Lack of Communication: A Two-Way Street

With a MAJOR Traffic Jam!

The lack of time built into a daily work schedule for quality communication points us to another uncomfortable truth, which is that occasionally (not always everyone, calm down!) physicians can be difficult to talk to. I’ve often heard cited from coaching clients as a reason leaders feel uncomfortable engaging with the physicians on their team. Now, let’s be clear: Leaders, your discomfort speaking to physicians is not a valid reason to let communication fall to the wayside. It’s an excuse and you know the old saying about excuses, right? 

It is, however, a valid point that should be examined further. Because when leaders are uncomfortable engaging and building relationships with the physicians on their team, the results quickly speak for themselves -- low trust among team members and an unfriendly or worse, hostile work environment begins to take root. 

Conversely, physicians often find leaders difficult to talk to as well. They feel that leaders are on a different wavelength or they have different priorities, timelines and urgencies. Many physicians would rather avoid a conversation with their boss and get on with their work. 

There’s a lot of culture and baggage to unpack within this thread of our communication web. Some may say that the culture of medicine does not have a place for deep conversations about our feelings and relationships within the workplace. We need to buck up, focus on the patients, and get things done. Yet, we know that the most successful organizations in the long run (we’re not running a short sprint here folks!) are those that are full of people who trust each other, enjoy working together, and work out their differences effectively instead of sweeping issues under the rug. 

Let’s take a deeper look at this metaphorical traffic jam. To summarize, no one wants to talk to each other and is just trying to get through the day and do their jobs. Sounds similar to a lot of other unhappy workplaces, right? But, within the healthcare industry, we have a responsibility to be an example and work together at a higher standard than other industries. 

When physician leaders do make time to talk to their teams, it’s often at a required group meeting where leaders relay information from the administration about new processes or policies. It’s not an equal discussion between members, it's a top-down authoritarian “we’re doing this now” dissemination of information. In other words, not conducive to relationship-building or strengthening trust. Further, if a physician speaks up in this kind of meeting environment and raises concerns or issues they are facing, they often appear stubborn and hard-headed. Instead of one who is seeking solutions. Meanwhile, their leader (who likely trained and worked as a physician before their current position) looks like a cold-hearted cog in the administrative machine, unable to listen. 

We begin to see the myriad of related problems related to this lack of one-on-one or regular informal small group communication between leaders and physicians. Another thread to pull at is the mitigating reason why both shy away from one-on-one discussions. This is often because those conversations have historically occurred under frustrating circumstances for both parties.

Next week we’ll look at the typical circumstances under which communication does occur in healthcare organizations and hospitals and begin to understand why most people are avoiding it to begin with. As it turns out, communication’s got a less than savory reputation.