34X - Retain Your People: Show Your Strength as an Empathetic Leader

Tuesday, March 21

9:00–10:30 a.m.

The Great Resignation is real. The reasons individuals are leaving their jobs in healthcare are myriad. Assumptions about made about people leaving their jobs as “a generational issue,” “a result of the pandemic,” or “reassessing what’s important to them.” Quite frankly, it is probably a combination of those and other reasons.

Leaders who strive to understand the issues and concerns of their staff and coworkers are proven to be those with the highest level of employee satisfaction and retention in their organizations. Employee satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction and better patient outcomes.

Striving to understand the issues and concerns of staff involves empathy, an often overlooked and undervalued leadership skill. This session will provide an understanding of the various levels of empathy: cognitive, affective and emotional, all of which can impact a leader’s effectiveness.

Participants will learn about ways in which staff hear and accept empathetic messages. Descriptions of engagement styles and effective approaches will be shared. Research as well as personal experiences from a hospital CEO will be conveyed that inform attendees of successful situations.

An assessment of engagement styles and methods will be made available to participants. Additional resources, such as those available at ACHE, online assessments and other tools, will also be recommended and made available to participants for immediate application, both individually and with their teams.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the multiple facets of empathy and its importance in leadership.
• Identify their own level of empathy and discover ways to become more empathetic leaders to positively affect retention in their organizations.