John Weir – Healthcare Cleaning Professional

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A quick tip regarding recognition.

Successful leadership in healthcare environmental services requires constant vigilance, ongoing education, willingness to identify opportunities for improvement in ourselves first, and staff second. In that spirit I share 11 principles and 14 traits for leading in this ever changing environment.

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Resonant Leaders engage us. They evoke positive emotions and inspire us through their positive thoughts and clear vision. Leaders develop their resonance through compassion, hope, mindfulness and they maintain their resonance. Is it any wonder this leads to increased revenue in an organization?

Leaders of all kinds possess these abilities. However, their level of emotional intelligence determines their ability to manage the feeling and emotions that motivate groups to meet its goals. Resonance, in terms of brain function, means that people’s emotional centers are in synch in a positive way. We have to do everything we can to promote resonant leadership skills.

Time sure goes by fast. Sorry to have been away so long. I’ve been staying very busy, writing 83 performance evaluations, finishing my totally updated training manual, and learning as much as I can to be a great hospital safety officer.

I’m going to be posting some questions I’ve been asked recently, and give you my answers. I’ll be posting these at least a couple times each week. Hopefully some of the housekeeping questions will be helpful to you.

If I asked how many of you have seen a killer phrases poster … or even have one hanging in your office … I’m sure I’d see hands going up all over the world. What I seldom see are the replacements for the killer phrases … the things we can say instead of those old negative chestnuts. The one most of us already know is to replace “Yes, but …” with “Yes, and …” in order to build on ideas. But there are a lot more killer phrases that need replacing. I’ve listed a few and would like to invite you to send us your killer phrase with an appropriate Leap Stimulator.

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How to get rid of backlogs
There are basically two types of task which we are faced with during a typical day. First there is the type of task which either gets done or doesn’t get done. You either renew the car insurance or you don’t. You either paint the bedroom or you don’t. You either buy a new dress or you don’t. You either send your great aunt a birthday card or you don’t. The consequences of doing or not doing this type of task may range from the trivial to the momentous, but essentially they are one-offs.

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Change Begins With Choice

by Jim Rohn

Any day we wish; we can discipline ourselves to change it all. Any day we wish; we can open the book that will open our mind to new knowledge. Any day we wish; we can start a new activity. Any day we wish; we can start the process of life change. We can do it immediately, or next week, or next month, or next year.

We can also do nothing. We can pretend rather than perform. And if the idea of having to change ourselves makes us uncomfortable, we can remain as we are. We can choose rest over labor, entertainment over education, delusion over truth, and doubt over confidence. The choices are ours to make. But while we curse the effect, we continue to nourish the cause. As Shakespeare uniquely observed, "The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves." We created our circumstances by our past choices. We have both the ability and the responsibility to make better choices beginning today. Those who are in search of the good life do not need more answers or more time to think things over to reach better conclusions. They need the truth. They need the whole truth. And they need nothing but the truth.

We cannot allow our errors in judgment, repeated every day, to lead us down the wrong path. We must keep coming back to those basics that make the biggest difference in how our life works out. And then we must make the very choices that will bring life, happiness and joy into our daily lives.

And if I may be so bold to offer my last piece of advice for someone seeking and needing to make changes in their life – If you don’t like how things are, change it! You’re not a tree. You have the ability to totally transform every area in your life – and it all begins with your very own power of choice.

To Your Success,

Questions to help you delineate your goals…

1. “What’s my vision of the future?”

2. “Where do I picture myself three years from today?”

3. “How will others perceive me in the future? My boss, my peers, my family?”

4. “What has to happen in the next two years for me to be happy with my progress?”

5. “What visual image do I have for my team? What visual image do I have for my company?”

6. “How do I want to be perceived by my customers? My employees?”

7. “How would my boss define me in one sentence?”

8. “What excites me most about my job? What do I want to do more of/less of/stop doing altogether, so I can achieve what’s important to me? To my team? To my company?”

9. “Which mountain do I want to climb?”

10. “What’s my definition of success?”

11. “What benchmarks do I need to achieve in order to feel successful?”

12. “What actions do I need to perform on a daily/weekly/monthly basis to achieve my goals?”

13. “What areas of my job should I focus on in order to have the most impact on my staff?”

14. “Where do I need to prioritize to insure my success? My team’s success?”
If your employees goals aren’t aligned with yours, you’ll find yourselves working at cross-purposes.

Think about your own personal and professional goals, then write them down and turn your written words into actions. Once you know what you want, you’ll be better prepared to help your employees figure out what they want, putting all of you on the same page and the fast track to your happy ending of choice.

1.
Choose lean protein choices, such as eggs, egg substitutes, lean beef, turkey, chicken, fish, “tofu for vegetarian." Only broil, bake, boil or poach. Only olive oil or PAM.

2.
Minimize consumption of high glycemic carbohydrates (carbs that make your blood sugar spike) such as white rice, sugar, certain pastas and potatoes. Certain cereals are ok. (Use a low glycemic list for good body choices).

3.
When eating carbs, eat them with proteins and keep portion size small.

4.
Eat high fiber foods or add fiber to your diet.

5.
Water, Water, WATER. Drink lots of water daily. Drink it before a meal to help get you fuller quicker.

6.
Try to keep your daily food intake at 40% protein, 40% carbohydrate, 20% fat which is normally found in the foods that you eat.

7.
Eat 4-6 small meals a day. Eat fewer meals if you use a high protein shake or bar for one of the meals.

8.
Portion sizes of everything should be the size of your fist. Protein can be more if you are exercising.

9.
When eating out remember to have your food cooked the right way. You are paying. Limit condiments on food and you will actually begin to notice the quality of food.

10.
Exercise: Cardio exercise at least 20-30 minutes 3 times a week and resistance exercise with weights or machines 2-3 times a week for 20-30 minutes using mostly large muscle groups to increase your metabolism.

Sometimes you are not in a position to give your employees more in terms of tangible rewards. Increases in pay or benefits, for example, may not be possible. But there is no limit to the intangible rewards you can give them. These "psychological paychecks" require little effort and cost the company nothing. They represent an excellent way for you to compensate your people during times of transition and change.

Don’t underestimate the value employees place on simple things such as a word of encouragement or a compliment from you. Give them a listening ear and show empathy. Ask their opinions about things. Call them by name, ask about their family, say thank you when they have the right attitude and effort. Write a short note to the employee expressing appreciation for quality work, initiative, etc. When you hold staff meetings, single out individuals and give them a word of praise or commendation for good job performance.

If you take the time to be nicer, you will energize, and encourage your staff. This has many far reaching benefits, particularly during periods of organizational change. There is a real payoff for you, the employee, and your company.