In the well-known movie, "The Wizard of Oz," Dorothy knew she needed to follow the yellow brick road to get to the Wizard and accomplish her goal of getting home. Recently I had the pleasure of attending sessions at the HR Florida Annual Conference in Orlando, where the speakers referenced following their yellow brick road and how that allowed them to attain their personal and organizational goals. I have worked with several health centers and watched how leaders, including me, often know what they want at the end of their yellow brick road but allow their wicked witch to prevent movement that detours them from reaching Oz.
Challenges to your end goals:
Day-to-day firefighting - There is always fire to put out, right?
Avoid being a fire fighter. Use your human resources, most likely one of your largest investments, to be an engaged part of your team. If your organization runs smoothly there will be fewer fires to extinguish, allowing you to reach your goals.
Saying, "It is faster if I just do it myself rather than train someone else."
Remember, train the trainer so you aren't trying to do it all yourself. Help your trainer so your focus is where it needs to be - on the organizational goals.
I can't work outside my comfort zone.
All of us have a tendency to operate in our comfort zones. Sometimes to get better you need to be willing to step outside that zone, experience some discomfort, and grow from it in the end.
It is a sign of weakness to ask for outside help.
Using outside assistance can be beneficial because an organization attempting to change may need that outside insight to see more clearly. It is not always comfortable to have someone tell you there might be a better way, but be open to it.
I think I understand the challenges staff face every day.
Do you? Changes can't be made in a vacuum. Develop a task force to engage employees and include them in decisions that effect their environment. The creation of policies and procedures should be handled by a task force that includes a mix of individuals by their willingness to participate and share, as well as their job description. Those on the frontline often have insight others may not. Don't make assumptions that the approved procedures in the manual are followed to the letter.
There are no cultural or generational issues in my workplace!
Don't kid yourself, with four generations in the workplace the term "Diversity" has a whole new meaning. Even the most basic actions and styles of communication can impact the success or failure of teams and organizations. Maintain training and open discussion so that all employees feel safe sharing ideas for improvement.
It happened to me in my past job, so I know it will happen again.
Why do you feel this way? Think about your career successes and failures. Are there similarities in the failures? If so, ask why. This may require you to step outside your comfort zone, but the end may produce more success than you ever imagined.
Remember, Dorothy didn't make it to Oz alone, she engaged a team that was willing to help her succeed so that they might as well.
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