Engaging the C-suite to Advance Pharmacy PracticeProviding quality patient care throughprogressive pharmacy practice

Effective Communication and Leadership: Knowing Yourself, Learning From Your Mistakes, and Maximizing Your Potential

Samuel Calabrese, R.Ph., M.B.A., FASHPAssociate Chief Pharmacy OfficerCleveland ClinicCleveland, OH

Components of Effective Communication

• Credibility• Integrity• Relationships• Knowing yourself - Self Reflection

Credibility

• Customers• Boss• Staff• Management Team

Establishing Credibility and Trust

• Customers - Peers– Find loudest critics and get them to the table

• Establish Nursing-Pharmacy Committee • Establish relationships based upon trust and

mutual respect – e.g.; Pyxis® rollout example

– Work toward common goals• Be seen as collaborative, not just Pharmacy

Kingdom based• Do the right thing for the patient

– Deliver (integrity)

Credibility – Your Boss• Deliver

– Hit the numbers– Deal with complaints– Be proactive– Always deliver when you ask for resources

• Don’t shy away from tough issues– When placed in command - take charge– Always say yes to your boss: “Can-do” action orientation

• May have to say yes, but…

• Follow-through on everything– Even if answer is no, circle back yourself

• Communicate pro-actively– If it is bad news, it comes from you first. Bosses don’t like to be

caught off guard

Credibility – Your Staff (Team)

• Deliver (see the trend?)• Advocate for them

– New space or remodels– Increased staffing– Gallup question: “I have the materials and

equipment I need to do my job”• Just buy the computer, or book, or file cabinet…

If you have a $32,000,000 drug budget, you shouldn’t get too worked up over spending $100 to make their life easier

Credibility – Your Staff (Team)• Set the tone for respectful communication in the

department– Don’t tolerate inappropriate behavior

• It’s not OK to yell at staff meetings– Zero tolerance for the big three

• Race• Sex• Violence / intimidation – physical or verbal

– Document all disciplinary conversations– Don’t tolerate people outside of your department

treating your staff inappropriately

Credibility – Your Staff (Team)

• Know them– Meet with all new employees when they start

• Discuss the Vision on day one– Walk through the department every day

(MBWA) and address every employee by name

– Regular staff meetings• MBWA

– Be accessible– They can bring an issue to your attention

• They should have a potential solution when they do

Credibility – Your Management Team

• Take care of those who take care of you!• Know their goals • Prepare them for their desired role

– Give them authority to make decisions– Give them face time with Sr. Administration– Praise them in front of your boss when they

do a good job– Give them the credit for their successes– Be an advocate for their careers

Credibility – Your Management Team

• Pay them well

• Go to bat for them

• Establish a Leadership Pipeline

A good manager is a man who isn't worried about his own career but rather the careers of those who work for him. My advice: Don't worry about yourself. Take care of those who work for you and you'll float to greatness on their achievements.

– H.S.M. Burns – 1988 President Shell Oil Company

Integrity

• Do the right thing– Don’t make “special arrangements”

• They will always come back to bite you in the butt

– Don’t bow to pressure if it compromises integrity

• Example - Dept Head, Dean and CEO phone call for special hiring treatment

It’s All About Relationships

• Help us do our job– Get crucial information– Avoid pitfalls or problems – Obtain the tools to do your job– Identify opportunities

• Relationships are a two way street– Must be willing to assist others to foster and

grow long term relationships

It’s All About Relationships

• Be Honest– with others– with yourself– when giving difficult news– always

• Listen– good, active listening should make you tired,

it’s hard work

Where do you begin?

• Prioritize and create opportunities to build better working relationships– Introductions– Initiate a meeting– Take advantage of casual meeting

opportunities– Congratulatory emails

Strategies for building relationships

• Ask for other’s prospective– How would a new idea effect their area– How does the idea look from their view– Do not dismiss input or ideas

• Help others with their goals– Investment in your future projects– Identify opportunities before asked

Key Principles – Focus on Them

• Maintain or enhance self-esteem– Show you respect their perspectives and

opinions– Acknowledging them for help– Showing interest in their personal interests

• Listen and respond with empathy– Paraphrasing when communicating– Body language

Knowing Yourself

“Those who ignore the past are doomed to repeat it”

“If you keep doing the same thing, don’t expect different results”

“If things go wrong, look in the mirror for answers”

Knowing Yourself• Tools

– Strength Finders– Insights

• Color wheel• Red, Green, Blue, Yellow

• Our greatest strengths are our greatest weaknesses– Strength: Passionate, goal oriented, driven– Weakness: See above

Management Style

• Authoritative• Coaching• Affiliative• Democratic• Pacesetting• Coercive

Key is to be able to vary your style and approach depending on the situation!!

Reflection

• Why is this important?– Sources of honest feedback decline as you

move up the ladder– Identify actions to continue– Identify actions to eliminate

Key Areas for Reflection

• Vision and Priorities– If asked would my employees be able to

articulate the vision and priorities?

• Feedback– Do I give people timely feedback?

• Succession Planning– Am I delegating sufficiently?

• Leading Under Pressure– How do I behave under pressure?

Key Takeaways

• Successful communication requires credibility, integrity and relationships.

• Knowing oneself provides knowledge to refine/enhance communication

• Reflection provides a means to self evaluate when honest feedback from others is not available

References and Suggested Readings

1. *Zilz DA, Woodward BW, Thielke TS, Shane RR, Scott B. Leadership skills for a high-performance pharmacy practice. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2004; 61:2562-74.

2. Nold EG, Sander WT. Role of the director of pharmacy: the first six months. Am J Health-Syst Pharm. 2004; 61:2297-2310.

3. First, Break All the Rules.4. Now, Discover Your Strengths.5. The One Minute Manager.6. Leadership and The One Minute Manager.7. Good to Great.8. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.9. Kaplan, RS. What to ask the person in the mirror. Harvard Business

Review. January 2007.10. Goleman, D (1911). Leadership that gets results. In Leadership: The

Power of Emotional Intelligence (pp. 40-30). Northampton, MA: More than Sound LLC.

QUESTIONS