The Power Of Having Company

My to-do list read as follows:

• Wash windows
• Mow lawn
• Power wash toys
• Power wash patio
• Mow front walkway!

While the last item should have read “power wash walkway,” I wrote down “mow” instead just to make myself laugh. You see, after all Winter collecting dirt, and all Spring soaking up water and God-knows what kinds of seeds, the space between the pavers was sprouting life in every crevasse. But while this may be good for the plants in question, it did little to enhance the appearance of the house. And since we were having some people over on Memorial Day for a backyard BBQ, I decided now was the right time for a little house cleaning.

As I stood there watching the power washer obliterate our little green friends and their dirt homes, I thought about this beneficial effect — namely, how the dynamic of “having people over” can get us to finally tackle those to-do items we often leave undone. And I wondered: can this same tendency be leveraged by those running a hospital-based IT department?

Well, let’s think about that. We know the phenomenon works, such as when the Joint Commission is coming or if you feel in the crosshairs of an OCR or Meaningful Use audit, but what if that same feeling could be created for everything else, just about all the time? Can you imagine what a tip-top shop you’d be running?

Now, before you get nervous, I’m not talking about living in a state of panic at all times, but what I am talking about is “having people over” — people whose presence might just get everyone to tidy up a bit (make sure all the COWs are charged, that all the computers are working, that nobody is committing any flagrant HIPAA violations, etc). I’m talking about the kind of visit that will make you and your staff power wash the place.

We all talk about fostering greater collaboration in healthcare. What about arranging reciprocal visits with your regional counterparts — your CIOs across the way. Can you imagine the flurry of activity before the visit (polishing the mice and all)? When they arrive, you’d show them around the place, talk about your successes and your challenges, and ask their advice on the latter. Perhaps you could even have them address the staff. If you did something like this quarterly, I doubt things could fall very far into disrepair.

But the benefit wouldn’t end there, as I bet this kind of relationship building would make for a nice environment when you’re sitting across from each other at an HIE meeting.

Short of that, what about letting your team know you’ll be showing one of your C-suite buddies around the place once every quarter? Perhaps that might get things hopping.

Whether it’s one of the aforementioned concepts or something else, the fact is that we often only do the little things — the things that can make our shops Ritz Carlton level — when someone is coming to dinner. Just as we often only tip when the server is looking at the tip jar (and get so frustrated when they look away as our money falls in). We want people to see how good we’re doing. So, why not go out of your way to get someone to come and look? For my part, I know my walkway is much spiffier for just that reason.