| How to Accept Feedback During Tough Times |
Today’s record lay-offs and cutbacks are enough to create job jitters for anyone, including healthcare professionals. These feelings are only intensified if or when a superior makes a negative comment about your work. Indeed, in a tough economy, negative feedback or a performance reprimand can prove to be quite overwhelming.
If you’re faced with such criticism, don’t despair. You can get through it. In fact, if done the right way, you can take negative feedback and actually improve your performance. Here’s how:
Don’t shut people out. You should always be open to feedback. The worst thing you can do is to make excuses or put the blame on someone else. Remember, what you hear is usually meant to help you do your job better.
Acknowledge the comments. Listen to and acknowledge what your manager is saying, regardless of whether you agree with the comments. After you have heard your manager's comments and you understand what has been said, you can say "I appreciate your feedback and I understand the issues you have addressed." Reflect and review your manager's comments. Before taking any action, you might want to discuss the issues with a mentor or friend.
Create an action plan. Create an action plan that addresses the criticism. If you don't agree with your boss on all points, give specific examples of where you think your manager is wrong. Plan with your manager exactly what he or she would like you to improve. Does something have to be done quicker or faster, or do you have to interact better with your colleagues?
Follow-up. Take initiative, and stay on top of the turnaround plan. Also, don't be afraid to toot your own horn, and let your boss know what you're accomplishing. Check in at least every two to three weeks or sooner if you're making great progress.
Remember, even in the worst of times, you can certainly recover from negative feedback. By being open minded, you can bounce back stronger than ever before.
"Negative feedback is better than none. I would rather have a man hate me than overlook me." —Hugh Prather
| | Major Associations Propose LTC Economic Recovery Program |
Emphasizing collaboration with President Obama and Congress on nursing home care and job creation, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care recently detailed a LTC economic recovery and jobs plan.
The AHCA plan focuses on state Medicaid payment accountability, boosting the long-term care sector's access to capital, broadening adoption of health information technology (HIT), and strengthening the sector's workforce. AHCA and the Alliance recommended that the following components be included in the economic stimulus package:
- Enhanced federal Medicaid funds to be given to states avoid dramatic cutbacks that would threaten the healthcare safety net.
- Changes in loan practices and access to capital for long-term care providers, who may have as many as 3,000 "shovel-ready" capital construction projects that could begin in 60-180 days, possibly creating as many as 50,000-100,000 jobs if $4-5 billion were available through long-term, low-interest loans.
- Greater initiative to stimulate widespread adoption of health information technology in long-term care facilities.
- Work force development initiatives in the economic recovery package should at least be applicable to the long-term care sector.
The organizations said that because a substantial amount of the economic stimulus package will be devoted to state Medicaid relief, lawmakers should help ensure that a specified portion of the funds are used to maintain current funding levels for nursing home residents.
“The study of economy usually shows us that the best time for purchase was last year." —Woody Allen
| | Creating Cohesion in the Face of Tension |
In healthcare, teamwork is absolutely essential, as it enables work to get done more quickly and efficiently. That’s why it’s crucial for all healthcare professionals to act responsibly to thwart any actions that undermine teamwork. While this isn't necessarily easy, it can be done. If you can understand why tension exists between you and a co-worker(s), you can effectively eliminate it, or at least reduce it. Here are some common situations and sensible solutions.
The Situation: A colleague makes a nasty comment to you
A colleague makes a hurtful remark to you, seemingly out of the blue.
The Solution: Analyze and act in kindness
When you’re at the receiving end of a cruel remark, take a moment and ask yourself why the individual made the comment. It’s likely that you perhaps said something to make your co-worker angry. Maybe you didn't realize you offended the person when you made the remark. However, if you can be honest with yourself and admit you hurt your peer's feelings, you can begin to understand why you received that nasty comment.
Whatever sparked the initial comment, you can make it right. This doesn’t mean that you need to apologize, and it certainly doesn’t excuse the other's remark to you. However, escalating the situation by hurling an insult back will only make matters worse. So, take the initiative and repay your colleague with kindness, not anger. Get the person a cup of designer coffee when you get one yourself; ask how he or she is doing; be polite. You may be surprised how good you feel for not escalating the situation but, instead, diffusing it. The outcome is that there is less tension between you and your peer, which makes work more pleasant and enjoyable.
The Situation: A co-worker is taking his/her personal problems out on you
A co-worker is having marital problems, and you have become the substitute for the spouse. Or maybe the person is stressed out from a private issue, such as a family member's illness, and lashed out at you instead of dealing with the trouble in a more appropriate way.
The Solution: Again, analyze and act in kindness
Once again, this is not to excuse any negative comments or behaviors. It is only to illustrate that the motivations for people's actions can be complex and deep-seated. By understanding this, you may recognize that countering hurtful actions with hurtful actions does no one any good. Refer to the advice above, and act in kindness.
The Situation: Back-stabbing and gossip
Your peers are talking about you in a derogatory fashion behind your back.
The Solution: Generosity
Back-stabbing and gossip are usually rooted in jealousy and resentment. For example, if you're a top performer in your company, others could be jealous of you. You may realize colleagues' bad mouthing originates from their insecurity at your success. Understanding the real reasons behind gossip should help eliminate any bitterness and anger you feel toward them.
Once you have released those ill feelings, you can begin to recognize that maybe the less talented employees in your organization need your guidance and experience. The more generous you are toward them, the less they will see you as a threat, and the smoother your office may function.
The Situation: Harassment
A co-worker makes sexual comments or advances or makes any type of physical threat.
The Solution: Report to management
This type of behavior cannot be eliminated by visualization and kindness. You need to report this behavior to your superiors immediately.
Workplace environments are often fraught with tension. Back-stabbing, gossip and disrespect shown by one colleague toward another leads to needless anxiety and anger, which, in turn, exacerbates negative, unproductive behavior. The key remains in examining the situation and acting in kindness and generosity. At the very least, if this doesn’t entirely diffuse the situation, it will certainly make you feel better about yourself and your own ability to tackle office tension.
“Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco-pipes of those who diffuse it: it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker." —George Eliot
| | New Office Terminology |
ADMINISHPERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just above the rank and file.
ALPHA GEEK: The most knowledgeable, technically proficient person in an office or work group.
BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.
CHIPS & SALSA: Chips = hardware, Salsa = software. "Well, first we gotta figure out if the problem is in your chips or your salsa.
CLM -Career Limiting Move: Used to describe ill-advised activity. Trashing your boss while he or she is within earshot is a serious CLM.
CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.
DILBERTED: To be exploited and oppressed by your boss. Derived from the experiences of Dilbert, the comic strip character. "I've been dilberted again. They revised the specs for the fourth time this week."
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