Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Brian Carlson

You promote, is the next line in the sentence.The full quote, which I found on Linkedinfrom an unidentified author, is: “What you permit you promote, what you allow you encourage, and what you condone you own.”Being a leader of people is a very difficult job and this quote I think emphasizes the important role a leader plays to set the tone and direction for how those around them will deliver experiences to colleagues, customers, and patients.  It starts with you.

I think of experience ashaving two primary inputs on what can make or break an experience:  Processes and Behaviors. Process is the way we get something done and was it easy or not easy, as an example. Some process examples are scheduling an appointment, checking in for something, and getting approvals. Since most processes require interactions between humans that is where behaviors come into play, things like arewe welcoming, are we explaining, are we helpful and do we listen.

In the health care space, we have plenty of work to be done on improving and simplifying processes, but I want to focus on behaviors. This is where the quote I think is so applicable to whether your organization, your workforce, and you your self are delivering the types of behavioral experiences we would expect to have ourselves if we came to your organization.

What you permit you promote. If you see or hear about behaviors that do not meet the expectations of your organization and you continue to let those occur without addressing then you are permitting them, and they will continue. You should also think of it not just in terms of behaviors for dealing with customers or patients, but also behaviors in how people treat each other within the organization. Health Care is a team sport and our effectiveness hinges upon our ability to work together and when we don’t work well together it is usually because of behaviors like not being welcomed to the team, not feeling valued or like your voice can be heard and communicating.If you permit people to be silenced and not included, then you are promoting it.

What you allow you encourage. This is really the same principle as the first statement but slightly different but important way of saying it. If you allow something by nature you are encouraging it to happen again and again. Encouragement is both active and passive and, in this case, not addressing expected service behaviors lets everyone consciously or unconsciously know it is ok and encouraged.

"Health Care is a team sport and our effectiveness hinges upon our ability to work together."

What you condone you own. This says that the outcomes are a result of what you allow and permit. So, if your area is not hitting their service or financial targets is that a result of the behaviors you are promoting and the less-than-ideal experience others are having with your area.

I believe everyone wants to feel valued and part of something bigger than them and a leader’s role is set the direction, provide them the tools to do their job, and remove any roadblocks.  If you are permitting and allowing behaviors that are not in line with your organizationalideals, then you are owning what will come and that is less than ideal experiences for both your colleagues and your customers/patients. My advice is to start internal and look at the ways you and your team interact with other teams around the organization. Focus on making those interactions and behaviors ideal. Lead the way and the outcomes to the public will follow.