“Love” is a word not often heard in office hallways or conference rooms—and likely not in many hospitals—but it has a strong influence on workplace outcomes. Although indicators suggest that those who perceive greater affection and caring from their colleagues perform better, few leaders fully grasp the connection between emotionally vulnerable and secure cultures and engagement, performance, and system transformation.
Steve Farber, author of Love is Just Damn Good Business, says it best: “Vulnerability aids human connection, and connection is the conduit for energy. The pretense of invincibility builds walls and creates distance between human hearts.”
On June 25, TiER1 Healthcare’s Managing Director Richard Corder led a discussion with three colleagues with whom he shares tremendous love and respect:
- Carol Santalucia, Former Director of Service Excellence and Culture in the Office of Patient Experience at Cleveland Clinic, now a Healthcare Consultant
- Dr. Ronald Wyatt, MCIC Vermont Vice President and Patient Safety Officer, and
- Barbara Boyne MBA, BSN, RN, a Change Strategist and Principal Consultant at TiER1 Healthcare.
They are living proof that when you lead with love, it makes a difference in people’s lives, ultimately helping to improve outcomes, foster creativity, empower someone to speak up, and encourage new ways of experiencing work.
In case you missed our “Leading with Love: Improving the Human Experience in Healthcare,” we captured the highlights in the article below. You can also watch a live recording of the webinar on YouTube.
Richard: What is your loving leadership walk-up song, and why is it important to lead with love?
Carol: “Whenever I See Your Smiling Face” by James Taylor
A genuine smile is one of the ways we show each other love. Also, I sing it to my grandchildren almost every day.
On leading with love: It’s absolutely imperative to build a culture where you can lead with both strength and empathy. Strength so you can be crystal clear on what’s important, and empathy so you can be present for your teams and show them you care about them.
Ron: “Love’s in Need of Love Today” by Stevie Wonder
This resonates with what I’ve seen in 30-plus years in healthcare. It’s so easy to drift away from what we originally set out to do. This can express itself in ways that do harm, translates to disrespect, lack of compassion, and taking people’s dignity away.
On leading with love: People talk about tools, methods, standards, regulation, and policy. All too often I have to say, “Hey, we’re talking about people!” Heart work is love work. We need to appreciate why we’re here in the first place.
Barb: “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles
Such a simple message. The Beatles get to the heart of a message about love that complexity can’t accomplish. We all do need love; it’s what connects us to the earth, our spirit, and each other.
On leading with love: It implies a relationship. Our relationships have to emerge by caring for people as human beings first. The mistake I made in my career was in thinking that focus and productivity would solve problems. Instead, respect, accountability, and trust are the foundations of productive relationships.
The following paraphrased responses summarize thoughts from the three panelists.
How have the events of the last 18 months changed how you think about leading, and what are you taking away from that experience?
“The canary in the coal mine was already on life support pre-COVID.” – Dr. Ronald Wyatt
We’ve always known that the work we do is a sacred mission. What COVID has shown us is that we’ve drifted away from that, turning the mission to revenue, reputation, power, and authority. Now leaders are surprised that mortality rates are so high for certain populations because of a pre-existing lack of love, empathy and respect. The pandemic gave us a glimpse into the personal lives of people we may not have fully seen in the past. We forget the critical contributions they make to our lives while struggling to make a living wage. This shows a lack of love in society that we must address.
Additionally, our awareness of the need is now magnified. We’ve seen communities and teams of healthcare workers that are totally exhausted. This awareness magnifies the imperative to meet them where they are and show them empathy, love, and compassion. It’s about the culture we create and sustain; we can’t do anything unless it’s one where we show love to each other.
The question is, will we take those lessons learned and show people that we are sorry for our mission drift, that we love and value them enough to tackle these systemic problems together?
What are some of the barriers to being emotionally vulnerable in the workplace?
The definition of the healthcare workplace has traditionally been about command and control. Our history has taught us to defer to the knowledge held by a few select leaders. For leaders today, it takes courage to distribute authority to your team—to be transparent, willing to talk about failures and get others involved in the solution rather than relying on yourself for answers. Younger people coming into the profession don’t share that history—they expect to have a voice, to contribute right away. A more distributed leadership structure will lead healthcare to a better place.
When leadership leans heavily on the “no margin, no mission” adage, they need to understand that to truly sustain the organization, the opposite needs to be true: Do we love our care teams, those who support them, and the people who come through the door? Do we set aside the pressure to produce so that we can deeply understand the issues that our people bring to us? These challenges can’t be fixed with policies or technology, but they can be acknowledged and addressed when people are seen, understood, respected, and cared for.
Fear and exhaustion are also barriers. If we’re fearful of being vulnerable, we hold it in and don’t share what we’re really experiencing. When we’re exhausted, we’re not at our best, which keeps us from framing situations appropriately and showing love to each other. To chip away at these, sometimes it can be as simple as asking “Hey, how are you doing?” so we can build each other up.
Is there a space in loving leadership for technology?
“The vehicle isn’t what’s important; it’s what we do with it and how we let that person know we care about them.” – Carol Santalucia
Technology is just another way to build connection. We can show love through a video chat, just as there can be an absence of love during an in-person visit. It comes down to personal preference: Some people love virtual visits, and some hate them. It’s so important to understand why they feel that way so we can design the interaction that best fits their needs.
Speaking of needs, we must remember the saying, Nothing about me without me. We can make disparities and inequity worse if we aren’t engaging in inclusive design. To guard against embedded bias, technology tools need to be co-designed with a broad spectrum of individuals, such as experts in community and population health, the elderly, and those experiencing poverty and homelessness. Doing this will assure that the technology will allow the caregiver and patient to make the best decisions together.
Can love be measured?
The presence of love can be measured in the value-based care model survey, which includes a question about how likely the patient is to recommend this facility. The presence of love in the care experience can be measured by both the quantitative and qualitative responses. What people are actually saying in the narrative is a rich resource. We need to read, listen, and understand when people open up with their true feelings, and then reconnect with them in meaningful ways.
Changing the culture to one of love and vulnerability starts with each of us. We need to be the first to say, I’m making the decision to love and to show that love to others.
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