Shelle Poole, divisional dean of the School of Nursing, recently spoke at the St. Luke’s Lab Retreat and challenged her audience to “rewrite the rules” to develop a thriving culture.
Leaders from St. Luke’s laboratories across the state gathered for the one-day conference centered on increasing the team’s culture of cohesion and resiliency. Workplace culture is a strong focal point of Poole’s work at the School of Nursing.
St. Luke’s Health System President and CEO Chris Roth indicated that while there is always room to grow stronger, the constraints of the pandemic did create amazing teamwork as healthcare partners united for a common goal.
“When we can find common interest in the problem we’re trying to solve, then the power of partnerships really comes into play,” Roth said.
Poole asked the audience to identify elements that make up a successful team, and then focus on the ones they could directly control. She challenged listeners to create more “game changer” moments, or practices that counteract instinctive negativity and spur on positive growth.
One such practice is power talking. If a person’s words govern what they think and feel, regularly using empowering, positive language both out loud and in one’s thoughts can support beneficial outcomes, Poole said.
Poole’s final challenge? Commit to act on these “game changer” moments.
“Nothing matters until it’s into action,” Poole said. “So we start with what we can control ourselves, and it’s contagious – in a good way.”