OR Manager - November 2019 - 7

OR Manager Conference
Attendees had great fun with mask making and Tarot card readings during the OR Manager's Night Out celebration.
and lung transplant surgeon and author
of The Art of Human Care, recalled the
impact of his near-death experience as
a young adult when he contracted bacterial
meningitis.
" I remember the doctor who took
care of me in the ER. I never forgot him.
Because of that experience, I came up
with a theory I call the art of human
care. It's composed of three elements:
purpose, personalization, and partnerships, "
he said.
Dr Tetteh asked attendees to pair
up with strangers and share " stepping
stone stories " -an experience that
changed their lives. They were asked to
take turns listening to one another for 2
minutes without interruption. Afterward,
some attendees said they found it hard
not to interrupt. Dr Tetteh noted that 2
minutes is not a long time, yet studies
have shown that, on average, healthcare
providers interrupt patients within
16 to 18 seconds after patients begin
speaking, and they miss important information.
To
underline the importance of listening,
Dr Tetteh shared a story about
an undergraduate professor who had
www.ormanager.com
encouraged him to attend the Kennedy
School at Harvard University. Some
years later, after becoming a physician,
Dr Tetteh was admitted into the Kennedy
School. When he contacted his
former professor to tell him, he learned
that the professor had cancer and desperately
needed care from a thoracic
surgeon. Dr Tetteh was able to connect
him with a colleague, and his professor
lived for several more years. During that
time, the professor spoke to other cancer
survivors and inspired them to not
give up.
" What did that take from me? Just
listening to him, knowing what he
needed, and making a phone call, " Dr
Tetteh said.
" There are only three things you
need to know to be an excellent OR
manager, " Dr Tetteh told the audience.
" Listen, learn, and care. "
Teaching
Dr Tetteh's advice was an underlying
theme in " The Leadership Pipeline:
Growing the Next Generation of Perioperative
Managers, " by Bruce Tulgan,
founder & CEO, RainmakerThinking, Inc,
a research, training, and consulting firm
in New Haven, Connecticut.
In 2020, he said, Baby Boomers
will make up just 5% of the workforce.
" What will we do when the grown-ups
start leaving? " he asked. " My advice is:
Worry. "
The audience laughed, but he noted
that 26% of the workforce was born in
1990 and later. These younger employees
are often criticized for needing a lot
of coaching and feedback, but Tulgan
made a compelling case for teaching
them how to be good leaders rather
than expecting them to " wing it. "
Emerging leaders model the behavior
they've observed, and as a result,
mistakes are repeated. " Nine out of
10 leaders are missing these leadership
basics: high-structure, high-substance
communication, " Tulgan said.
He lauded the military's approach to
grooming leaders, which is basically
to spend one-on-one time with people,
spell things out, create next steps, hold
people accountable, clarify expectations,
and follow up.
Continued on page 8
OR Manager | November 2019
7

http://www.ormanager.com

OR Manager - November 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of OR Manager - November 2019