As I talked with leaders about their results from the pulse survey conducted at UC Davis Health last fall, I noticed a pattern. When I spoke with leaders from the Patient Care Services (PCS) units, I consistently heard some form of “We’re encouraged to take care of ourselves first, our team second, so the patient gets the best care.” I was intrigued and had to know more! I had an inspiring hour-long conversation with Toby Marsh, R.N., M.S.A., M.S.N., F.A.C.H.E., N.E.A.-BC, Chief Patient Care Services Officer.
Team trust is one of the most important factors in team performance and one of the most elusive values to purposely create and quantify for many teams.
When teams are new, they are as wide-eyed and enthusiastic as a young lion cub. But when they get older, watch out. . . they can bite. All too often, organizations birth a team to take on a particular project or to reorganize work generally without realizing that teams need constant care and feeding.