1. Listening requires discipline and focus. Listening is the highest compliment you can pay to another human being. Most great leaders have the knack when listening to others of making them feel they are the only person in the room. Healthcare executives today must learn to listen intently to the ideas and feelings of their colleagues. The people reporting to you are literally your lifeline as you grapple with critical challenges of the future.
2. Give eye contact. When you listen it is mandatory you give eye contact for the length of any conversation. To do otherwise shows indifference and lack of respect. Eye contact also enables you to take charge of a given situation and tells the speaker you are committed and serious about the conversation.
3. Listen with everything you have. Many people can give you seemingly undivided eye contact without really listening to you. They want you to believe they are listening but they are doing so only in one dimension. Really listening intently requires not only eye contact but full and undivided attention. Listen with your ears, your eyes and your mind.
4. Watch people when they listen to you. When listeners cross their legs or their arms it’s a telltale sign they aren’t buying what you say. Maybe they shrug their shoulders or look over their shoulders while you’re talking. These are bad manners illustrating the listener really isn’t interested in what you have to say. It happens all the time but many people don’t pick up on these signs of indifference.
5. Listen to all the different takes on ACOs. Everybody is talking about accountable care organizations today, but when I ask healthcare people how they see ACOs they say there are all kinds of definitions on what ACOs truly are, and that’s confusing. This means discussing ACOs requires real listening. It behooves you to listen to all varieties of ideas people have on the matter. If you do, you will develop your own agenda on what it takes to have a successful ACO.
6. Listen to all of your constituencies. Listen to the nurses, physicians and other personnel in your institution. That will help them feel part of your institution’s “big plan” and you’ll learn about all the ideas that are out there. This means you have to pay attention to any and all conversations in meetings and outside conferences, podcasts and webinars. Being aware of everything around you helps you to ferret out new innovations and ideas.
7. Let speakers finish their sentences. When listening to others, make sure you let them finish their sentences before you start talking. Don’t just talk over someone! Basic courtesy requires you to be patient when you listen to others. A few days ago I met with the CEO of one the major teaching hospitals in Chicago and watched him listen intently to an employee. I don’t know what was said but my friend didn’t break eye contact the whole time. He faced the speaker directly and did not stand sideways, which suggests you’re not really interested in what is being said.
8. Do some reading. This is not just an invitation to read some of the wonderful books on listening skills. It’s also an invitation to read, period. I submit to you that reading and listening go together. If you read documents about healthcare reform and other topics you’ll be much more comfortable listening to others’ ideas and be able to judge whether they really understand the subject at hand. Then what they have to say has legitimacy. We are all judged by our peers in this way.
9. Listen to people outside of your institution. Find out what the community thinks of your hospital and what people expect from healthcare. Patient satisfaction scores don’t do the job. They don’t probe deep enough. Be open to any and all ideas thrown at you by people in the community. They are your customers and consequently they are the lifeblood of your institution. Too many C-suite executives depend on outside firms to measure community attitudes. That’s bad business. Outside firms really don’t understand the culture of your customer base. When you get numbers from a fast and dirty survey, they should be studied and accepted with some reservations.
10. Mr. Executive, you’ve got a tough job ahead. There is more confusion in healthcare today than I have seen in years. In many cases, C-suite executives all over the country literally don’t know what to do. They are frozen and panicked and need someone to help lead them into a new era of healthcare delivery. Open your mind and heart and listen to everyone you can. Buried in all that advice you might find the answers to help your institution survive. Remember, successful executives listen and then take action, not the other way around. Patience and fortitude should be the order of the day.
Chuck Lauer ( chuckspeaking@aol.com ) was publisher of Modern Healthcare for more than 25 years. He is now an author, public speaker and career coach who is in demand for his motivational messages to top companies nationwide.
Read more from Chuck Lauer:
– Chuck Lauer: 10 Attributes of a Great Hospital CEO
– Chuck Lauer: 10 Predictions on How Healthcare Will Change in the Next 10 Years
–Chuck Lauer: 10 Points on Leadership
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