Great leaders connect with minds and hearts

We've long suspected that engaged employees equal better clinical outcomes.

Now, with research proving it beyond a doubt, employee engagement is no longer a talking point. It's no longer optional. Now, it's a “must have” for moving performance in any organization.

That said, engagement is not “one size fits all.” In my new book, A Culture of High Performance: Achieving Higher Quality at a Lower Cost, I explain that because each employee is different, leaders have to communicate in ways that take those differences into account.

Some are motivated by our minds, others by our hearts, still others (and actually, this is most people) by a blend of both. Convincing managers, staff members and physicians to make a needed change means explaining the “why” in a way that appeals to the logically minded and the emotionally driven alike. It means connecting with the mind and the heart.

Let's say you want to implement a new tactic. As you make your case you always begin with the “why.” To connect with “mind” people you detail the clinical outcome and the financial impact the change will yield.To connect with “heart” people, you tell a story about a life that was saved by the tactic.

Like great patient care, great employee engagement is individualized. The best healthcare organizations get this. They never stop working to make their messages resonate in ways that inspire the mind, touch the heart, activate the passion … and ultimately create a high-performance culture that can withstand any storm.

Quint Studer,