Blog
More Listening
One of the greatest compliments our employees, co-workers or family can pay us is to say we are great listeners. At some level, we know the basic ingredient of great relationships is communication, and great communication grows from the seeds of listening. Yet few of us are known for our listening, perhaps because we believe that to lead or manage effectively is really about talking and being heard.
“The single most important strategic strength that an organization can have is not a strategic plan but a commitment to strategic listening,” management guru Tom Peters declared in 2009, more than 25 years after writing his ground-breaking book In Search of Excellence. Such a commitment begins with leaders who know… READ MORE
A Horseman’s Lessons in Followership
A basic test of leadership is the ability to foster followership. In fact, I’ve come to believe that many managers never step into leadership out of fear they will look over their shoulder and find no one following. What is a best practice in getting people to follow?
A great teacher about both leadership and followership is a humble, soulful guy in cowboy boots named Buck Brannaman. A new documentary about him, titled Buck, is must-viewing for anyone who hopes to lead others. Brannaman is not a leadership or management guru but a horseman. In a voice-over at the beginning of the film, he wryly comments, “A lot of times, rather than helping people with horse problems, I’m… READ MORE
Listening to Dave
Meet Dave. He’s in his early 40s, has been a paramedic for 19 years and can teach us something about managing a certain breed of workers. I met Dave a couple of months ago while performing a consulting project for his organization. He’s a nice guy, is outgoing, talks a lot, is quick to smile and is the sort of medic who takes good care of his patients.
Even though his hair is thinning, Dave is hardly slowing down. He has two teenaged sons and three jobs. His primary employment is with a reputable ALS service, but he is also an instructor for a community college and regularly picks up shifts for a medical flight service. Despite working… READ MORE
The High Cost of Volunteerism for the EMS Industry
The largest EMS subsidy in the United States is volunteer labor. With volunteers staffing more than 75 percent of the ambulance services in the nation, volunteerism amounts to more than a 3 billion dollar annual subsidy. For more than 40 years this subsidy has allowed small towns with low call volumes to have local ambulance services. Volunteer labor kept costs low. But now, as the pool of willing and able volunteers dries up, we are beginning to understand just how costly this subsidy has been for the EMS industry.
Lest I get into trouble let me point out that this is not a critique of volunteer EMS workers. Some of the best examples of commitment, human compassion, sacrifice… READ MORE
Gratitude as a Management Practice
When Mona Thompson says “thank you,” you feel great. She leans into the words, looks you in the eye and shows she genuinely means it. Maybe that’s why the members of Kidder County Ambulance, the volunteer service she directs in Steele, N.D., stay around … at a time when most other volunteer services are losing people right and left. Her service is a powerful example of the link between leadership and organizational success. But as I’ve come to know Mona, I’ve seen that gratitude is not just something she offers others; it is an important part of her management and life strategy.
Of course, most of us recognize that expressing gratitude to employees often and sincerely is an… READ MORE
When a Procedure Is More Than a Procedure: Saluting 50 Years of CPR
It was a tragic call to a large funeral gathering: The adult son of the man being mourned had gone down during the eulogy. The ambulance service I worked for had responded to the father’s cardiac arrest a week earlier and now to the son’s. Both resuscitations were unsuccessful, and yet the family was effusive with its gratitude for our efforts. There is something special about CPR, even when it does not save a life.
Fifty years ago, two electrical engineers and a physician published an article in JAMA making an extraordinary claim: “Anyone, anywhere, can now initiate cardiac resuscitative procedures. All that is needed are two hands.” Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was the big name given to the simple… READ MORE
