I recently had the opportunity to work with healthcare professionals in supervisory roles.  Our focus was on the use of coaching skills in the workplace.  As I prepared for the program, I had some concerns about my own ability to fully understand their day to day issues.  Working in a hospital, nurses and other healthcare providers face life and death decisions on a daily basis.  How was I, a mere coach and human resources professional, going to connect with these supervisors and relate to their concerns?

In coaching, one of the big moments we strive for is when our clients have a realization, reach a conclusion, or experience a shift in thinking.  We call it an “aha” moment.  Well, little did I know that I would have an “aha” moment training these nurses on coaching skills!

One of the activities in the workshop was to write down real- life coachable moments they had experienced in the workplace with an employee or a situation when they could have used some coaching for themselves.  Well, to my surprise, their issues resembled those of managers from every other industry I’ve worked with. Approaching employees on difficult topics, dealing with conflict, resistance to change and performance issues and accountability were a few of the common threads.

I came to understand that no matter what the industry is, people are just people.  We all have the same basic needs: to be listened to, respected and supported when necessary.  Industry specific background and knowledge can be helpful in building rapport and confidence, but ultimately it’s our human experience that counts.

Many of the companies I consult with come to me with organizational ailments:

• Our Customer Service scores are down, we need training.
  The employees aren’t getting along, we need a teambuilding program.
• Turnover is out of control.  It must be because Joe is a bad manager. Let’s fire him.
• Employee morale is low.  Let’s have a employee appreciation party.

It never ceases to amaze me how quick organizations are to self diagnose and prescribe a quick-fix remedy.  The question is, are they using a band-aid strategy to prevent the spread of a cancer like problem?   Are they treating the root cause or just addressing the symptom?   When you go to the doctor with a pain in your chest, do they immediately give you medicine for a heart problem?   Or, do they quickly conclude it’s just heart burn and send you home with Pepcid AC?   Absolutely not.   They run tests and collect information before prescribing a course of action.   It would be reckless and dangerous to rush to a false judgment.

As leaders, shouldn’t we take the same approach?  In order to really address an organizational issue or management concern, we need to dig down and get a more complete picture of the situation. There are variety resources and tools available for doing this. Focus groups, survey instruments and individual “one on one” conversations are all great options for exploration and discovery.   Bringing in an outside person with a neutral perspective is also useful from a variety of stand points. Employees and managers feel more comfortable to disclose information and it allows you as the leader to be the recipient of the information vs. the “investigator, interrogator or disciplinarian”.  Once you have all the facts in front of you, it is much easier to target and address the core issue. The process may take a bit more time, but the end result will be more effective and sustainable.

It’s time to throw away the band-aids, cure what ails you and get back to business!