All right, do you guys have me up and running? We sure do. Thank you so much. Fantastic. All right. Good morning. Thank you so much for being here today and for giving me the opportunity to talk to you guys for a little while about endoscopy leadership. This is my disclosure slide. And before we dive into the how to's of leadership, we've got to talk a little bit about how we define leadership. What is leadership? Kevin Cruz is a New York Times bestselling author nine times over and a pioneer in leadership coaching methods. He defines leadership as a process of social influence, which maximizes the efforts of others towards achievement of a goal. And I think that definition really encompasses leadership. The key function of the leader is to help each team member be the best version of themselves that they can be, ultimately contributing to the collective goals established by the team. The leader is the key facilitator, but each team member has to have their eye on the prize. Everyone has to agree on what the collective bullseye is going to be. The leader can then guide, inspire, motivate, and navigate the team to their collective goal. Leadership of an endoscopy unit is particularly complex because endo leaders typically wear more than one hat. Being an endo leader includes more responsibilities than just leading the team across the finish line. The endo leader has to be a capable leader, but also a very skilled manager. The endoscopy leader must lead, but also do. In many units, these individuals actively manage the endoscopy practice, the endoscopy unit, and all operational aspects. In the smaller unit, they have to lead and manage the constantly evolving needs of the unit, while often being assisted by only a small operational team. Most physician unit leaders also have full-time clinical jobs, which include seeing and scoping their own patients in the practice. These are really enormous responsibilities. So how do you achieve daily success as an endoscopy leader? Let's take a stab at formulating the ABCs of endoscopy leadership. When we think about great leaders, I think we all know that leadership is less about a title and making monumental decisions, and more about daily habits and actions that really motivate, inspire, and encourage accountability. Successful leaders manage actively. They're in the trenches with their colleagues, experiencing firsthand the trials and tribulations of the unit. They should be present, maintain visibility, and be seen as engaged. Leaders should roll up their sleeves and pitch in for the common goal. This is such a common example in my unit. It's 2 o'clock in the afternoon. Your colleague is just getting started on their 10 o'clock patient. We all have those days in endo where nothing seems to be going right. If the collective goal of your unit is to get your patients the care they need, make the unit run efficiently, and get everyone home on time, then this is an opportunity for the leader to step up, chip in, and take a case or two off your colleagues' hands. I promise you, this simple task will pay dividends for months and years to come. Finally, it turns out that everything you needed to know about how to interact with others, you really did learn in kindergarten. Always treat others as you'd like to be treated. Be kind, be courteous, be nice to others, and showing a little bit of appreciation really goes a long way. Be valued for your integrity. Don't let there be any room for distrust or speculation. Your ability to influence your group relies on their ability to trust you. Be inclusive and celebrate those qualities that make team members unique. Say and show that you believe in your team each and every day. It's critical to lead by example. Be an example for others. Show up to work on time. Deliver excellent patient care. Be respectful of your colleagues and your team members. Use those members of the team who go above and beyond the call of duty and focus on them to be the examples for your unit. You want to instill and foster a culture that elevates, recognizes, values, and appreciates team members who go above and beyond. Those individuals should be celebrated by everyone else on the team, and each team member should strive to be that next recognized and celebrated member of the team. Leading by example and servant leadership still reigns supreme. So what is servant leadership? Traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one individual at the top of the pyramid. Servant leadership is different. A company following a servant leadership model will have the president, CEO, endoscopy unit director at the bottom doing everything they can to support the people that report to them. They, in turn, do all that they can do to support those under them and so on until you get to the top of the pyramid where most of your employees sit. The term servant leadership was first introduced in 1970 with this quote by Robert Greenlee. The servant leader is servant first. It begins with a feeling that one wants to serve as opposed to wanting power, influence, fame, or wealth. The servant leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Back to our ABCs. So the B is for both. And the message here is certainly that actions matter, but words are also important. When communicating with your team members, it's important to use thoughtful, consistent, frequent, verbal, and written communication that's informative, respectful, appreciative, and upbeat. No one wants to read emails that drag on and on or have a negative tone associated with them. Not if I had a nickel for every time I wished I could unsubscribe from my work emails. And what you say to those you lead and how you say it matters greatly. This little pie chart, I think, is spot on. So much of how a message is received depends on how that message is delivered. So take this scenario as an example. One of your nurses calls in sick for their shift on Saturday. How do you approach the team in trying to secure coverage? This is option one. Susie Smith called in sick. She says she won't be able to work on Saturday. I need you to pick up her shift. This is option two. I know this is a huge ask. I am so sorry for the inconvenience it puts on you and your entire family, but Susie Smith can't work on Saturday. I know you're supposed to be off this weekend, but our entire unit could really use your help in her place. I promise we'll make it up to you. The ask is the same. Get the coworker to pick up the Saturday, but one delivery is bound to be much more effective than the other. Remember, leadership is not about titles, positions, or work hours. It's about relationships, and those relationships take work. Moving on to our C's. C is for consensus, and it's important to be consensus driven when you're leading your group and making a decision. What does that really mean? What does it mean to be consensus driven? It's critical to engage each of your team members and reinforce to each member how important their input and buy-in is to making a decision. It's not necessarily an easy task, but if you're able to achieve consensus before making a decision, it'll lead to less discord down the road, fewer disagreements and unhappiness, lack of alignment, and hopefully will allow you to avoid potential subversion by team members. Again, putting the time in up front will certainly pay dividends in the long run. So don't be this guy. Get consensus from your team and make sure you're all on the same page before you make key decisions. Otherwise, you may think you're leading, but you actually may just be out on a walk. And yes, there's also a D. D is for data. The only way you're going to know how well you're doing is by comparing your performance to other practices and units. To borrow a quote from our esteemed colleague, Dr. Martin, this is your true north, and this is a shameless plug for the ASGE. The ASGE has unbelievable tools, such as through their partnership with GI Quick, to help your practice measure, identify, and focus on quality metrics and performance goals. And finally, trust. The D doesn't quite fit in nicely with our ABCs, but I'd be remiss if I didn't include it in a lecture on leadership. The ability to build and sustain trust is the foundation of good leadership. More than ever, leaders need to set the example for their teams when it comes to building trust and extending grace at work. So how can we better train leaders to build trust? Leaders must demonstrate and insist on behaviors that build trust and dismantle toxicity. Gossip, manipulation, intimidation, and gaslighting are just a few examples of behaviors that are far too common in the workplace and often inadequately addressed by leaders. Consider creating a written agreement with your team members that everyone consents to, outlining the ways in which you're going to handle conflict when it comes up. Trust me, it's going to come up. So it's better off to have a plan as to how to deal with it in advance. Teach leaders to respond to mistakes compassionately. How leaders respond when things go wrong is a critical aspect of their leadership style. When everything's going great, it's super easy to be a compassionate, curious leader who's focused on learning and growth. It's when the proverbial poop hits the fan, when circumstances are at their worst, that leaders really need to dig deep and do their best. When things go wrong, we need our leaders to resist the urge to jump to conclusions and pass judgment. We should encourage them to take a moment and ask themselves, what questions can I ask to truly learn more about this person's experience? How can I be curious and compassionate in the moment? And this helps shift from blame and shame to curiosity and learning. So for example, in my unit, what were the factors that led to the specimen being mislabeled? Was the nurse being pulled in multiple directions while she was trying to label the specimen? Was there something happening with the patient that took their focus away from what they were doing? What can we do differently next time to avoid a repeat of this situation, rather than, how did you let this happen? Such a simple process. I can't believe you messed it up again. Model the art of being curious over the compulsion to be right. And this is going to lead me to my one and only polling question. So how many of you guys are familiar with the TV show, Ted Lasso? For those of you who aren't familiar with this show, here's the background that you guys are going to need. Ted Lasso is an American college football coach from Kansas. He knows absolutely nothing about soccer. He's hired to coach an English soccer team, let that sink in for a second, in an attempt by the team's owner to spite her ex-husband. Her ex-husband is obsessed with the team and essentially she wants to see it fall apart, so she sets Ted up for failure. The show takes you along his journey in leading the team and interwoven throughout it. It delivers some incredibly powerful leadership and life lessons. So here are a few of the critical life and leadership lessons learned from Ted Lasso. And I'm going to run through these quickly with you because I think these are absolutely critical. Number one, know your why. Have a purpose. Know why you do what you do and know what you want to accomplish. Keep your eye on that goal and use that vision to guide every decision you make. Number two, find potential in everyone. There's potential in every single person in your unit, but it's your job as the leader to unlock it. Identify that potential in each individual and then harness it to achieve your team's vision. Number three, learn, grow, and win together. Stay committed to your purpose and work with those around you to learn, grow, and win. Be curious. Ask questions. Don't be judgmental. Success is a shared process and experience for every member of your team. Number four, let ideas come from everywhere. Don't limit what people can offer. You may be incredibly surprised by how some of the quietest, meekest members of your team deliver big time when they're empowered to do so. Let others know they matter. People don't care about people who don't care about them. Let your team members know they matter and appreciate who they are and what they have to offer and don't hold back. Number six, be a goldfish. And this is absolutely one of my favorite Lasso's. One of Lasso's players makes a mistake that results in a goal for the other team. He beats himself up over it on the pitch and Lasso calls the player to the sideline to chat with him. What's the happiest animal in the world? Lasso asks and the player obviously is puzzled, says he has no idea. A goldfish, Lasso replies. You know why the goldfish is the happiest animal on earth? Again, the player has no clue. It's got a 10 second memory, answers Lasso. Then he says one more thing before sending the player back on the pitch. Be a goldfish. That applies to all of us in leadership positions. Learn from your mistakes, but don't dwell. Be a goldfish. Number seven, be you. You're you. You're not perfect and that's okay. Maximize your strengths and learn to balance your weaknesses. Be true to who you are. And finally, number eight, believe. Believe in yourself, believe in your team members, and believe in what you guys can accomplish together. So in summary, help others on your team maximize their contribution to achieving the entire group's unified collective goals. Actions, words, consensus, and data are critical components of successful leadership. Develop and cultivate a culture of trust. And finally, tune in to Ted Lasso for countless examples of leadership at its finest. All right, and with that, I will stop sharing.

leadership

endoscopy units

social influence

team members

collective goals