When it comes to sports, the best trained, best coached and best lead teams usually win. When it comes to patient care, it is no different. Last month the focus was on training. This month, we will focus on how well your teams are being coached. As always, you can view this as a simple check-up; or maybe, just maybe, there are opportunities to improve. Even the best in the world rely on coaches to get better. A professional team has lots of coaches. There are head coaches who run the show and assistant coaches who focus on a certain specialization.

 

Regardless of how many coaches there are, they are all focused on doing their best to help the team win. They get everyone on the same page by creating alignment. Usually it involves becoming excellent at the fundamentals. Both Wooden and Lombardi earned their stripes by continuously hammering home the fundamentals. Their lesser known assistants constantly reinforced what they were preaching. You are the ‘head coach’ when it comes to patient care, your leadership team acts as your trusty assistants and everyone should be coaching to win. How good a job are you doing at coaching your team? How good are the leaders you have at reinforcing your message?

 

To get really good at something or to become even better at it, great coaching is key. Throughout the shift, encourage an ABC (Always Be Coaching) mentality. Appraisals all the time are how your team will evolve in delivering remarkable patient care. When someone does something great, make sure they know it. If they need to improve in an area they should know that too. Daily or weekly huddles are a must to reinforce alignment.

 

Great coaches are meeting with their team to reinforce the ‘game plan’. Here’s what we have learned, here’s what we can expect. Training and coaching are the keys to a solid foundation. Next month we will focus on leadership.