Employee Engagement

The Cure for “Too Many Meetings” Isn’t Fewer Meetings—It’s Better Ones.

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It seems the feeling that there are too many meetings comes up frequently in conversations these days. Time is precious. No one wants to sit in meetings that don’t add value. On the other hand, well-run meetings have a positive impact in many areas. This column offers tips on how to make the most of your meetings. It is not inclusive; there are many good tools on this topic that are easy to locate. However,…
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Take Time to Collect the Bright Spots of 2025

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Sometimes as we’re wrapping up the year, it’s easy to drift into negativity. End-of-year evaluations tend to produce mixed findings—some areas show strong results, while others fall short. It’s human nature to focus on what didn’t go as planned. Add in the stress and exhaustion of the holiday season, along with budget pressures and goal-setting for the year ahead, and it becomes even easier to miss all the good things that were accomplished over the…
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Low Turnover Does Not Always Mean High Engagement

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Top leaders often say their company is about people. They may believe their focus on people is felt throughout the company. But do the frontline people feel the same way the top leader feels? And how does one measure this? Is it enough to say, We have a good culture because our employee turnover is low? Maybe yes and maybe no. In healthcare, certain areas have higher employee turnover than others. Some of these areas…
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Be Aware of How You Show Up; Your Presence Makes a Difference

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Leaders underestimate their impact in showing up. Why? I find most leaders do not see themselves as special. They see themselves as being the same as others. A highlight of my career was working with the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Floyd (Fred) Loop, the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) at the time, hired my company. (Dr. Loop is no longer with us physically; however, his impact lives on.) He referred to the work as…
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Trust, Ownership, and One Bold Question: Inside NorthBay Health’s Cultural Turnaround

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What does it look like to truly rewire healthcare culture from the inside out? At NorthBay Health, it looks like focusing on trust, ownership, and leadership at every level. In a recent Healthcare Plus Podcast episode, Quint Studer spoke with two leaders from NorthBay: Dr. Heather Resseger, senior vice president, chief hospital operations officer, and chief nursing officer, and Jonna Taylor, recently promoted to director of acute care services. The podcast explores how NorthBay helped shape a…
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With Employee Performance, It’s Better to Prevent Than to Intervene

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I read an article on performance improvement plans (PIPs). It got me thinking about how companies can better approach employee performance. When a person in a workplace is not achieving outcomes, they are placed on a performance improvement plan. The PIP includes details on performance shortfalls and actions the person is expected to improve. It ensures that the supervisor is documenting issues and that the person is aware of the outcomes needed if they’re to…
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Engaged Employees “Own” Patient Care. Here’s What That Looks Like

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Employee engagement is discussed and written about often. What does engagement look like in action? People who work in healthcare have great intentions. They care deeply about their patients and want the best outcomes for them and for the organization. Due to the industry’s being hyper-specialized, people can naturally be so focused on their own responsibilities that they may not see opportunities to make the patient’s experience even better. When leaders narrate how to truly…
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Today’s Workplace Needs a Little More “Gung Ho!”

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My wife, Rishy, and I are owners of the Beloit Sky Carp baseball team, the high-A minor league affiliate of the Miami Marlins. I received a nice note from an employee saying they liked that I had ended an email with the words “gung ho!” I replied with a group message explaining a little more about the term and how it sums up what we want in the Sky Carp culture: an enthusiastic atmosphere created…
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Make Time for Positive Performance Conversations

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At many of my talks on creating a positive culture, I ask the group this question: “When you receive a text from your supervisor to call or see them, what is your first thought? Is it, Here comes more positive feedback. This positive feedback I am getting is really cutting into my productivity?” The group always chuckles. It is common for an employee to feel anxiety when they hear their leader wants to see them.…
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To Create a Culture of Always, Help People Know What’s in It for Them

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Getting to a culture of always is an elusive outcome for organizations. Achieving excellence with every process, behavior, and customer interaction—is hard. It separates great organizations from good ones. Even the best organizations don’t achieve perfection in all things. The conversation around always led me to study and create materials on the topic. Achieving always involves a combination of people, processes, and tools/technology. It also includes making sure each person understands what is being asked and is provided the opportunity…
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