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5 Steps to Create Meaningful Change

Are You Changing For The Sake Of Changing?

Creating meaningful progress can be tough to accomplish when you do not know what needs to be changed. In many cases people change for the sake of change, which tends to lead to more inefficiencies. Driving change can seem daunting when you look at the big picture. In order to accomplish effective change you have to break it down into small bite-size pieces. You cannot build a long-standing building without a strong foundation.

“The first step towards change is awareness, the second step is acceptance.”

What Does Drive Change Mean?

As a company, we choose to drive change to inspire progress.  Driving change is about striving for a higher standard of excellence by approaching every situation with curiosity. You cannot start implementing change all willy-nilly, there should be a structure and strategy behind it. Otherwise, you would be changing for the sake of change, resulting in a lack of meaningful growth.

Here are five major steps that should be used to evaluate and identify if change is needed.

  • Communication
  • Evaluate Daily Processes
  • Eliminate inefficiencies
  • Ask Questions
  • Follow Up on Initiatives

How to Start Driving Change

Now that you understand, what it means to drive change, let’s dive into the key factors needed to implement change.

Step 1: Improve Communication

You may have mastered the art of communication, and if so, that’s awesome. However, the truth is most people still struggle with this particular skill. In fact, The University of Chicago found that listeners misunderstood speakers about 39 percent of the time. No matter your profession, communication is key to any successful position. It can make or break projects, advancements, and relationships. Here are four small tweaks that we use to achieve successful communication.

  • Don’t make assumptions – Believe it or not, you are not a mind reader and neither is the person you are communicating with. Always seek clarity when asked to complete a task. Particularly when roadblocks occur — and they will.
  • Choose in-person communication over phone calls – While phone calls can be useful when handling a small project, there is still room for miscommunication. Whereas in-person or Skype calls allow you to listen beyond the spoken words.
  • Be a proactive communicator instead of reactive – A project’s success hinges on the level of effective communication. Anticipate the needs of your team or supervisor by recognizing and identifying their preferences and expectations. For example if you see a potential or developing problem, address it!
  • Keep your superviso in the know – While it may feel like overkill, consistent communication is key to a successful working relationship. Keep in mind that your supervisor is working with multiple people and may not always have the ability to see what you are struggling with or accomplishing.

For a more in-depth communication checklist look at “14 Proven Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills”

Step 2: Evaluate Daily Processes

You cannot improve a system if you have not identified the weak points. In some cases, it comes down to a process problem.

  • Do not get complacent – Before you can improve your situation you have to evaluate your attitude. Complacency comes when you get comfortable and stop setting new goals. A professor of mine once said, “The moment you stop learning is the moment you stop growing.”
  • Prioritize what’s important – Set goals and create a checklist that identifies tasks of the highest importance to the lowest. Prioritizing will help you stay on track day-after-day.

Step back and reflect – What is the use of change if you never step back to see where you started? Schedule time for reflection so that you can reap the full benefits of the journey.

Step 3: Eliminating Inefficiencies

Now that you have learned how to effectively convey ideas and identify your weak points, let’s start removing the things that are dragging you down.

  • Remove distractions – In many cases we think that we can “resist answering that text” or “ignore that missed call” during a meeting. But the truth is, if we can see it we will, at least, start thinking about it, thus diverting our attention. So instead of trying to resist the urge just remove the distraction altogether.
  • No multitasking – While many people think that multitasking helps get everything done faster it actually hurts your quality of work.

“We don’t actually multitask. We switch-task, rapidly shifting from one thing to another, interrupting ourselves unproductively, and losing time in the process,” according to Harvard Business Journal

Eliminating Inefficiency as a Scribe

Practice time blocking

Keep an active patient list

Communicate with the Physician

Double check charts and details

Complete chart audits

Anticipate questions that the patient or physician may ask

Step 4: Accountability

It is hard to achieve long-term growth without a system to keep you on track.  Here a few ways that you can start developing an accountability process.

  • Be aware of team goals – Always start with the team goals to identify your role and better align your personal goals to achieve individual and overall success.
  • Set SMART goals – Set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely goals! Sometimes that is easier said than done, however, setting this type of goal will keep you motivated and on track.
  • Hold yourself accountable – Yes, this is hard to do without practice, but you can start by assigning deadlines to your goals and sticking to them!
  • Learn time management – This skill is something to be nurtured. Start by making a schedule and be detailed, but more importantly, be honest with yourself about how long it takes to complete a task.

Who knew that small tweaks could have such a big impact?

While change is inevitable, meaningful change should be deliberate. You have to decide what your goals are and identify which areas need to be revamped to achieve success. Take a step back and evaluate your performance to determine the best approaches that will generate the most long-lasting growth.