I want to pass along an interesting article related to organizational culture from the American Hospital Association’s Physician Alliance. The article, 4 Keys to Effective Change, features highlights from a Physician Leadership Circle discussion on common health care challenges and how behavioral science can drastically move the needle.
This paragraph caught my attention because of the work I’m doing with women healthcare leaders who are changing the organizational culture:
Any change must start with the why.
In health care, we tend to focus on the challenge, rather than why overcoming that challenge matters to patients, providers and the community. Then, we force adaptions to get to the goal which are hard to sustain. By reframing focus on why, organizations and teams can better see barriers, understand the process to remove those barriers and communicate more effectively.
If I could add one thing to this paragraph, it would be to emphasize how important it is to communicate what you believe about the mission of the team or organization and about how the change supports that mission. When considering a change in organizational culture, people are more likely to follow you when they believe what you believe. Tell them what you believe, and not just what to do, and you connect with their heart.
“Those who lead are the ones who can clearly communicate what they believe. And those who can clearly communicate what they believe are the ones who lead.” – Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action
To read the whole AHA document, click here.
Watch Simon Sinek’s 7-minute video: Why you should START WITH WHY – Lessons with Simon Sinek
Do you know how to communicate what you believe so that people are inspired to make the changes you need them to make? I can help you with that!