Keeping up momentum

Last month was the AAHA Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ. If you recall I was so psyched about all the cool ideas that I regurgitated a whole mottled mess of them into this blog last month. When I go to conferences, the hospital employees where I work (who know me) scatter like roaches when I return. This is because I am flying high on a cloud of brilliant ideas that I want to inflict wholesale on whatever hospital will let me.

However, we all are smart enough to know that we can't actually do this. It would create pandemonium, depress morale, and ultimately lead to deflating failure.

Instead, what you (and I) need to do, is come in with our lists and write down the high points. Write down their importance on a 5 point scale, their PITA factor on a 5 point scale, their cost on a 5 point scale, etc.. You get the point. You have to step back from your enthusiasm and into the real world for a second.

You can achieve your goals, you just need to tackle them in a manner that best reflects your longer term goals (you remember those right?) as well as what can actually be achieved.

Imagine you came back with the idea that you need to update your Facebook page more often (you probably actually do) add more photos, and maybe include a cool new contest. You also decided that your hospital needs to become an Accredited Cat Friendly Hospital. You also need to tell your blog readers (who you may have been ignoring for some time now) about all the amazing things your hospital has planned.

That's a lot. But if you take a step back and breathe, you can get them all done in a reasonable amount of time without gutting your hospital, freaking out your staff or driving away your clients. And you can do it in a manner that ensures that inertia is on your side when your initial enthusiasm wears off.

Lets use the Cat Friendly Hospital first. It is unlikely that you have the money or ability right now to gut your hospital and add a cat only waiting room. But what you can do now is get your most enthusiastic team member on board and draw out a three year plan. Today you can use a separate room for cats, dim the lighting, and buy some Feliway Spray. Next year you can tackle cat specific hours or some other solution to stressful cat/dog interactions in the lobby.

While you are moving forward you are studying what other hospitals are doing have done (or better yet, your enthusiastic team member can do this). The list of ideas should be constantly evolving. You can try one thing and if it doesn't work, try another. Declare a Cat Awareness Month and create enthusiasm among the whole staff for the project.

You can have your enthusiastic player write FB posts and pictures for you and contribute to the blog. You have successfully created momentum throughout the hospital, and with any luck inertia will take over in the absence of constant enthusiasm input from you.