Collaboration with two big egos, by Carol Orndorff

Frank, or “the King” as he was known behind his back, was drafted out of near retirement to lead a new initiative for the Southeast region.  Liza, who ruled the  Emergency Department, was drafted to be his partner . Together, they were commissioned with launching the new medical model for short term acute care.  Some called it the most important patient and value centered initiative of the year.

Except that when I met them, they were battling each other on a daily basis.

Both thought they were in charge, both knew they were right, and both wanted to have their way.  Besides, weren’t they hired for their ideas and expertise?

Liza and Frank were attempting to work together, but neither had really partnered with another professional to build anything for most of their careers.  

As a result, the doctors were angry at the nurses, the nurses blamed the doctors for the initial mistakes, and the executives were pulling their hair out, trying to get Frank and Liza to work together.

The health system made a sizable investment to launch a new division for inpatient services and it had to work out.

As committed as they were, Frank and Liza needed a new way to listen to each other.  As the vision came into clearly focus, Frank and Liza saw their main issue was one of communication and partnership. Authoritarian ways that worked in other settings now were in the way.

The miracles began when they realized the project’s success hinged on creating something beyond anything either had done separately.  Conversations shifted from who would get their way to curiosity about what it would take to really be successful in implementing a new medical model of care.

Frank and Liza began to interact differently.  Each took public responsibility for the breakdown in implementation, and with that, a world of opportunity appeared. They saw requests they could make of their teams.  They acknowledged each other and each other's teams.  They developed zero-tolerance for gossip and finger-pointing. 

It is not easy to discover you are the emperor who wears no clothes, which may have been what the transformation felt like. Now love and respect overshadow blame and self-righteousness, and employees are excited to come to work. And thanks to Frank and Liza, two new centers are operational and the health system is meeting its goals for reducing emergency room costs.