Diego Chiarandini

Separation begets connection!

My office is located in a satellite building, a few hundred feet from the main hospital. I was thankful when I had first heard this would be the case. I didn’t feel that it made sense in my role to be in the “Executive Suite.” It also meant I would be closer to the rest of our HR department (same building, different floor). Of course for now that is almost a moot (or should I say Zoom) point, but I do get to our main HR suite a few times per week, which gives me a chance to have some in-person time relating with members of the team.

I also want to always advance my involvement and understanding of the operations of the hospital itself and am keenly aware that our staff wants to feel connected to each other, and to the organization’s leadership. In the past few weeks I have worked with our Wellness Committee, senior administration, and administrative support to launch a series of rounds on our Nursing units. This is an extension of Management By Walking Around (MBWA) or as I dubbed it previously MBWAWAM (With A Mask :-). The objective in these rounds is open ended: to get to know each other, to show appreciation, and to forge stronger connections across the organization.

The dos and don’ts of this type of rounding:

Do

· Announce / Introduce yourself

· Find conversation points which connect you to the staff

· Observe and ask questions to help you better understand the nature of their work

· Share information about yourself

· Express your appreciation for the work they do

· Bring snacks/treats :-)

Don’t

· Stand around silently

· Take out your phone – the rest of the world will not collapse while the phone stays in your pocket

· Point out problems that you observe (if it is reportable, find a time later to inform the unit manager)

The feedback of these sessions through the grapevine has largely been positive. The raw ingredients I have found to be most successful are a combination of mid-level managers paired with senior management, ensuring that at least one participant already knows some of the staff. Personality styles are also an important consideration. I am not an extrovert by nature, and my voice does not project well, especially through a mask. I often feel I need a ‘spark’ to get conversations going and having someone there with me who introduces me has been a great help.

The fact that I am the organization’s HR leader and that I am there for positive means and not showing up because “something went wrong” also helps set the tone. In these recent visits I have met nurses, clinical assistants, doctors, and unit clerks, among others, some with over 40 years of service in the organization, others less than two years. I have learned about their safety practices as it relates to COVID-19, spoken with staff who have had the chance to advance their careers, and most recently got to hear what I can only describe as the ‘chirp’ of a two-day old in the nursery.

I went back to my office from that last visit to a swarm of meetings… Pandemic Task Force… Crisis Pay… COVID Update…………………There I was, back at a desk, in front of a computer screen; a world so distant from the one I had just left, and yet, now with a stronger connection to the underlying people and mission of our organization.

Over the next 24 hours I continued my pattern of immersing myself in the swarm of emails, meetings, and relevant headlines:

Hospitals drowning in COVID cases

Can I stop wearing a mask after getting a COVID-19 vaccine?

U.S. vaccine advisory panel recommends FDA authorize Pfizer COVID-19 shot

Early afternoon the next day I started off to the main hospital to get a coffee and visit briefly with one of our Wellness Committee leads. As I stepped out of my satellite building, it felt so warm I had to check the temperature: 48° F! As they say with age, though in reverse here, 48 is the new 70, especially after protracted days in the 20s and 30s.

I made my way across the parking lot, to this point successfully keeping the fog in my lenses to a minimum. As I started across the street from the parking lot towards the main entrance I noticed a young man crossing in an almost parallel diagonal to me but in the opposite direction, about 20 feet away. With several bags in hand and on shoulder, he strode assuredly towards the parking lot. Clutched among his possessions was a long strand of ribbon, taut from the tension of the pink helium mylar balloon it held several feet above.

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you!”

The connection was transient, but profound. My eyes watered up. A new life. I was starting to appreciate the hope emerging in our landscape.

#MichaelWatkins #TheFirst90Days #Leadership #Transition #Crisis #Healthcare #Arnothealth #Covid19 #Coronavirus #MBWA #MBWAWAM #mentalhealth #hr #humanresources #employeeengagement #health #workplacehealth #management #employeebenefits

Diego Chiarandini

New York City Metropolitan Area 1K followers 500+ connections

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About

Experience

NYU Winthrop Hospital

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Education

Cornell University

Licenses & Certifications

Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR®) Certification

HR Certification Institute - HRCI

SHRM - Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP)

SHRM

Volunteer Experience

Board member

Family ReEntry

Languages

Spanish

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