Coach’s Playbook

The Positivity Factor:

A New Type of Burnout

by Kay Kendall

We’ve all heard about the rise in burnout among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. But I wasn’t expecting to hear about a new type of burnout expressed by the leaders of several health care organizations on a webinar I recently attended. One after another, they expressed what a challenge it is to show up every day and demonstrate positivity to keep their staff members calm and motivated enough to handle the challenges they’re facing.

It reminded me of a time when I was a senior leader at a division in the Southwest that was undergoing constant, major change. We had four presidents in 13 months, and the last one (before I left and went to another company) was an “acting” president. The confusion, frustration, and skepticism were palpable among our employees. One of my colleagues (also a senior leader) said to me, “I come in every day and try not to spook the herd.” We laughed over that, but it was gallows humor.

A recent webinar, “How to Rediscover Joy at Work,” featured presenter Rebecca Newton, Ph.D. She’s an organizational and social psychologist, and a faculty member on the Accelerated Leadership Program at Harvard Law School. Some of her suggestions applied to leaders working in-person with their teams as well as those working virtually. I thought many of her suggestions worked well with the health care approach of rounding, especially rounding on employees.

First, she suggested some introspection. What energizes and excites you at work? What is the opposite, what enervates you? She said that, according to research, there are approximately 120 different factors that energize people, with most people having around five that contribute the most to that energy. What was also encouraging to me was the finding that in a group of a dozen or so people, it’s highly unlikely that any two people will share the same five contributors. Why do I think that’s encouraging? Because

it means that, in any of my groups, the thing that drains me is likely to be what energizes another member of my team. Hence the need for introspection first. For example, I really dislike dealing with people drama, but I love to crunch numbers to make meaning from data. If we could discover each other’s energizing factors, we could trade tasks at times and both of us could experience joy at work while making a contribution.

Another suggestion she had for leaders is to share your emotions with a trusted colleague rather than with your employees who are looking to you for positivity, reassurance, and empathy. On an IHI virtual huddle series I joined last year, the group heard about an ICU in a hospital nearly overrun with COVID cases. At the end of each shift, each staff member recounted one thing that had happened that day that made them smile – even briefly. The team reported that every shift ended with tears and laughter, and they all felt their spirits lifted before leaving for home.

As always, whenever I approach a topic for this column, I try to identify its intersection with the Baldrige Excellence Framework. There is a perfect intersection for this topic in these times. 5.2b Organizational Culture. “How do you foster an organizational culture that is characterized by open communication, high performance, patient safety, and an engaged workforce? How do you reinforce your organizational culture? How do you ensure that your organizational culture supports your vision and values; promotes equity and inclusion; and benefits from the diversity of the ideas, cultures, and thinking of your workforce? How do you empower your workforce?” I think discussing these questions as part of your leadership team could pay huge dividends for your own psychological well-being and that of your employees. I invite you to share your thoughts and experiences on this topic with me for a future column.

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The team at BaldrigeCoach would be glad to help guide your hospital’s quest for process improvement. As CEO and Principal of BaldrigeCoach, Kay Kendall coaches organizations on their paths to performance excellence using the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Criteria as a framework. Her team, working with health care and other organizations, has mentored 24 National Quality Award recipients. In each edition of Arkansas Hospitals, Kay offers readers quality improvement tips from her coaching playbook. Contact Kay at 972.489.3611 or Kay@Baldrige-Coach.com.

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