how difficult it could be to reach a patient about testing results if the wrong contact details are secured.
- That colleague in EVS must appreciate the impact that cleanliness has on the health of those served
When was the last time you intentionally focused discussion with employees about the purpose of their work and the effect it has beyond their individual efforts? How do you foster the mindset necessary to commit to excellence for their good and the good of those they serve?
Toolset. Skillset. Mindset. Success in leadership, through any transition, with any team, in any culture requires a delicate balance of focus upon all three – the what, the how, and very importantly, the why.
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“Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master." – Stephen Covey
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Explore these workshops and programs offered by our RWHC Education Team to improve your skills of the what, how & why:
- Change Management: Leading Teams & Chartering Alternative Paths
- Coaching for Performance
- Servant Leadership: Committing to Being of Service as a Leader
- Lean Residency
To learn more, visit: https://www.rwhc.com/Services/Educational-Services/Leadership-Series or email me at csearles@rwhc.com.
Consider joining our Leadership Bites program: https://www.rwhc.com/Services/Educational-Services/Leadership-Bites
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Corrie Searles, MPT, Leadership Development Educator
In Corrie’s role as Leadership Development Educator at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC), her aim is to empower leaders—formal and informal—to create positive influence that enables others to serve well.
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