The Power of the 4:1 Ratio
“-Let me respond to that: If you see here in the numbers, it is clear that we can make this change without impacting the patient experience. The facts show that if we just change two workflows, we can make it happen-”
“But that’s not the way –”
“Let me finish… I know it will be hard, I know that you are doing great work, and I know we are all here for the patients, so I trust you can make it happen. I brought copies of the data for you to see as well.”
I had failed.
My lack of coaching led to this ugly interaction. The hospital CEO, with the very best of intentions, had completely destroyed trust with the group of frontline nurses and their leaders on this Short Stay Unit. Now we sat in silence and watched body language change from disbelief to anger and betrayal.
**
Leaders are constantly faced with the challenge of introducing changes. They are tasked with presenting ‘opportunities’ which feel more like jabs to the body, efficiencies which feel like papercuts from cardboard, and new technologies which become an obstacle course in a hail storm. And, for those leaders who have had failures in the past (-and who hasn’t), they embark on these conversations with a weight strapped to their ankle.
So, it is no wonder that in the moment of introduction, they revert to a leader comfort zone. And for many of our leaders, that comfort zone is filled with gracious words, beautiful graphs, and numbers in many colors — just not red. However, their utopia hits a cyclone of reality when they are confronted with one question after another; people who check out; those who criticize; those who lash out. Leaders’ welcoming and logical presentations don’t account for the reality that we all navigate a change curve. That curve bottoms out in frustration and disbelief before we can adopt the necessary changes presented.
Painfully the leaders swim in their comfort zone with their failed attempts to pull people into their sphere fails over and over.
There is need of a 4:1 ratio challenge. Think of this challenge as your math problem as a leader. How do you measure and shift your equation in three critical aspects of change leadership?
Listening … listen 4, speak 1
In conversations, it becomes critical for leaders to keep their mouths shut, and to welcome input and feedback from their team. If a meeting for a launch of an initiative is 30 minutes, it should be 5 minute introduction, and the remaining time should be gathering feedback. This ratio should continue as leaders conduct one-on-one’s and as they strategically drive changes forward. The research supports that people’s #1 desire is to be heard. As leaders, we must quit speaking over others, and engage the art of listening.
Resources:
Conversational Intelligence; Glaser, Judith E.
The Lost Art of Listening; Nichols, Michael P.
Affirmation… positive 4, correction 1
Perception isn’t always truth… but my perception will lead to my own truth about a given situation and about my trust in you as a leader. The research conducted in healthcare and beyond makes it abundantly clear that people must hear between 4:1 and 5:1 positive reinforcement to negative reinforcement/correction to believe there is balance. That means we must intently look at each situation, finding that which is praiseworthy, and actively make affirmation part of our culture. Our corrective statements must be guarded and used sparingly with laser precision. Leaders who try to do this haphazardly run the risk of insincerity and disconnection – truly the opposite of what they are after. Utilizing “positive gossip” can be powerful and welcome for workers who long to be valued.
Resource:
Lead Positive; Cramer, Katheryn D.
Emotional Intelligence 2.0; Bradberry, Travis and Greaves, Jean
Communication… methods 4, messages 1
The repetition of message is key for it to stick. Just listen to the radio ad, and count the number of times you hear the web address for the local car dealership. However, the most skilled communicators don’t always use the same email over and over with talking points. Instead, they dig in creatively to find four to seven unique ways to communicate the same message. The email gets deleted, and the newsletter filed away, so how can you maximize preferred and appreciated modes that resonate with your team? Leaders must always keep one idea in mind while communicating: if the message isn’t heard, it is not the receivers fault. It’s the messenger’s fault. So, creatively find the ways to say the same thing in appropriate venues to etch the ‘why’ deep within them.
Resource:
Workplace Communications; Searles, George J.
Maximizing Internal Communications; Barton, Paul
If we address each 4:1 ratio above, we have hit on the drivers of isolation and resistance in change: I don’t feel heard; I don’t feel valued; I don’t feel connected or informed. If we executed more effectively in each of these, the results would be profound. The 4:1 failure rate of projects and initiatives might just change itself to a 4:1 success rate if we could navigate this simple 4:1 ratio challenge.
**
That same leader, in the very next meeting, answered with minimal soundbytes, and followed up with open-ended questions. He listened intently. The room was still wounded, but with time, and consistently modeling these three behaviors, the change initiative moved forward with a heard, valued, and informed team.
