If you’re like me, days when your time is short – but your task list is still long – are days that add to your stress.
I’m sure you don’t get snappy and irritable, like I do. I imagine that you balance your personal stress much better – or maybe not.
The things that stress me the worst are those that are out of my control; something that stress experts find is pretty universal. We tend to feel more and more stress the less control we have over events. The best solution to these stressors is to find a way to gain control over them, or at least more control than you currently have.
Let’s consider training (I bet that surprises you)! You have a minimum required number of training hours that you need to ensure that your employees complete each year. Some training must be completed before the person can work independently; other training, like first aid, is simply one of those things that you need to get checked off as quickly as possible after hire.
Stressor #1: Requirements. You have no control over them – you can’t modify them for this person or that. They are always there, hanging over your head.
Stressor #2: Your employees. Sign them up for a first aid class. Bring in a trainer. Take precious time out of your busy week to present an inservice. And definitely make attendance mandatory. Your employees, over whom you have only a perception of control, will not all show up. Some may be sick; others won’t be able to find childcare; still others will simply say, “Oh, I forgot.”
Stressor #3: Surveyors from licensing and internal QA monitors. Yet another element you can’t control. They’ll ask you for detailed records of your training compliance, and they won’t give you a lot of time to hunt for those records. You’re either compliant – and can quickly demonstrate that – or you’re not…and you’d better think about career decisions.
You can gain control over these stressors. They don’t need to add to your stress by being things that, in your mind, you have absolutely no control over.
Here’s how:
Stressor #1: OK, you’re not going to get rid of regulations, or change them to suit your situation. But you can look at regulations, especially in the area of training, as your outline for planning the entire year’s worth of training opportunities. You can schedule them, topic by topic, onto a calendar and get a sense of mastery over the requirements.
Stressor #2: Keep holding monthly meetings, but change them from mandatory inservices to team-building, informational sessions. Bring a cake and celebrate the monthly birthday; read thank-you notes from clients or families, share what you’ve seen that month that makes you proud of your team. Then assign your team their required training topics to be completed online at a time that works for them during the month. Just make sure that they all know what topic is assigned, and when it is due. Recognize those that completed their training at your monthly team-building meetings, or those that went beyond the minimum and learned even more. But take the compliance monkey off your back, as it were, and give that responsibility to your employees. Your job, as a leader, is to assign, ensure completion and then look for ways to give personal feedback and guidance.
Stressor #3: This is an easy one if you’ve chosen an online training system with easy-to-use reports. Here’s what one of our clients emailed us the other day, “It was our first survey in four years and I was very nervous. The surveyor asked to see training records for specific employees. With just a couple of clicks I could show her exactly what she wanted. Whew! We sailed through survey; I consider the cost of this online training program worth every cent.”
The stresses in this line of work are many. Smart choices and good use of your resources can help you gain control and reduce at least a few areas of stress!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
How to Break through the Wall – Creating Success in Times that Feel Impossible
On my daily walks I travel along the Willamette River. It’s not a wide river, but just upstream is a broad, powerful falls. The banks of the river are steep rock walls, dropping over 70 feet from the roadway to the water below. I’ve been walking along this river nearly every day for years now. It’s my few minutes for reflection and planning; lately I’ve found myself thinking about the power of the water.
I see how the water, when it is focused into a narrow channel, can cut through what appears to be solid rock. The water that falls as a soft, blanketing mist much of the winter here in Oregon turns into a force that literally changes the landscape. It cuts its way cleanly through stone, over time.
As I consider that force, I think of two key concepts that I can apply to my work: focus and tenacity. It’s easy in any business to try something a time or two and then give up, looking for an easier way around an obstacle.
Obstacles like a poor economy, however, aren’t easy to get around. When the primary barrier to your success is money, from the client’s perspective, it can feel like a solid rock wall.
Whether you’re talking about a community that desperately needs census building to cover payroll and other costs, or, as in my business, a product that is needed but may not be considered essential to operations, the barriers can feel rock solid and impenetrable.
That’s when I start thinking about the river. It can’t break through a solid wall with a meandering stream. But when the force of the river is focused into a single, powerful jet of water, it can cut through almost anything – given enough time. That’s the second part of this principle – time and consistency. The Grand Canyon wasn’t forged in a single season, but it created a masterpiece over time with the focus and tenacity that is, itself, a force of nature.
From my personal perspective, I was encouraged by news articles like the one out of London awhile back (http://www.trainingpressreleases.com/newsstory.asp?NewsID=4042) that reported that 78% of human resources leaders are looking to online training to reduce their costs in accessing external trainers and resources and 57% are looking for ways to reduce the amount of time staff spend out of the office on training. This report shows a trend toward larger companies looking at custom online training as a way to reduce their training expenses while still maintaining a competitive edge during tough times. Of course, this is exactly what our company has been promoting for years, often feeling like we were running into that solid rock wall of resistance.
The expert quoted in the article concludes, "Now, more than ever, it is imperative to have a fully trained and knowledgeable workforce on hand to see you through these tough times but not at the expense of productivity. eLearning solutions such as virtual classrooms, web based training and mobile learning not only minimise the time employees spend out of the office, but they also allow employees to carry out training at flexible times, thereby reducing impact on their day-to-day work."
Ah, a little crack in the wall is suddenly appearing.
I believe that I’ll focus and continue to be tenacious, and see if we can create a channel right through this barrier.
What’s your barrier? Take a lesson from the river, and break through it this winter!
I see how the water, when it is focused into a narrow channel, can cut through what appears to be solid rock. The water that falls as a soft, blanketing mist much of the winter here in Oregon turns into a force that literally changes the landscape. It cuts its way cleanly through stone, over time.
As I consider that force, I think of two key concepts that I can apply to my work: focus and tenacity. It’s easy in any business to try something a time or two and then give up, looking for an easier way around an obstacle.
Obstacles like a poor economy, however, aren’t easy to get around. When the primary barrier to your success is money, from the client’s perspective, it can feel like a solid rock wall.
Whether you’re talking about a community that desperately needs census building to cover payroll and other costs, or, as in my business, a product that is needed but may not be considered essential to operations, the barriers can feel rock solid and impenetrable.
That’s when I start thinking about the river. It can’t break through a solid wall with a meandering stream. But when the force of the river is focused into a single, powerful jet of water, it can cut through almost anything – given enough time. That’s the second part of this principle – time and consistency. The Grand Canyon wasn’t forged in a single season, but it created a masterpiece over time with the focus and tenacity that is, itself, a force of nature.
From my personal perspective, I was encouraged by news articles like the one out of London awhile back (http://www.trainingpressreleases.com/newsstory.asp?NewsID=4042) that reported that 78% of human resources leaders are looking to online training to reduce their costs in accessing external trainers and resources and 57% are looking for ways to reduce the amount of time staff spend out of the office on training. This report shows a trend toward larger companies looking at custom online training as a way to reduce their training expenses while still maintaining a competitive edge during tough times. Of course, this is exactly what our company has been promoting for years, often feeling like we were running into that solid rock wall of resistance.
The expert quoted in the article concludes, "Now, more than ever, it is imperative to have a fully trained and knowledgeable workforce on hand to see you through these tough times but not at the expense of productivity. eLearning solutions such as virtual classrooms, web based training and mobile learning not only minimise the time employees spend out of the office, but they also allow employees to carry out training at flexible times, thereby reducing impact on their day-to-day work."
Ah, a little crack in the wall is suddenly appearing.
I believe that I’ll focus and continue to be tenacious, and see if we can create a channel right through this barrier.
What’s your barrier? Take a lesson from the river, and break through it this winter!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Help! Who Made Me the Boss? - Leadership Skills for the New Supervisor
Did you know that the number one reason people LOVE or HATE their job is because of their boss?
You can give people more money, more time off, more challenges, but if they don't like their boss, they'll be gone.
So how do you be a good boss, and gain the loyalty and respect of your employees at the same time?
You're the Boss - believe it
One of the biggest mistakes we've seen over the years is the person, newly promoted to team leadership, who is still trying to prove him or herself.
There was Delilah who would change people's schedules just to show them that she could.
There was Nancy who would talk to the people on her team in a confrontational, hostile manner.
There was Bob, who simply laughed and joked with people - he NEVER corrected anyone about anything.
Bad bosses, every single one of them.
None of them had yet accepted the true meaning of being a boss: an opportunity and a privilege.
Being the boss doesn't mean wielding power in the way someone may have done in your life.
It doesn't mean being tough - or too nice.
It DOES mean seeing your role in a totally different way. Looking at the big picture, instead of just the job. Thinking about what you want your team to become, and how you want to build higher quality in every aspect of the job.
It means having the opportunity to help the people who work on your team become better at what they do.
It means feeling gratitude and a sense of responsibility that you have the power to make people love their job - or hate it. You have the power to give someone a job - or take it away. You have the power to make work a rewarding, challenging, great place to be - or a place with constant turnover because it's boring and unrewarding.
Take the time - NOW - to build your skills to become the kind of boss people want to work for - a great boss!
You can give people more money, more time off, more challenges, but if they don't like their boss, they'll be gone.
So how do you be a good boss, and gain the loyalty and respect of your employees at the same time?
You're the Boss - believe it
One of the biggest mistakes we've seen over the years is the person, newly promoted to team leadership, who is still trying to prove him or herself.
There was Delilah who would change people's schedules just to show them that she could.
There was Nancy who would talk to the people on her team in a confrontational, hostile manner.
There was Bob, who simply laughed and joked with people - he NEVER corrected anyone about anything.
Bad bosses, every single one of them.
None of them had yet accepted the true meaning of being a boss: an opportunity and a privilege.
Being the boss doesn't mean wielding power in the way someone may have done in your life.
It doesn't mean being tough - or too nice.
It DOES mean seeing your role in a totally different way. Looking at the big picture, instead of just the job. Thinking about what you want your team to become, and how you want to build higher quality in every aspect of the job.
It means having the opportunity to help the people who work on your team become better at what they do.
It means feeling gratitude and a sense of responsibility that you have the power to make people love their job - or hate it. You have the power to give someone a job - or take it away. You have the power to make work a rewarding, challenging, great place to be - or a place with constant turnover because it's boring and unrewarding.
Take the time - NOW - to build your skills to become the kind of boss people want to work for - a great boss!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
One-Armed Paper Hanger
One-armed paper hanger…
Chicken with its head cut off…
Spinning out of control…
Don’t know up from down…
Can’t see the light of day…
Up to my neck in alligators…
Do any of these phrases describe how you feel about your days lately? Personally, I’ve used at least three of them to describe my own current workload. Not that it’s all making money, and we’re on the “whoo-whoo” gravy train to success, but, wow, my life is busy!!
Sometimes we’re busy-busy trying to find the solutions to problems that keep us up at night.
Sometimes we’re busy trying to be on top of too many areas of responsibility for one person to manage.
Sometimes we might be (not me – not you) poor managers of our time.
Here’s a quick look at some ideas that might be useful if any of this describes you:
It’s OK to say NO. Even to your boss. There are times to say, “I can’t really do that task justice right now – can we talk about it again in a few weeds?” There are other times to simply say, “I’d love to help, but I just can’t do it right now.” And then stand firm.
Be clear on your priorities. Take two minutes at the start of the day to prioritize your tasks. There is an unending list of busy-jobs we all need to do, but what will wake you up in the night if you don’t accomplish it? What addresses the most important things in your life or your job? Do those things, and let some less important things slip by the wayside.
Make a list. I often find myself bouncing from one task to another, answering an email or two, making a phone call, and feeling like I’m not really accomplishing anything real during the day. For me, organizing my day means making lists. I make lists on Friday before I go home for the week of what I haven’t gotten done and want to pick up Monday morning. Monday, I make my list for the week. I add to that list during the week, and get great personal satisfaction from crossing tasks off – as quickly as I can. Some days, like today, I have to stop in the middle of the day and make a list of all the things I’ve promised people I’d deliver as I walked through the office. Cross them off; move on; get things done!
Take baby steps. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what I want to achieve in my work. Each day on my way to work I have learned to fight the rising sense of anxiety of all I need to accomplish to achieve my goals, by telling myself, “Today, you only need to take one step. Just one small step toward the goal.” I feel a sense of relief – but I also know that I need to continue to map out my steps; to break down big goals into small, achievable steps, and then cross them off, one at a time.
Let me take a brief commercial break and offer you another time-saving tip: try online training. It can save you lots of time in organizing and delivering the training you need to simply stay in compliance, but even more, it can give you a way to track completed training of all your employees, with just a click of the mouse. Even better is our "incomplete assignments" feature. Assign training classes to your staff once a year, and pull up reports to tell you exactly who is missing what. What could be easier? What could be more time-efficient?!
I guess what I’m really saying is that if you’re feeling like a one-armed paper hanger these days, let us help. We’ll supply a few other hands and help you get the job done right!
Chicken with its head cut off…
Spinning out of control…
Don’t know up from down…
Can’t see the light of day…
Up to my neck in alligators…
Do any of these phrases describe how you feel about your days lately? Personally, I’ve used at least three of them to describe my own current workload. Not that it’s all making money, and we’re on the “whoo-whoo” gravy train to success, but, wow, my life is busy!!
Sometimes we’re busy-busy trying to find the solutions to problems that keep us up at night.
Sometimes we’re busy trying to be on top of too many areas of responsibility for one person to manage.
Sometimes we might be (not me – not you) poor managers of our time.
Here’s a quick look at some ideas that might be useful if any of this describes you:
It’s OK to say NO. Even to your boss. There are times to say, “I can’t really do that task justice right now – can we talk about it again in a few weeds?” There are other times to simply say, “I’d love to help, but I just can’t do it right now.” And then stand firm.
Be clear on your priorities. Take two minutes at the start of the day to prioritize your tasks. There is an unending list of busy-jobs we all need to do, but what will wake you up in the night if you don’t accomplish it? What addresses the most important things in your life or your job? Do those things, and let some less important things slip by the wayside.
Make a list. I often find myself bouncing from one task to another, answering an email or two, making a phone call, and feeling like I’m not really accomplishing anything real during the day. For me, organizing my day means making lists. I make lists on Friday before I go home for the week of what I haven’t gotten done and want to pick up Monday morning. Monday, I make my list for the week. I add to that list during the week, and get great personal satisfaction from crossing tasks off – as quickly as I can. Some days, like today, I have to stop in the middle of the day and make a list of all the things I’ve promised people I’d deliver as I walked through the office. Cross them off; move on; get things done!
Take baby steps. I have a very clear picture in my mind of what I want to achieve in my work. Each day on my way to work I have learned to fight the rising sense of anxiety of all I need to accomplish to achieve my goals, by telling myself, “Today, you only need to take one step. Just one small step toward the goal.” I feel a sense of relief – but I also know that I need to continue to map out my steps; to break down big goals into small, achievable steps, and then cross them off, one at a time.
Let me take a brief commercial break and offer you another time-saving tip: try online training. It can save you lots of time in organizing and delivering the training you need to simply stay in compliance, but even more, it can give you a way to track completed training of all your employees, with just a click of the mouse. Even better is our "incomplete assignments" feature. Assign training classes to your staff once a year, and pull up reports to tell you exactly who is missing what. What could be easier? What could be more time-efficient?!
I guess what I’m really saying is that if you’re feeling like a one-armed paper hanger these days, let us help. We’ll supply a few other hands and help you get the job done right!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Best of the Best Awards
Love those best of the best awards, don’t you? How many did you win this year?
I hope you’re not one of those people that win awards like this year after year – you won’t be able to relate at all.
I’ve never won a “best of the best” award. I’ve never even been a runner-up. But day after day, week after week, month after month I continue to do work that I believe contributes to the quality of care we provide to the today’s elderly.
Most senior care companies, I’d venture to say, are a lot like me in that regard. They do their work, every day, month and year, focusing on the area where they can improve lives. Maybe it’s just five families that they serve; maybe its 40 families, or 400.
What matters, at the end of the day, however, is not how many awards you win, but how much difference you’ve made.
Has someone finally been able to take a guilt-free, stress-free vacation because of your work?
Has someone else had “ahaa” moments that led to more joyful caregiving because of your efforts?
Many of us innovate in our care every day. We creatively solve problems while managing budgets, employee challenges and difficult clients. We see needs and we work to meet them, often by creating new programs or simply adapting existing programs to meet individual needs.
So from me to you – and me to me – here’s an award: The Quietly-going-about-our-business-while-making-a-real-difference Award.
I hope you’re not one of those people that win awards like this year after year – you won’t be able to relate at all.
I’ve never won a “best of the best” award. I’ve never even been a runner-up. But day after day, week after week, month after month I continue to do work that I believe contributes to the quality of care we provide to the today’s elderly.
Most senior care companies, I’d venture to say, are a lot like me in that regard. They do their work, every day, month and year, focusing on the area where they can improve lives. Maybe it’s just five families that they serve; maybe its 40 families, or 400.
What matters, at the end of the day, however, is not how many awards you win, but how much difference you’ve made.
Has someone finally been able to take a guilt-free, stress-free vacation because of your work?
Has someone else had “ahaa” moments that led to more joyful caregiving because of your efforts?
Many of us innovate in our care every day. We creatively solve problems while managing budgets, employee challenges and difficult clients. We see needs and we work to meet them, often by creating new programs or simply adapting existing programs to meet individual needs.
So from me to you – and me to me – here’s an award: The Quietly-going-about-our-business-while-making-a-real-difference Award.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Four Ways to Connect with Technology
Are you a Facebook addict yet? Notice I added “yet” to the question? Even my 78-year-old mom decided she had to get onto Facebook – all her grandkids, nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives keep telling her, “I put my pictures on Facebook!”
I joined a couple of years ago, after I realized it was the only way I’d be able to keep up with my kids. They travel the globe and, way before they email their mom, they post their pictures and their adventures on Facebook for all their friends to see.
So now I’m an avid Facebook user, with 82 “friends” that include my relatives, my kids’ friends and several grade- and high-school friends I’m only now reconnecting with (that’s fun!).
Technology can be a ton of fun when it fills a need we have. In case of Facebook, technology helps us fill a social need to stay connected – or get re-connected.
In business, it seems to me that we’ve used technology begrudgingly rather than with the excitement of your first Facebook page.
Maybe we’ve been off the mark. Maybe it’s time to look for ways to use technology to increase our business and social connectedness – and have some fun while we’re at it! Consider these ideas:
Your website. Does your website increase your connectedness with the public? Do you tell your story and offer ways for people to contact you? Many company websites today avoid publishing email addresses to keep out unwanted emails, but that’s a barrier to connectedness. Like Facebook, your website should be updated often, changing content and images to keep it interesting and alive. It should also connect real people (you and your team) with real people (your clients and prospects).
Email. Are you using email to stay connected with others? If you’re reading this via email, you see one of the tools we use to keep in touch with our clients and prospects: subscription emailing through Constant Contact, one of the leading providers of this service. It’s easy to use, and very affordable. It doesn’t allow you to spam people, but it does give you a very user-friendly tool for staying in touch with a large group of individuals (Clients? Prospects? You decide).
Technology in Operations. Are you using technology to help you manage operations? To track employee hours related to client needs, and to keep care plans and assignments updated? Companies like HealthMEDX are excellent resources. Used correctly, they can not only help you get a detailed picture of your operations but can actually enhance your revenue as you track service needs and staffing more closely. Rather than costing you money, they can actually make you money – something to consider closely right now.
e-Training. I’m guessing you already knew where we’d end up. Technology in training can allow you to train your team consistently and effectively in important compliance topics. You’ll still want to gather your team for regular staff meetings, but you can focus on team-building and your company culture, rather than boring repetitive compliance inservices.
I’m logging back in to Facebook now. I’ve got an early morning meeting tomorrow I’m setting up with my exercise buddy – gotta run!
I joined a couple of years ago, after I realized it was the only way I’d be able to keep up with my kids. They travel the globe and, way before they email their mom, they post their pictures and their adventures on Facebook for all their friends to see.
So now I’m an avid Facebook user, with 82 “friends” that include my relatives, my kids’ friends and several grade- and high-school friends I’m only now reconnecting with (that’s fun!).
Technology can be a ton of fun when it fills a need we have. In case of Facebook, technology helps us fill a social need to stay connected – or get re-connected.
In business, it seems to me that we’ve used technology begrudgingly rather than with the excitement of your first Facebook page.
Maybe we’ve been off the mark. Maybe it’s time to look for ways to use technology to increase our business and social connectedness – and have some fun while we’re at it! Consider these ideas:
Your website. Does your website increase your connectedness with the public? Do you tell your story and offer ways for people to contact you? Many company websites today avoid publishing email addresses to keep out unwanted emails, but that’s a barrier to connectedness. Like Facebook, your website should be updated often, changing content and images to keep it interesting and alive. It should also connect real people (you and your team) with real people (your clients and prospects).
Email. Are you using email to stay connected with others? If you’re reading this via email, you see one of the tools we use to keep in touch with our clients and prospects: subscription emailing through Constant Contact, one of the leading providers of this service. It’s easy to use, and very affordable. It doesn’t allow you to spam people, but it does give you a very user-friendly tool for staying in touch with a large group of individuals (Clients? Prospects? You decide).
Technology in Operations. Are you using technology to help you manage operations? To track employee hours related to client needs, and to keep care plans and assignments updated? Companies like HealthMEDX are excellent resources. Used correctly, they can not only help you get a detailed picture of your operations but can actually enhance your revenue as you track service needs and staffing more closely. Rather than costing you money, they can actually make you money – something to consider closely right now.
e-Training. I’m guessing you already knew where we’d end up. Technology in training can allow you to train your team consistently and effectively in important compliance topics. You’ll still want to gather your team for regular staff meetings, but you can focus on team-building and your company culture, rather than boring repetitive compliance inservices.
I’m logging back in to Facebook now. I’ve got an early morning meeting tomorrow I’m setting up with my exercise buddy – gotta run!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Mentoring as Tool for Training and Retention
If you’ve been following the various findings about reducing turnover and increasing employee retention, especially within senior care, you’ve probably seen the term “mentoring.” Mentoring is one way to blend training and help it carry over into the day-to-day workplace, while supporting the personal and professional growth of the employee.
Maybe, like me, you’ve got a general idea of what mentoring is, but aren’t really clear how to implement a mentoring program in your work setting. I decided that I’d do a little research and see if I could answer this question – and, while I’m at it, share what I’ve found with you.
Webster’s defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” Others define the term more in the sense of a coach. While many of us think fondly of a boss or supervisor that acted informally as a mentor, few have formal experience within a mentorship program.
MetroHealth, a large healthcare provider in Northeast Ohio, has a mentoring program that all resident physicians are required to participate in with an attending faculty member.
It gave me some ideas for starting a formal mentoring program in a senior care community:
Do you have a mentoring program at your workplace? Have you had a mentor that really helped you out? Share your experiences with me at sharon@aquiretraining.com.
Maybe, like me, you’ve got a general idea of what mentoring is, but aren’t really clear how to implement a mentoring program in your work setting. I decided that I’d do a little research and see if I could answer this question – and, while I’m at it, share what I’ve found with you.
Webster’s defines a mentor as “a trusted counselor or guide.” Others define the term more in the sense of a coach. While many of us think fondly of a boss or supervisor that acted informally as a mentor, few have formal experience within a mentorship program.
MetroHealth, a large healthcare provider in Northeast Ohio, has a mentoring program that all resident physicians are required to participate in with an attending faculty member.
It gave me some ideas for starting a formal mentoring program in a senior care community:
- Since mentoring is most important for new hires, set up a system that matches each new hire with one of more experienced workers in the same department or job title. Matching the new person with a mentor on the same shift would be important, too, wherever possible.
- Introduce the new hire to the mentor, and explain to both individuals the purpose of the program (to coach the new person in the best way to do his or her job in your environment). Being clear about the goals and using simple words to explain the program are both important, especially in the early stages.
- Ask the mentor to meet with the new hire at regular intervals. I’d suggest quite frequently initially, perhaps as often as every other week. Once the crucial 90 days has passed, the meetings could become monthly.
- Be sure to allow time for the mentoring meeting to occur. Allow both individuals to take an extra long break or lunch hour, on the clock, for their meeting.
- Give the mentor some structure to follow during the sessions. I’d suggest a list of questions you provide to the mentor to discuss with the new hire, questions like:
- What are you finding hardest about your new job?
- What are you enjoying most about your new job?
- Do you have what you need to do your job well?
- Are there any policies or procedures you don’t really understand or find confusing?
Do you have a mentoring program at your workplace? Have you had a mentor that really helped you out? Share your experiences with me at sharon@aquiretraining.com.
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