90 DAY ACTION PLANS: 4 Essential Tasks Your Team Needs You To Master During Transition
Last week, we discussed the importance of creating a 90 day action plan – a clear strategic roadmap you can use to plan out the next three months of transition for your team.
Setting goals and mapping a clear path to success will help you maximize the next three months and ensure the move to the HCMD goes as smoothly as possible and that employees and patients are well cared for during the move.
If you’re having trouble determining the most essential tasks to plan for, here are 4 habits every leader must master in order to successfully lead their team through transition:
1) Communication: At Triannual III, we discussed numerous frameworks for communicating during seasons of change. Consistent, detailed, and frequent communication with all employees, patients, vendors, and partners will be paramount to navigating this season well. Your team will need to hear from you more than ever before but you might be tempted to hold back because you’ve already shared a message once or twice.
However, in times of transition you simply cannot over-communicate. Find ways to add touch points of communication so your team is never in the dark such as adding a weekly recap/update email to your department/direct reports, establishing a town hall meeting once a month or scheduling 5-10 minutes for open questions at the start of a regularly scheduled meeting, or set a small time each week for “office hours” / open door communication to allow your team to share any concerns and get essential information until the transition is complete.
2) Planning and Preparation: In our January roundtable, we learned that many of our employees crave stability and order and adequate planning and preparation will help them feel more in control of a very fluid, dynamic season here at Trinity Health.
Whenever possible, connect your team to the training and tools they’ll need to feel confident about what is coming next. Share the most up-to-date transition schedule, ensure they have on-site visits and tours booked, give them a roadmap for how your department will get everything moved to the new campus, and make sure they’re abundantly familiar with any new equipment or processes they’ll have at the new location. Keep one central location for all transition resources so everyone is in the loop and feels ready and prepared for their next step.
3) Team Building: Even though you may feel like team bonding is a low priority compared to all your other to-dos, encouraging time to foster unity and connection is more important than ever. Your team will need to be healthy and strong in order to make the transition successfully.
Schedule 1-3 opportunities during these 90 days for informal group gatherings such as a team lunch in the cafe, a bowling or trivia night with family, or arranging a virtual meetup a few times a month to connect and support each other through the move. You can also promote the practice of sharing thank you notes with each other, establish an easy shout-out/recognition practice, or add in simple ice-breakers and get to know you questions at the beginning of meetings to add depth and connection to your regular activities.
4) Risk Management: There are so many moving pieces in a process like moving to the HCMD. As the leader of your team and department, you are going to be the best advocate for ensuring a smooth transition and helping your team make the move with ease.
Take some time to review the move plan and discuss any possible issues with your leader, preparing a contingency plan for any part of the move that may be more complicated, stressful, or could cause a negative impact your team. When you have a back-up plan ready for any potential issues such as time delays, technology issues, or missing tools and resources, you can quickly respond and minimize any disruptions to your employees’ workflow and patient care.
Which strategies from each of these core leadership tasks can you add to your 90 day plan? Schedule time you can devote to mastering each task. Your team will be much stronger and more stable in the midst of this transition if you’re able to successfully look ahead, plan with strategic vision, and prepare for how to respond to whatever may arise.
LEADER-TO-LEADER: Creating Your 90 Day Strategic Plan
Your monthly time with your leader is one of the biggest tools in your arsenal for developing into a strong and capable leader. Having mentorship and guidance as you navigate the challenges of leadership will help you grow exponentially and provide better support to your team.
As you map out your 90 day action plan, get your leader involved and take advantage of their knowledge and insight to ensure you’re on the right track.
Run your plan and strategies by your leader and let them give you feedback on what is most important, enlighten you to anything you may have missed, and give you information you’ll need to see your strategies through.
If you haven’t been meeting regularly with your leader. This is the time to start! 1:1s with your leader can be incredibly valuable – especially during transition because they can offer:
1) Personal Connection: one-on-ones give you the opportunity to have focused time to connect, share concerns, get help, build trust and establish rapport. This connection will help you better navigate any trials you’ll face during the transition and ensure your team is a well-oiled machine.
2) Clarity and Understanding: there’s no better venue for getting direct instruction from your leader and ensuring you’re both on the same page about the best path forward. In your 1:1s, you can clarify top priorities, set clear expectations, ask questions, and minimize potential confusion.
3) Career Development: in your 1:1s you can discuss any opportunities for growing your skills and work through any challenges you’re facing as a leader. You can set goals and objectives for the future and get insight and wisdom from someone who’s a few steps ahead of you and knows how to navigate what’s ahead.
4) Feedback and Support: even though you’re a leader for others, you still need guidance and support of your own. In your 1:1, you can get assistance with anything you’re struggling with and get an outside, unbiased opinion to help you through any stuck points or challenges you may have with your coworkers or team. Your leader is here to help you grow and getting their feedback when you’re having an issue can be an amazing gift that makes every day more productive and enjoyable.
5) Open Communication: during a major transition, your 1:1s are essential for keeping the lines of communication open and avoiding any misunderstandings. In these discussions, you can share your own concerns and suggestions as well as bring to light any issues your employees are facing and request additional resources and tools to help them navigate what’s to come.
Click here for more resources on running a 1:1 Leader-to-Leader meeting.
SHARE YOUR WINS! 🎉 🎉
How are you doing on your leadership quest? What habits and practices are helping you to better serve your team and your patients? Let us know what’s working great and where you still need more insights and tools to improve your leadership. We’re here to help with anything you’re facing and always ready to cheer you on!