What’s Love Got to Do With It? Leadership in New Era of Healthcare | Susan Carter | TEDxNashville

Summary

This speech emphasizes the importance of heart-centered leadership in healthcare to improve patient outcomes and workplace happiness. The speaker shares a personal experience where an overemphasis on metrics led to team burnout, highlighting the need to balance targets with patient care. Drawing on examples like Buurtzorg's self-managed teams and Google's psychological safety study, the speaker advocates for a leadership approach that values authenticity, vulnerability, and collective wisdom to drive meaningful change in healthcare.

Takeaways

• 🌟 The speaker emphasizes the importance of bringing 'heart' to healthcare work to improve patient outcomes and workplace happiness.
• 🤔 Stress and burnout in healthcare are often due to external pressures and the focus on meeting targets, which can lead to a loss of sight of the core purpose of patient care.
• 🏥 A personal experience at the Osher Center highlights how an initial focus on numbers and targets led to team discord, illustrating the need to balance metrics with patient care.
• 📈 The expansion of the Osher Center's capacity and services was initially driven by a desire to meet patient needs, but the focus shifted towards meeting projected targets.
• 🔄 The speaker introduces the concept of 'heart-centered leadership', suggesting that decisions should be based on internal values rather than external pressures.
• 🌐 The example of Buurtzorg, a Dutch home care company, demonstrates how a self-managed team model can lead to better patient outcomes and lower healthcare utilization.
• 💭 Google's study on team effectiveness points to 'psychological safety' as a key factor, emphasizing the need for authenticity, vulnerability, and risk-taking without fear.
• 🧠 The speaker advocates for a shift from head-centered to heart-centered leadership, suggesting that this approach can lead to meaningful change in healthcare.
• 🌱 The idea of 'changing the course of the river' is used as a metaphor for the potential transformative impact of heart-centered leadership in healthcare.
• 🙌 The speaker concludes by encouraging the audience to use both their heads and hearts to bring about positive change in healthcare.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the speaker's talk about healthcare?

The main theme of the speaker's talk is the importance of bringing more heart to healthcare work, which can lead to improved patient outcomes, a more fulfilled workforce, and a happier workplace.

What does the speaker suggest is a common issue leading to stress and burnout in healthcare?

The speaker suggests that stress and burnout in healthcare are often due to external pressures and the focus on meeting various targets and metrics, which can lead to a loss of sight of the core purpose of patient care.

Why did the Osher Center approach leadership about expanding its capacity?

The Osher Center's capacity was not meeting the demand, so they approached leadership to explore possibilities for expansion, which led to a generous agreement to support doubling their footprint and expanding their programs and services.

What was the unintended consequence of the speaker's focus on meeting targets after the expansion of the Osher Center?

The unintended consequence was that the team became cranky, edgy, and discordant because the focus had shifted from patient care to numbers, leading to a disconnect from the reason they wanted to expand in the first place.

What is the significance of the Dutch home care company, Buurtzorg, mentioned in the talk?

Buurtzorg is significant because it operates on a horizontal, self-managed team-based model, which has resulted in better patient outcomes, lower healthcare utilization, and higher patient and employee satisfaction compared to other nursing organizations.

How does the speaker relate the concept of 'psychological safety' to team success?

The speaker relates psychological safety to team success by stating that it requires authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency, allowing team members to take risks without fear of judgment, which is crucial for fostering creativity, innovation, and transformation.

What does the speaker mean by 'heart-centered leadership'?

Heart-centered leadership refers to a leadership approach that emphasizes connecting to what matters, aligning with the organization's mission and vision, and making decisions based on internal values rather than external pressures.

What question was the speaker asked that made them reflect on the potential impact of their work?

The speaker was asked whether they wanted to 'push more water down the river' or 'change the course of the river,' prompting a reflection on the potential to bring meaningful change to healthcare.

How does the speaker suggest healthcare can be improved?

The speaker suggests that healthcare can be improved by using both the head (knowledge and strategy) and the heart (values and purpose), leading to meaningful change and better patient outcomes.

What is the potential financial impact of adopting the practices of Buurtzorg in the US, according to the speaker?

The potential financial impact of adopting Buurtzorg's practices in the US is estimated to be around forty-nine billion dollars in savings per year, based on Ernst & Young's estimation for the Netherlands scaled to the US population.

Outlines

00:00

🏥 Healthcare Transformation Through Heart-Centered Approach

The speaker expresses excitement about the potential of healthcare, focusing on the 'what if' scenario of improving patient outcomes and workplace happiness by integrating more heart into work. They discuss the common issues of stress and burnout, often caused by external pressures like meeting targets and quotas. The speaker recounts their experience at the Osher Center, where an expansion was needed due to high demand. Despite successfully increasing capacity, the team's morale declined as the focus shifted to numbers rather than patient care. The speaker then introduces the concept of heart-centered leadership, citing a Dutch home care company, Buurtzorg, as an example of a successful horizontal management model that prioritizes patient outcomes and employee satisfaction over traditional hierarchical structures.

05:02

🌟 Fostering Psychological Safety for Team Success

In this paragraph, the speaker emphasizes the importance of psychological safety in creating a flourishing team environment. They explain that psychological safety requires authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency, allowing team members to take risks without fear of judgment. The speaker suggests that to truly connect with values and align with an organization's mission, one must practice heart-centered leadership. They conclude by reflecting on a question about whether to simply push more water down the river (incremental change) or change the course of the river (transformational change), advocating for the latter as a means to bring meaningful change to healthcare.

Keywords

💡Heart-Centered Leadership

Heart-centered leadership refers to a management style that emphasizes empathy, compassion, and emotional intelligence. It is about leading with the heart, which means making decisions based on values and emotional connections rather than just logic and data. In the script, the speaker discusses how focusing on metrics and measurements can sometimes overshadow the true purpose of healthcare, which is to meet and respond to patient needs. Heart-centered leadership involves slowing down, going within, and making decisions based on what is right, rather than reacting to external pressures.

💡Stress and Burnout

Stress and burnout are terms used to describe the physical and emotional exhaustion that can result from prolonged or intense pressure or demanding work environments. In the context of the video, the speaker mentions that stress and burnout are often associated with external pressures such as meeting targets and managing budgets. The speaker's realization that focusing on these external pressures was causing discord among the team illustrates how stress and burnout can negatively impact a workplace.

💡Patient Outcomes

Patient outcomes refer to the health results or consequences experienced by patients receiving medical care. The script emphasizes the importance of patient outcomes as a measure of the effectiveness of healthcare services. The speaker contrasts the focus on numbers and targets with the importance of actually improving patient outcomes, suggesting that the ultimate goal of healthcare should be to enhance the health and well-being of patients.

💡Psychological Safety

Psychological safety is a concept from organizational behavior that refers to a climate in which people feel safe to take risks, voice their ideas, and be vulnerable without fear of negative consequences. In the script, the speaker references a Google study that found psychological safety to be the most significant factor in high-performing teams. It is linked to the video's theme by emphasizing the importance of creating an environment where healthcare workers can be authentic and innovative, contributing to better patient care.

💡Self-Managed Teams

Self-managed teams are groups of individuals who work together autonomously, making decisions and managing their own work processes without direct supervision. The script mentions a Dutch home care company, Buurtzorg, which uses self-managed teams to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. This concept is important to the video's message because it demonstrates an alternative to traditional hierarchical management models, allowing for greater employee autonomy and potentially leading to better care and satisfaction.

💡Horizontal Management Model

A horizontal management model is a flat organizational structure where decision-making is distributed among team members rather than being centralized in a hierarchical chain of command. The script discusses how Buurtzorg, a Dutch home care company, uses this model, allowing every voice to be heard and valued, which contributes to better patient outcomes and satisfaction. This model is contrasted with traditional top-down management, suggesting that a more collaborative approach can lead to more meaningful and effective healthcare services.

💡Authenticity

Authenticity in the workplace refers to the quality of being genuine, real, and true to one's own personality, spirit, or character. The script emphasizes the importance of authenticity as part of psychological safety, where team members can be their true selves without fear of judgment. Authenticity is linked to the video's theme by suggesting that when healthcare workers are authentic, they can better connect with their values and the mission of their organization, leading to more meaningful work and improved patient care.

💡Vulnerability

Vulnerability in the context of the video refers to the willingness to expose one's feelings, weaknesses, or uncertainties to others. It is highlighted as a key component of psychological safety, where being vulnerable allows for deeper connections and trust among team members. The speaker suggests that by being vulnerable, healthcare workers can foster an environment of support and collaboration, which is essential for innovation and transformative change in healthcare.

💡Transformational Change

Transformational change refers to a profound and meaningful shift in the way things are done, often leading to significant improvements or advancements. The script discusses the potential for transformational change in healthcare by moving away from a focus on metrics and targets to a more heart-centered approach that values patient care and employee well-being. This change is linked to the video's theme by suggesting that by aligning with the organization's mission and values, healthcare providers can make a more significant and lasting impact on patient outcomes.

💡Collective Wisdom

Collective wisdom is the cumulative knowledge, experience, and insight of a group of individuals. In the script, the speaker mentions how a horizontal management model allows for the emergence of collective wisdom within self-managed teams. This concept is important to the video's message because it suggests that by valuing and incorporating the diverse perspectives and expertise of all team members, healthcare organizations can achieve better patient outcomes and a more fulfilling workplace.

Highlights

The importance of bringing more heart to healthcare work for improved patient outcomes and a happier workplace.

Discussion on workplace stress and burnout often linked to external pressures and targets.

The risk of losing sight of the core purpose of healthcare in the pursuit of meeting targets.

A personal account of how focusing on numbers instead of patients led to team discord.

The story of the Osher Center's expansion and the subsequent shift in focus from patient needs to numbers.

The concept of heart-centered leadership as a means to connect with values and organizational mission.

The case study of Buurtzorg, a Dutch home care company, and its horizontal self-managed team model.

Buurtzorg's superior patient outcomes, lower healthcare utilization, and higher satisfaction scores.

The potential financial savings if all home care companies adopted Buurtzorg's model.

The significance of every voice being heard and valued in a horizontal management model.

Google's study on psychological safety and its impact on team performance.

The necessity for authenticity, vulnerability, and transparency in the workplace.

The idea that people need to feel valued and that their work has meaning and purpose.

The call to change the course of healthcare by using both head and heart.

The potential for meaningful change in healthcare through heart-centered leadership.

Transcripts

it has been so amazing to be here today

to hear all these ideas and

possibilities for the future of

healthcare and I want to talk to you

today in the category of what if what if

we could improve patient outcomes be

more fulfilled and have a happier

workplace just by bringing more heart to

our work so I've heard a lot of people

talk about stress and burnout in the

workplace and a lot of it has to do it

seems with external pressures from a

variety of demands

we have margins we have budgets we have

scorecards we have a whole host of

targets that we're trying to meet and

these targets are really important

they're how we know where we are in

relation to where we want to be

sometimes though when we're trying to

reach a goal or a move a vision forward

we can confuse that means for the end we

can mistake metrics and measurements for

providing good patient care we can lose

sight of the reason that we came to this

work in the first place and what it is

that we're trying to do about five years

ago at the Osher Center our capacity was

not meeting our demand and so we went to

leadership and we asked about the

possibilities for expanding I put a

business plan together we submitted it

and they generously agreed to support us

in doubling our footprint and expanding

our programs and services

so once the build-out was finished it

was really important to me that we meet

the targets that we had projected so

every chance I got I talked to the team

about visits and volumes and budgets and

margin because I wanted to make sure

that everyone knew what the expectations

were and after a little while my usual

happy high functioning team started

being cranky and edgy and there was

discord and it was really important to

me to figure out what was going on and

what I realized was our focus had

shifted I had lost sight of the very

reason that we wanted to expand in the

first place

meeting and responding to patient needs

I was focusing on numbers instead of the

patient I was coming from my head

instead of my heart I think there is a

shift this is possible for us now in

health care Frederick Milou in his book

reinventing organizations describes a

Dutch home care company called Burt's

org Burt's Ward's founder considers his

role to be holding the vision for his

company rather than providing top-down

strategy he opted not to use a

traditional hierarchical management

model but went for a horizontal

self-managed team based model there

eighty five hundred nurses operate in

800 self-managed teams compared to other

nursing organizations in the Netherlands

their patient outcomes are better their

patients healthcare utilization is lower

their patient and employee satisfaction

scores are better an Ernst & Young

estimated that if that the Netherlands

could save nearly two billion dollars a

year if all of the home care companies

in their country had Bert swords results

scaled to the US population

that looks more like forty nine billion

dollars and then you know I think that's

phenomenal that's really amazing but

what struck me and what caught my

attention was the change in approach the

horizontal model allowed for every voice

to be heard

every voice valued and for the

collective wisdom of each group to

emerge if we're going to move the needle

if we really are going to be creative

and innovative and transformative we're

gonna need the best of what everyone can

offer and people need to feel valued

they need to know that what they're

doing matters and that it has meaning

and purpose thank you Google did a study

to determine why some of their teams

were flourishing while others floundered

and what they found the single most

significant factor was psychological

safety psychological safety requires

that we are authentic and vulnerable and

transparent that we can take risks

without fear of judgment or

recrimination means that we need to

bring the best of ourselves moment by

moment into every interaction and that

we bring our whole selves mind body and

spirit to the work that we're doing we

have to slow down go within make

decisions based on what we know is right

rather than reacting to external

pressures and circumstances this is how

we connect to what matters this is how

we connect to our values and how we

align with our organizations

organizations mission and vision this is

heart centered leadership

I was asked recently do you want to push

more water down the river or do you want

to change the course of the river we can

change the course of the river we can

bring meaningful change to health care

just by using our heads but following

our hearts thank you

you

you