The 9 1/2 principles in this highly personal and refreshingly written book will help any hospital team gain the extraordinary competitive advantage that comes from being seen as "the best" by their own employees, consumers and community. Lee addresses the vexing reality that most of our approaches to patient satisfaction will not lead to patient loyalty. He takes aim at service excellence initiatives, quality and performance improvement efforts and patient satisfaction surveys, dispelling some of our most cherished beliefs about loyalty and leadership.
Although this was required reading for my workplace, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It had many good points and wisdom in every chapter. I came into it thinking, oh man...this is going to be some dopy author sharing life experiences at a hospital and Disney. But by the end, I feel like I came out a better person, had a new outlook on treating people, positive thoughts on controlling my moods in bad times, and improving my relationship and love with others including those I do not even know. But most importantly it teaches you to love others through the good and bad. I recommend this book!
"There is a profound difference between selling and marketing. Selling is trying to get people to want what you have. Marketing is trying to have what people want. When you have what people want, it makes selling unnecessary."
1. Redefine your competition and focus on what can't be measured
2. Make courtesy more important than efficiency
3. Regard patient satisfaction as fool's gold
4. Measure to improve, not to impress
5. Decentralize the authority to say yes
"Changing *how* we say No might get us an inch toward better service, but changing the management systems so we *can* say Yes will get us a mile by comparison."
"It's interesting how often we talk about coaching as a leadership concept yet rarely do the things real coaches do almost religiously. Coaches can be all over the map in style and personality and even in coaching techniques, but all of them have pre-game huddles and pretty much do the same things in the huddle... If the huddle is so important in athletic team performance, why isn't it standard practice in organizations like hospitals where teamwork is just as crucial?"
6. Change the concept of work from service to theater
We Should Teach Acting Skills Instead of Body Language Acting is not pretending... be real, come from a real place, don't "act" - sensory imagination
7. Harness the motivating power of imagination
Four Levels of Motivation: Compliance (doing what someone *makes* me do) Willpower (doing what I believe I *should* do) Imagination (doing what I *want* to because I *feel* like it) Habit (doing what comes naturally) Habit is another word for Talent!
Imagination and Empathy Diffuse Anger Disney - LAST (listen, apologize, solve the problem, thank them)
8. Create a Climate of Dissatisfaction
Dissatisfaction is the Father of Improvement "Necessity may invent the mousetrap, but dissatisfaction builds a better one. The curious truth is that being good is the enemy of being great. Complacency is the adversary of excellence." Dissatisfaction with "as is" + Dream of "could be" + Knowledge of "how to" = Organizational Inertia
"The drive for competence is the primary source of pleasure in the normal development of a human being... There is pleasure attached to competence. Often competition can stimulate people to excel, but it is a distortion of our basic drive if winning is more important than the pleasure of achieving higher levels of competence. In the right atmosphere of teamwork, coaching, and learning, constant improvement is fun."
9. Cease using competitive monetary rewards to motivate people
Separate Recognition from Competition
5 Questions to Ask Yourself: 1. If there was no bonus at stake, or if everyone got the same bonus for achieving collective goals, would your work deteriorate? 2. If your manager points out to you that you missed some of your goals, would you work any harder to improve if your manager docked your pay or your bonus? 3. If other people on your team were to get 100 percent of the bonus and you didn't, would you feel motivated or de-motivated? Inspired to excel or depressed? Rewarded or punished? 4. If you were to get less than 100 percent of the raise that others got, would you feel more like helping out the whole team or competing with its individual members to prove yourself, even if it is at their expense? 5. Would you be more likely to be more honest or less honest with your boss about your performance and areas for improvement if there was a financial reward or punishment attached to the evaluation?
10. Close the gap between knowing and doing
"One of the most important insights from our research is that knowledge that is actually implemented is much more likely to be acquired from learning by doing than from learning by reading, listening, or even thinking. Spend less time just contemplating and talking about organizational problems. Taking action will generate experience from which you can learn" -The Knowing-Doing Gap, How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action
"Asking 'how' is a favorite defense against taking action"
About teamwork, I would ask the group in a staff meeting to complete: I want to work for a manager who... I want to work with coworkers who... About passion, I would ask each individual to privately complete: I enjoy my work when... I wish there was less... I wish there was more... When I am not at work, I enjoy...
"Nothing inspires like success. There is nothing like becoming excellent at something to meet our basic drive for competence, and feed our deep hunger for meaning and growth. This is the source of passion."
I read this after reading Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service, and both books are on a very similar theme. This book does focus on how Disney's idea of customer service can be applied to medical facilities, and in my opinion they would apply to veterinary facilities as well. My book is now well highlighted and marked up with my notes, and I will be passing it on to a couple other people to read to get their ideas, input, and opinions as well.
Excellent read. Easy to understand and makes very good points about customer service. He anticipates how a health care worker will reject customer service issues because of the nature of the work, and addresses these issues in an elegant manner. Very helpful suggestions and ways of changing thinking in order to create the experience for patients and deliver great healthcare.
There were some very interesting ideas and topics in this book, some more easily aplicable than others. To me, the most important ones were chapters 3 (regarding a patient's satisfaction as fool's gold) and chapter 8 (to create a climate of dissatisfaction). The many examples the author points out throughout the book help visualize the ideas in a much more practical manner and were for sure my favorite parts of the book. I think the hardest part to implementing this book's teachings is getting everyone to be on board with it, because you do need a very strong team (like he mentions at the end of the book) to handle all of these topics and actually make a difference in the quality of the service provided by the company in question.
This is the second time I read this book and I'm still amazed by the accurate depiction of all aspects of our daily work at many of the hospitals (at least the ones I worked in). The writer is clearly someone who spent a long time in hospitals and around healthcare providers to come up with such precise details and thoughtful observations of everyday practices and behaviours. The 9 1/2 things are all very useful and practical. Most of them you can start using right away, and some of them requires some higher authority to enforce. Nonetheless, it is certainly an enlightening book and a must read for anyone in the healthcare sector.
Very interesting concept at looking at how hospital management can apply Disney’s customer service approach. Reinforces some concepts of business I’ve learned, and adds some new takeaways that I’d like to implement. Ironically, that is a core takeaway, that you can read all you want and gain knowledge, but you have to be able to use it in real life for it to stick
Interessant boek over de huidige status, ontwikkelingen en verbeteringen over de medewerkers- en patiënttevredenheid in het ziekenhuis, gezien door een Disney-bril.
A different take on what it means to run a medical facility. As a vet I found many of the lessons helpful for our work, even though the human hospital system is a bit different. We may not have different departments, but we do have different roles (receptionist, managers, technicians, doctors etc.). It talks about the difference between what we offer and clients *perspective* of what we offer. It has studies showing in human medicine (and I suspect in veterinary medicine as well) customer satisfaction must be at its highest levels to lead to customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction is closely tied to how they perceive our caring and respect for them. I think a helpful read for any veterinarian or veterinary professional trying to improve the client and patient experience.
I shared this with several people at my health system as we have incorporated some of the Studer principles which are along the same lines as the stuff presented by Mr. Lee. I disagree with his views on pay for performance but do think that it is only valid when it can be done appropriately so that people are rewarded for their efforts and success and not penalized for areas over which they have no control. Bottom line there is some really good messages within this book that would benefit health systems tremendously if they would take the leap and make the commitment to really empower their staff and dedicate themselves to improving the patient's care experience.
Great book! What I found most helpful and "fresh" in Fred Lee's book is the fundamental point: hospitals are not service organizations like the hotel, restaurant, retail and similar industries. Instead, hospitals are healing organizations, and the key ingredient in the customer experience for hospitals is compassion.
This is a good read for Hospital and Health Center Managers that want to improve their service and patient loyalty. It offers interesting insights on the Disney culture applied to a hospital setting. The author knows its business and has a lot of references and sources beside Disney to provide a valuable and comprehensive strategy for improving service quality. At times, the book gets stuck in some idea, but aside from that, I would recommend it to people in the service sector.
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Buena lectura para gerentes de hospitales y centros de salud que desean mejorar su servicio y la lealtad del paciente. Ofrece información interesante sobre la cultura de Disney aplicada a un entorno hospitalario. El autor conoce su negocio y tiene muchas referencias y fuentes, además de Disney, para proporcionar estrategias valiosas y completas para mejorar la calidad del servicio. A veces, el libro se vuelve repetitivo en algunas ideas, pero aún así, lo recomendaría a las personas en el sector salud.
A fascinating look of how practices used in customer service (such as at hotels, food services, Disney parks) can be adapted to health facilities. I found myself constantly relating to both types of management systems presented - those that promoted happy work environments and teamwork and those that resulted in competitive environments that resulted in disgruntled employees; it made me thankful for the great work environment I have today. Considering Disney is mentioned in the title and suggested to be a main focus on how to run a healthcare establishment, I was surprised by how little we actually heard about the author's experiences at Disney; I suppose it wouldn't be good to give away too many of the "Disney secrets" and ruin the magic. Overall, this was a great read and one of the better leadership books I've come across.
A mentor recommended this "oldie but goodie" to me a few months back.
It's a great read on good general management practices, inspiring people, and especially empowering staff. The common misconception of managers is that they need to control their employees, but in reality their job should be to enable employees to make smart choices and to go above and beyond in service to customers. Lee even goes so far as to propose a new way of talking about management to enable the needed paradigm shift.
Also contains interesting and heartfelt anecdotes from Lee's time as both a hospital executive and Disney executive which add great color to the story and lessons to be learned.
Although some of the concepts were familiar, I loved the Disney examples and approach. Unfortunately, although this book was written in 2004, we still struggle to address consumer/patient concerns about affordability and experience. I was most impacted by the examples around prioritization (you can't make efficiency AND experience the most important thing -- there are trade offs and service/experience wins the day)... and motivation. (behavior intrinsically motivated > behavior extrinsically motivated.) Like I said, many familiar concepts but great stories and examples.
I have read an untold number of books about health care, ranging all over from the depressing to the motivational to the insightful to the insipid. Fred Lee creates something here that transcends anything else I have ever encountered. I found myself tearing up at the picture he painted of a compassionate, experience-focused, authentically patient-centered model of health care delivery that just does not exist in the world yet. This is my "why". This is the joy and emotional intimacy I want to see in American health care.
If everyone read this book, that future would be so much brighter.
Acredito que o livro em muitas partes foi prolixo, contando muitas histórias. Mas vejo ele com indispensável para qualquer profissional da saúde que trabalhe em um hospital, tornando-se ainda mais obrigatório para os que estão em algum cargo de gestão. Adorei quando disse: - hábito é outro nome para talento - que não recomenda a valorização financeira meritocráticas individuais - que acredita que tudo começa com seu sonho individual - que melhor que a analogia de ser um time é de ser um conjunto, como uma orquestra, que sua maior gratificação são os aplausos e satisfação da sua audiência.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I listened to the audiobook and followed along with the actual book.
The author of the book, narrated the audiobook. Which I was very excited about till he started chapter one with his VERY monotone voice.
I probably did not get as much from this book as I could have because of the authors monotone voice and the fact that I am not a auditory learner. But still a good book with great concepts.
The title made the cynic in me come out, but I approached this with an open mind. The author actually made some great points, found some good pearls of wisdom. I really loved his chapter reminding readers how important empathy is in the healthcare profession. Also the reminder that the patients we are treating ARE comparing their healthcare visits to every other experience they have as a customer. It's not fair, but it's the truth!
Muy bueno, te da un panorama diferente a todo lo que conoces como “servicio” en cuanto a la atención de pacientes; recomendado para cualquiera que trabaje en hospitales pero principalmente para aquellos en posiciones de gestionar el cambio, no hay que malinterpretar y pensar que está totalmente dirigido a directivos, sin embargo es una realidad que si ellos no están convencidos se seguirán haciendo las mismas cosas
It wasn't quite what I expected. I found it difficult to follow because "my" hospital doesn't rely on patient loyalty or satisfaction surveys for funding. While much of the advice on empathy and compassionate attitudes is useful, the concepts don't quite translate the same in a system with universal healthcare.
Why not give it a 5?! This book gave me great insight and comparisons to the Disney company and how they treat their guests. Fred Lee shared appropriate stories that tied in with the overall message of his book and he also recommended over a dozen books for me to read next. I learned so many cool things, glad I read it!
Excellent book with timeless examples which are applicable even now. I don't think everything in the book fits nicely into a healthcare setting but the vast majority of recommendations and advice are spot on. Overall this book provides a very good way of stepping back to reassess your current operations through Disney-proven lenses.
I read this for a class, and while he introduced some interesting points, there were some crazy generalizations and assumptions applied to the healthcare system. It got repetitive and less applicable as the book went on. But again, there were a few great points from Disney that would make the healthcare system a better place to work in and get treated in.
I picked up this book to read because management at my hospital were reading it. It is worth the read and I think helped give me insight into how we should respond to patients and their families. Parts of this book were motivating and inspiring, however other parts made me feel very inadequate.
A hospital or a unit in a hospital is NOT Disney World or NASCAR or even an airplane. The author clearly understands this and instills insights from his time at Disney so that If Disney Ran Your Hospital does make sense in the healthcare arena.
I found this book to be very helpful in my day to day career in the healthcare field. There were many valid and valuable ideas that could be applied nationwide that would better the facilities across the board if ego were not at the helm of leadership
This book was highly recommended to me, and did not disappoint. I found the concepts very interesting, and the writing is easy to digest. Took me awhile to finish because life got stressful and I didn't want non-fiction... but I did definitely enjoy this one.
Fun and interesting read. Though I work in a very different field from either Disney or hospitals, a lot of Lee's insights are widely applicable. And often if it doesn't work for your line of work, it's still good food for thought. Would recommend!