OR Manager - November 2019 - 8

OR Manager Conference
Continued from page 7
" They don't put anyone in charge of
anyone without teaching them evidencebased
best practice of how to manage
people. They teach the followers how
to follow and the leaders how to lead, "
Tulgan noted.
Seven key myths that hinder leadership,
according to Tulgan, are:
* Empowerment: " Real empowerment
requires structure and discipline, "
Tulgan said.
* The " sink or swim " attitude sets
people up to make mistakes instead
of teaching them how to do things
right.
* Fairness: " It's a myth that you
should treat everyone the same, " he
said. " Real fairness is giving everyone
the chance to excel by spelling
out expectations. The only people
who benefit from false empowerment
and false fairness are low performers
who are hiding out. "
* Jerk boss: " If you're strong, people
will think you're a jerk, but if you're
weak, they'll like you. Our research
shows exactly the opposite, " he
said.
* Difficult confrontations: " If you softpedal
authority up front, you'll have
difficult confrontations on the back
end. Build rapport by talking about
the work every day, and avoid surprises. "
*
HR police: " Don't blame HR [human
resources], " he said. " Document
conversations with your people the
same way you document interactions
with patients, " he advised.
* Natural leader: " What's missing
from most management relationships
is the ability to provide guidance,
direction, support, coaching,
and structure, " he said.
* Time: " You don't have time NOT to
provide guidance and structure, " he
said. Instead of asking, " How's it
going? " ask, " What are you doing?
How are you doing it? "
8
OR Manager | November 2019
The mission of patient care, he concluded,
is too important to lose good
talent.
Taking your own pulse
Self-care is another critical component
for becoming an excellent leader, and
attendees got several tips in a keynote
from Kandi Wiens, EdD, MBA, senior
fellow, University of Pennsylvania, director,
Penn Medical Education Masters
Program, and professional healthcare
speaker, Studer Group. Wiens presented
" Run Your Emotions, Don't Let
Them Run You: Leading With Emotional
Intelligence. "
Emotional intelligence (EI) is basically
understanding emotions and how
they impact thoughts and how thoughts
impact behaviors, Wiens told the audience.
" Emotional and social intelligence
allow us to lead other people effectively,
embrace change, manage stress and
prevent burnout, and create positive
work engagement, " she explained.
Wiens described thought patterns,
such as ruminating about the past or
worrying about the future, that tend to
increase stress. She asked the audience
to consider and share their " thinking
traps, " with one another. In any
stressful situation, she said, one coping
strategy is to learn to check in and try
to understand what you're feeling and
the reason for it. " Anytime you find yourself
getting worked up, find a way to reframe
your story. We tell ourselves stories
based on our thinking traps. Take a
step back and consider a different way
to tell this story. "
To help teams develop EI, Wiens recommended
these action items:
* Double down on hiring for emotional
intelligence-do behavioral event interviews.
*
Get people to focus on their
strengths-a positive frame of mind
makes people more open to learning.
For example, if you need to provide
constructive feedback about
an area needing improvement, start
Opening keynote speaker Hassan
Tetteh, MD, MBA, FACS, FACHE, told
OR managers that great leaders must
be able to listen, learn, and care.
by discussing strengths rather than
weaknesses.
* Model and reinforce EI behaviors.
Setting high standards
A high level of EI is necessary for maintaining
a professional, supportive work
environment, and that means zero tolerance
for bullying. In the closing keynote,
" Defend Civility in Your OR: How to Spot
and Deal With Energy Suckers, " Barbara
Bartlein, MSW, RN, CSP, of The People
Pro, gave attendees an acronym to help
spot bullies and practical tips for banning
them from the workplace.
Bartlein defined bullying as " systematic
and repetitive misuse of power and
position, " and cited statistics linking
the behavior to medical errors. People
who are bullied have depression and
difficulty sleeping, among many other
symptoms. " Often, targets blame themselves, "
Bartlein said. " They may think
things like: 'Maybe I should be more
resilient or work harder.' "
Bartlein's acronym for different types
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OR Manager - November 2019

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