Messages From Our CEO
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 From the first day I set foot in Park City, Utah, I had a dream that Supplemental Health Care would become the most dominant player in the health care staffing industry. To accomplish this we needed to improve our training, specialize, upgrade our system and improve our processes. And, while Supplemental Health Care has continued to turn some heads, I am convinced now more than ever, if we could strengthen one thing to make that dream a reality it would be teamwork. Yes, that’s right ---teamwork. To take a quote from Thomas Lencioni, author of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, he writes:
“Not Finance. Not Strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and because it is so rare.”
The last part of that quote really struck home with me “…because it is so powerful and because it is so rare.” As I thought about that quote over and over again, I realized how true it really is - even here at Supplemental Health Care. We all talk team, but how many of us really live it? Now, I am not talking about working with just your Allied or Nursing teammates. I am talking cross-divisional and cross-functional teamwork as a way of everyday life. By true teamwork, I am talking about:
- Asking your Physical Therapists if they know of any Nurses who would be interested in working for Supplemental Health Care and vice-a-versa.
- Transferring a local Nurse to Buffalo for a travel assignment and vice-a versa.
- Being a Local Allied office with a strong LTAC presence and introducing the Local Nursing people to your key clients.
- Being a Local Nursing office with a strong acute care presence and introducing the Local Allied people to your key clients.
- Travel Nursing introducing Local Nursing to their key customers to handle per diem and Local Nursing introducing Travel Nursing to their key clients.
If Supplemental Health Care is to rise to the top, and if each of us is to hit our individual goals, it will only happen through a high degree of cross-functional teamwork. Do you think customers want to deal with more suppliers or less? The answer is less. Do you think our talent wants to deal with multiple staffing agencies or one? The answer is one.
Real teamwork - true collaboration - means working together for everyone’s benefit; every division, every person, is stronger because of the strength of the entire team. It is teamwork that will set us apart from the staffing herd.
Ok, you may be thinking, so what does good teamwork look like? In addition to the five examples listed above, there are ten major components to building a cross-functional, cross-divisional team. Ask yourselves how you rate on each of them:
- Communicate, Communicate, Communicate. If you have a need-communicate. If you have a problem-communicate (and not via e-mail). If you need help-communicate. It is the foundation for teamwork. It is the make or break issue. You must meet regularly, talk and engage in honest, open give and take communication.
- Bring talent to the team. It is everyone’s responsibility. Whether a Recruiter, a Nurse, a Therapist, a Rad-Tech or a Staffing Manager - it is everyone’s responsibility to bring the best talent to Supplemental Health Care.
- Be the best you can be at your job. Understand what’s expected and nail it down! Teamwork implies interdependence. Understand what you do affects others.
- Respect the differences in others. Differences in people add depth, create strength, broaden the group and bring balance to the team. Don’t sideline the person who is different and don’t use being different as crutch.
- Back up others who need help. My Dad used to say, ?Nothing?s permanent?not the good times, nor the bad times.? We all need help at different times. Lend a helping hand. Think team. See the big picture.
- Be a continuous learner. Remember, if you are not learning faster than the outside world is changing, then you are falling behind.
- Be prepared to sacrifice for the team. Stop looking out for #1. Personal sacrifice is part of the price you pay for being on the team and for the trust of your teammates.
- Help new teammates make entry. Take them under your wing and get to know them. Be responsible for their success.
- Help drive discipline into the group. Discipline is the backbone of a team. Show superb self-discipline. Hold yourself accountable for top-notch results.
- Make sure you make a difference---be a team player. Every day, you are either part of the problem or part of the solution. It is your choice.
It is real simple folks, either we all get across the finish line together or none of us do. One more quote from the aforementioned book:
“If you could get all the people in a company rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry in any market against any competition at any time.”
With Pride and Profit the highest accolade will be given to the city that achieves the highest results as a team. Need I say more?
Sincerely,
MikeJacoutot
President and CEO
Supplemental Health Care
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