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James L. Holly, M.D. |
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In his seminal work, The Fifth Discipline, Dr. Peter Senge of MIT said: "Most of us at one time or another have been part of a great 'team'," a group of people who functioned together in an extraordinary way - who trusted one another, who complemented each other others' strengths and compensated for each others' limitations, who had common goals that were larger than individual goals, and who produced extraordinary results. I have met many people who have experienced this sort of profound teamwork - in sports, or in the performing arts or in business. Many say that they have spent much of their life looking for that experience again. What they experienced was a learning organization. The team that became great didn't start off great - it learned how to produce extraordinary results.
SETMA is such a team as this. We have learned from one anther, supported one another, grown with one another and together, we have created a team which has created an extraordinary organization. Together, we have done what none of us could have accomplished alone. Our patients, our community and our profession, as well as we ourselves, are benefiting from this team work.
The SETMA team:
- Is more interested in solutions than in blame. When we discover a problem or when we experience a problem, our first thought ought to be, "How can I solve this problem?", rather than, "Whose fault is this?" A team wants everyone to succeed. SETMA philosophy declares, "You will never be so successful as when you help someone else fulfill their potential while you are succeeding yourself." Blame is cheap and therefore worthless; solutions are expensive, and therefore extremely valuable!
- Is supportive of others when they are having a "bad hair day." SETMA providers and staff look for opportunities to "bear the burden of others," -- to help others through a difficult transition. And, we do it with enthusiasm and without recrimination! We do it with an eye to making it easier for others, even if it means a brief increase in our load! In the long run, helping others makes us all winners.
- Wants others, especially our guests - who are our patients - to think well of all of our team members, therefore, we speak well of each member of our team ourselves. It's so much more encouraging to our guests when they hear us say, "Can you believe how busy our front office is, and yet they still get the job done. I'm sorry for your delay, but they are a great team!" Rather than, "That dumb front office lost your chart!" When we speak well of other members of our team, we really speak well of ourselves. When we speak badly of them, our guests associate that negative attitude with us as well.
- Wants our guests to have the best possible experience at SETMA. Therefore, the first contact with us should be very positive. The receptionists should be friendly, attentive and helpful. No one should be ignored in our waiting room. The file clerks should reflect an attitude of wanting to help the entire team function well. They should speak kindly to one another, and they should do their best to facilitate our guests having a good experience while in SETMA's office. We want our guest to look into our front office, and say, "This is the kind of place I want to come to."
- Is led by team leaders of SETMA - some people call them physicians or health-care providers - but we call them what they are, team leaders. Our team leaders should especially be leaders when things are going badly. Rather than succumb to anxiety and irritation, team leaders should encourage those around them to avoid:
- Anger - there is not a more destructive emotion in a team in that it reflects a low regard for the person-hood of the one toward whom anger is expressed.
- Impatience - this is a condescending and demeaning attitude, which suggests that the one toward whom impatience is being expressed is less important than the one who is impatient. The truth is that no one on our team is unimportant. If they are not important, then they don?t need to be here. If they are here, they need to be treated with the dignity and appreciation required.
- Rudeness - a rude and unthoughtful person reflects their own poor character, not anything about the one toward whom they are rude. Rudeness is unthinkable from anyone, but especially from a leader. On the anniversary of his hundredth birthday, friends and acquaintances of Albert Einstein were asked to remember him. The most common memory was the he was KIND. Rudeness and kindness are mutually exclusive.
- Selfishness - nothing is more unattractive in a team than self-centeredness, which is reflected in ignoring the needs of others in order to "get what you want." Leadership means that you put aside your needs for the benefit of others. Physicians, as team leaders, look to the meeting of the needs of those who support them, even before his or her own needs are met. This often means neglecting the leader's business, interests, pastimes and friends until the needs of other team members are met, such as getting to lunch on time at noon or getting home on time in the evening. A leader also puts the interests of his or her guests above his own, which means delaying other activities and treating his or her guests with preferential attention.
- A leader is one who keeps his or her cool when everyone else is loosing theirs. A leader is not one who occupies a "position," but one who overcomes pressure, rises above it and shows others how to do the same. A leader is one whom others can "lean on" when they are down, discouraged or disappointed. Every team member, no matter what their position, has the potential of being a leader. And, leadership is what a company looks for when rewarding service.
- Welcome new pressures as opportunities with which to invest value and dignity in the other members of your family, rather than seeing them as obstacles, which interfere with your pleasure.
I personally am pleased and delighted to be a part of SETMA's team, and I am pleased that you are a part of mine.
Larry Holly, MD
CEO, SETMA, LLP
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