Leading a successful family of healthcare businesses at RX Medical is both a challenging and rewarding experience. I’m thankful to work with so many talented professionals who are dedicated to our body of work: improving patient outcomes. Part of my responsibility includes creating a work culture where employees have access to the right tools for success. Sometimes the pathway to success means providing knowledge regarding the latest medical technology available (we’re excited about our new training lab in Oklahoma City where orthopedic surgeons and employees can now gather to learn and grow). Other times, the pathway to success might mean providing tools to further develop our “human skills”. Our entire leadership team focuses on cultivating a culture of respect across each of our offices to create a collaborative workspace.

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To do this, we work daily to build respect for both ourselves and our teams. Respecting ourselves means practicing positive self-talk, maintaining an active mind and body, demonstrating the act of moving toward a purpose, and defining healthy boundaries. Our leaders know that respecting others doesn’t mean agreeing with everything they say or do. Instead, it means acknowledging new ideas, recognizing the value each employee brings to the table (we’re grateful to have a well-rounded team of experts within our organization), and being fully present when communicating with others.

The respect we give to ourselves, and others, comes back in the form of a respectful atmosphere where collaboration and innovation can flourish says leadership expert and author, Tom Ziglar. He recommends today’s leaders explore new ways to create an environment of engagement, collaboration, and creativity in his book, 10 Leadership Virtues for Disruptive Times. Ziglar suggests trying these two strategies to help:  

1.     Be mindful to give appreciation, inspiration, and recognition to others openly. Provide specific examples of various achievements that helped support the organization’s goals. Whenever possible, share relatable quotes and/or personal stories in the workplace to help your team better understand the goals, etc.

2.     Google’s Project Aristotle (a tribute to Aristotle’s quote, “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”) conducted research to answer the question: “What makes a team effective?” They found that the most effective teams practice inclusivity, respect, and participation. Inclusivity means including everyone who needs to be there, and being open to multiple communication styles (texts, calls, emails, etc.). Respect means avoiding disrespect and welcoming all team members. Participation ensures everyone feels safe to contribute thoughts and suggestions.

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Zigler also suggests developing selflessness by serving and supporting the goals of those you lead in genuine and authentic ways. Being selfless starts with understanding others (and what inspires them to do their best work). Consider individual goals and steps you can take to support employee objectives. Next, guide their actions with the best possible outcome being peak performance. Develop rapport with a spirit of kindness and consideration. Sincerity is key: treat employees as people you are happy to engage with rather than problems or tasks to solve. Zigler says investing time discovering what motivates each employee by asking “why?” multiple times during communication pays off. This process helps leaders better understand – and respect – each employee’s motivation. Zigler also emphasizes the importance of closing the “empathy gap” between leadership and employees in order to create a more connected team that operates to its fullest potential.

Leadership Challenge: Most employees want leadership teams to respect, hear, protect, value, connect, and appreciate them. What steps will you take ahead to create a collaborative atmosphere in your workplace?

Brandon Rouse leads a diverse & growing team of professionals well-versed in the challenges facing healthcare. Headquartered in OKC, OK, Brandon’s experienced team represents various technological & innovative medical solutions. ZB RX Medical is a direct distributor of Zimmer Biomet.