The view from 30,000 feet is better than at sea level
Tips for using a global view to make decisions
By Stephen W. Earnhart, MS
CEO
Earnhart & Associates
Austin, TX
How frustrating to miss an opportunity that rarely comes. How many times have we looked back on missed opportunities, such as the phone call never answered that offered a great opportunity. Or you declined a new job position where the company went public and your stock options would have been worth millions.
I have been there more times than I would like to share, but the value that comes from missed opportunities is the wisdom to avoid missing it in future. Far too often we get bogged down on mundane items or just go through the motions on decision making that does not require our full thought or expertise.
A good example is meeting with an equipment vendor. How many times can you work up any enthusiasm for that? So, you sit and listen to how good he is personally and the "by the way, I can get such a great deal for you if you sign up today" line. Insurance payers are another good example. After you have heard, "My hands are tied on this. This is as good as I can make it," you tend to tune them out and think about anything other than the conversation you are having. If this is you: Congratulations. You are normal!
If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. It’s time to get away from sea level and look at your department or center from high above the clouds. Rarely can you make a long-lasting, positive decision when you are the person negotiating the decision. Let me explain. If you are meeting with yet another vendor and trying to get a better deal on scope prices, you should be telling that vendor that unless you get a better deal you are going elsewhere and your surgeons will back you up. How does that happen? Move your vision up 30,000 feet and meet with your board or surgeons first. Let them know that they are being taken advantage of because you do not speak for them. You need to have them support your ability to play tough and consolidate vendors and equipment or tell the vendors to take a walk if they do not. You cannot really manage vendor relations without knowing the larger issue of cost control.
In an ideal world, you would have someone else (fresh eyes and brain) to meet with the vendors and carry out your instructions. In that situation, the vendor cannot take advantage of your burnout or their ability to go behind you to the surgeons and get their approval on it even before they sit with you.
Staffing is another area that always needs a clear view of the global issues rather than the immediate need. Knee-jerk reactions to replacing a vacant position is a sea-level decision and not one made from the 30,000 level. If the issue is cost control in your facility (and it always is), then staffing reduction might be more appropriate than augmentation. In my experience, 70% of the time that a staffing replacement is made, it is not really necessary. That position can remain unfilled, and productivity will not suffer or change.
Try for one week removing yourself from sea level and looking at every issue that comes to you from a high level. It really does take time and effort, so don’t be discouraged. It took me longer than I care to remember, but it has certainly paid off. I believe once you get the knack of it at work, it transcends into your off-work decision making as well.
(Editor’s note: Earnhart & Associates is an ambulatory surgery consulting firm specializing in all aspects of surgery center development and management. Contact Earnhart at 3112 Windsor Road, Suite A-242, Austin, TX 78703. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.earnhart.com.)
How frustrating to miss an opportunity that rarely comes. How many times have we looked back on missed opportunities, such as the phone call never answered that offered a great opportunity. Or you declined a new job position where the company went public and your stock options would have been worth millions.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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