Every year millions of us celebrate a new beginning with family, friends and our favorite party favors. The traditions continue forward as we make resolutions for our lives in the coming year. The “usual” list of resolutions are no surprise, spending time with family and friends, getting fit, losing weight, stop smoking, stop drinking, enjoy life more, and get out of debt. Now, you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that over 88% of us never live out those resolutions.
I have an idea for cancer registrars! Let’s just toss out all the resolutions. Let’s stop making promises that you know you cannot keep or making excuses on why you didn’t get to your goal. Instead, let’s look at a positive alternative to New Year’s Resolutions. Are you ready?
Let’s pledge to each other to make a positive difference in each other’s lives in 2011. No boundaries, no rules, no prerequisites or cash required. When it is all said and done it is how we impact each other’s lives and how we make a difference in this world that matters anyway. So, quit wasting your time with resolutions and instead, choose to focus your time and energy in something much more meaningful.
Making a difference is really not that difficult. Here’s a simple 3-step program: 1) listen to your inner voice and be true to yourself. Some call it being “authentic.” Listen to your spiritual self and know what makes you truly happy to set the foundation for making a difference. Then, 2) be generous and kind with your words. Develop an awareness of others around you and find something positive to say to people each day. Be there to encourage, support and listen. Your words and time spent with others matter more than you know. Finally, 3) take action. Don’t be afraid to take action on your thoughts or to respond quickly to a situation. Never underestimate the impact your support and encouragement will have on others.
As cancer registrars we are linked together around the globe by a common passion for our work and common need to be supported and inspired by one another. All of us have equal responsibility, as a allied health professionals, to make a difference in someone’s life. Here are some suggestions:
Leave a voice message with a cancer registry “buddy” who lives across the country saying you were thinking of them and just wanted to say “hi.”
Write a short, handwritten, thank you note to a fellow cancer registrar, employee, manager, administrator or physician. Just send a simple “shout out.”
Throughout your day take a few minutes of your time to speak directly to somone else. Reach out to them with your voice, a smile, compliment for a job well done, or to inquire about their health or family. Take just a few minutes to engage in a personal conversation.
When you’re standing in the long line at your local coffee shop, turn around and smile and say “hello” to the person behind you. Put the iPod or Blackberry away and engage in greeting someone with a smile and warm “hello.”
I know you’re already excited about getting started! Don’t underestimate the power of one cancer registrar helping another, even with the simplest and most basic courtesy or kind word. Would you like to get some extra “mojo” from making a difference? Come back to this blog post every couple of days and let us know what you did for someone and how it made you feel? You can make a difference in someone else’s life just by sharing what worked well for you. I can guarantee that once you begin practicing making a difference that you will want, maybe even crave, helping someone else. Before you know it, it will be a way of life and an important and positive part of your day.
I look forward to helping you make a difference in 2011. Happy New Year!
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb is committed to cancer registry leadership and to making a difference in the lives of cancer registrars worldwide. She is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR) who cares passionately about her work and serving her community. She is a motivational speaker, author and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit tot he author and link back to this article on this website.
Seasons Greetings everyone! As the year comes to a close we wanted to share with you how grateful we are for your time and attention and offer you a free gift. Look below at a short video and link to download your free gift!
(Part Four of our series titled “Agility Training for Cancer Registrars”)
Changing out mindset or how we automatically respond to our work or life can make us uncomfortable. However, this is necessary if we are to be responsible and achieve success and happiness.
In his book, Excuses Begone, Dr Wayne Dyer gives a description of individual accountability and a process for stepping out of “autopilot” and into conscious thinking. In my own experience, I know that by examining my past experiences, beliefs and value I hold I can challenge their validity and create a new mindset that is focused on positive outcomes, meaningful relationships and being the a good person and cancer registrar.
Albert Einstein said, “The world we have created is a product of our way of thinking.” So, the degree to which we practice mindfulness, or how we allow ourselves to become uncomfortable and the resulting change in our way of thinking, is what determines our success in life.
It is not enough to briefly question a thought and simply dismiss it with a statement of, “that’s the way I was taught,” or “that’s just who I am.” Accountability for our thoughts requires continual examination of past experiences, beliefs and values. As cancer registrars, our mindset is constantly challenged. Our personal value systems are often in competition with others and need to be put into perspective with the clinical and scientific facts as well as the patient and emotional components of cancer care. Often this seems like a “stacked deck” against us. But, by practicing conscious thinking, evaluating the facts and not emotions, and by making a mindful choice in how we will respond to the situation, we will earn our place as valuable members on the healthcare team.
If you find that your first thought about a situation or proposed change is negative, then you can be encouraged by the knowledge that by simply thinking another thought, you can change your mindset and the outcome of a situation. The first step to take is to replace the negative thought with a positive one. Remember, your thoughts and behaviors are under your control. Pessimistic and negative thinking are simply habits that can be changed.
Here are three action steps to take in practicing mindfulness and accommodating change with positive results:
Evaluate the evidence. When you have that negative or pessimistic thought, stop and evaluate the evidence. What are the facts, not the fears?
Think about positive alternatives and outcomes. For example, as you are doing your work on “autopilot” and encounter a new reporting rule, instead of complaining about it, stop and evaluate the facts, acknowledge the changes in medicine and patient care, and visualize how the change will improve the cancer patient’s care and quality of life.
Practice daily affirmations. Each day practice saying to yourself, “when I have a negative thought I will immediately evaluate the facts and think of positive alternatives.” This will be a little awkward at first, but after practice it will become easier and automatic. Each time you use this affirmation you will rewrite the negative thoughts in your mind and create new and positive solutions founded on fact and not emotion.
Practice these three steps until it comes naturally and automatically. You will be amazed at how easy it is to develop positive mindset to whatever happens in your day. Use positive affirmations to reinforce your attitude and to build up core strengths and talents. Cancer registrars who focus on their accountability and development of a positive mindset will be uniquely positioned to serve as leaders in their community and profession.
Tell us, what are you doing to change your thoughts and reactions to your work and life? Do you use positive affirmations? If so, what have you found to have the most profound, positive impact on your life?
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb, America’s Cancer Registry Coach, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR). She cares passionately about helping cancer registrars around the world to grow personally and professionally and serves her community as a motivational speaker, author, and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.
(Part Three of Our Series on “Agility Training for the Cancer Registrar)
Assumptions make our lives easier. As creatures of habit we frequently rely on our assumptions and past experiences to drive our actions. Most of our day, with few exceptions, is driven by our unconscious assumptions and habits developed over time versus creative thinking and new conscious thought.
For example, when cooking over an open flame you automatically draw your hand back when you feel heat from the flame. This “stimulus-thought-response” chain of events relates to pain you previously felt from burning your hand. This automatic assumption serves you well and avoids a painful experience.
In business, however, this is often not the case. Cancer Registrars, for example, may use any number of assumptions, or statements of belief about their work, such as:
“That won’t work here.”
“I’ve tried that before.”
“We don’t get support for that here.”
“They just don’t listen to me.”
Brilliant, and successful, Cancer Registrars know that these assumptions can be challenged and take great pleasure in defying them. They welcome the opportunity to look within themselves, to create a new energy and develop new directions to solving problems or leading their Cancer Registry in a different direction.
Each of us has an inner reservoir of talent, ability, and intelligence. It is endless and readily available if we are willing to step out of our comfort zone to tap into these resources. Whatever you face, taking one step closer to success means you must trust your inner self, ignore criticism and judgment, and let go of your own resistance to doing something differently or believing that you can make a difference. Developing a new habit or behavior, based on what you know in your heart to be the right thing to do, is all the evidence you need to make your passion become reality. This mindset is what creates harmony and balance in life and business and determines your path between success and failure.
Here are six tips to help you challenge your assumptions:
Recognize that you, and everyone else, have assumptions about every situation.
Ask basic questions in order to discover and challenge those assumptions.
Compare the ground rules and assumptions to your situation or problem and then ask yourself, “What if we do the opposite of the norm?”
Pretend you are not a Cancer Registrar and ask yourself, “Why do we do it this way at all?”
Reduce the problem or situation to its most basic elements for understanding and creative problem solving.
Restate the problem in completely different terms.
It is up to you to decide what you would like to do to drive growth and success in your Cancer Registry. You must be willing to step outside of your comfort zone to challenge your assumptions and develop new behaviors to help you grow personally and professionally. By tapping into your inner resources you will develop a new mindset that is creative and in harmony with everyone you encounter.
What assumptions are you challenging today? How do you respond to “But we’ve always done it this way.”
http://www.RegistryMindset.com. Michele Webb, America’s Cancer Registry Coach, is a nationally recognized, certified cancer registrar (CTR). She cares passionately about helping cancer registrars around the world to grow personally and professionally and serves her community as a motivational speaker, author, and educator. You have permission to repost this article as long as you do not alter it in any way, give credit to the author and link back to her website.
(Part Two of Series “Agility Training for the Cancer Registrar)
Visualizing success, or turning dreams into reality, is a creative process that puts your focus and energies into looking ahead. Creative visualization is a technique that you can use to help you with this process. In the first part of our series on “Agility Training for Cancer Registrars,” we talked about visualizing success as part of meeting the challenges in life and business. In this session we will learn how to visualize success and turns dreams into reality!
To turn your dreams into reality and to be truly successful depends on several factors:
Having a specific goal,
Making sure that you really want to achieve that goal,
Having a clear mental picture of your goal,
Being motivated or having a strong desire or need to achieve the goal,
Developing the ability to disregard, or even walk away from negative thoughts or talk that take you away from that goal,
Showing confidence, faith and persevering until you achieve success.
Imaging having your own personal genie in a bottle to fulfill your every dream or desire. When you develop the techniques and begin to practice creative visualization you are tapping into your personal genie. Focusing on the end result, thinking and acting in a positive manner and not letting negativity (yours or anyone else’s) get in the way will empower you to continue on your journey.
Each morning I write out my “to do” list for the day on a 4×6 index card. On the right-hand side of the card I write my vision statement for my business. On the left-hand side I write down the most important things I need to do that day that will take me closer to my vision and goal. Then, I focus on the action steps and on completing the tasks that will help me reach my goal. By taking it one day at a time I know I will be successful. No one can deter me from this because I see my dream getting closer each and every day.
Discover what you need to do to visualize your dream and then, one day at a time, do something that takes you one step closer. Practice visualizing that success in your mind, focus on the positive, take action, even if only in small steps, and you will see your dreams come true!
Cancer registrars need to be quick and agile to stay on top of the fast-paced changes and complexity in healthcare. The markets we serve, physicians, hospitals, reporting agencies and patients are radically changing and becoming less predictable. Each are more interrelated and interconnected than ever before. As a result, the thinking patterns and decision-making processes we once used to manage our registries are becoming less applicable.
The cancer registrar’s success is not about working harder, or even smarter, because we’re already doing that. And, it’s not about being change agents, we’re doing that too. Instead, dealing with this complexity involves making ourselves adaptable, flexible and quick to respond. We need less strategic planning and more operational agility. Here’s how:
Visualize success. What will success look like? Having a clear picture of what success willl look like will ensure the ability to focus, maintain control and move in the right direction no matter what change or complexity comes your way.
Challenge assumptions. Quite often our biggest enemies are our own attitudes, beliefs and assumptions about our customers and markets we serve. Constantly challenge your thoughts and look for others opinions to put your thoughts in perspective. Ask a lot of “what if?” questions.
Embrace uncertainty. For decades we’ve talked about managing change. Now that we’re getting good at it we need to stop managing it and start creating it! By embracing uncertainty you accept that you will not always have the answers you need and will open your mind to new possibilities and solutions. You will need courage to make tough decisions without all the data in hand. Uncertainty is the new “norm.”
Get uncomfortable. Practice thinking differently and evaluating your decision-making processes before implementing them. Seek ways to deliver value that will change your business relationships and position you as the cancer data expert.
Reinvent relationships. Collaborate with physicians, administrators and staff in new and different ways. Invite them to participate in your cancer registry’s activities by integrating them into the process from the beginning. Ask your customers what they need and develop processes that serve their needs.
Develop dexterity. Structure your registry so you can quickly adjust to unexpected events. Create laser focus and prioritize the work. Keep your vision for success visible at all times by talking about it and physically putting it in front of you, your team and your customers on a regular basis. Develop the ability to move fast with focus and flexibility.
Oh, did I forget to mention that you have to do all this while being informing, inspiring and engaging your team and organization in the process? Cancer registry leadership is not easy and, in fact, it is going to be more challenging than ever. But, when you do it right you will be more fulfilled and achieve more success than ever before!
What do you know for sure? Seriously, have you ever sat down and thought this through. If you haven’t, I highly recommend taking some to think about where you stand on life and where you stand as a contributing member. Once you know where you stand as an individual, then take some time to describe where you stand as a cancer registrar. What is important to you, where do you see yourself in this profession, career or service? What is it that you want to accomplish and why? This is serious stuff now, so don’t cheat yourself by repeating someone else’s thoughts or coming up with materialistic goals. Really think it through and decide what it is that you know for sure!
Dr. Martin Luther King said, “Everyone has the power for greatness – not for fame but greatness, because greatness is determined by service.” What is your plan? How do you want to take who you are, what you want to become and what you do well and use it for something greater than yourself?
Now, here’s what I know for sure. Real success comes when I surrender myself to a higher power and to those principles and values that I have chosen to guide my life and actions. If I choose to become highly successful then my focus needs to be on how I can serve the needs of others and help others to be successful first. You see, one of the keys to being successful is to not focus on success or worry about whether you are successful or not, instead it is to work on doing something of significance or of value for someone else. For cancer registrars this means our co-workers, staff, physicians, administrators, hospitals and the patients we serve. Every registry task, big or small, is about serving others.
If you compromise ANY aspect of your work you have chosen failure over service or success. It is as cut-and-dried as this. You either serve others or you serve yourself and self-gratification never leads to success. When we work on becoming a value-added member of the healthcare team we shift our focus from success to service. By focusing on service we instantly add meaning and significance to our life work. It is at this moment we truly become successful! And, when you practice this mindset and behavior each day your level of success will grow into something that is beautiful and remarkable.
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is God. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather. “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”
Recently I watched a talk show interview with Carol Burnett. Many of us remember the entire family sitting together to watch her weekly comedy show. Her co-hosts, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway and Vicki Lawrence provided an excellent cast that kept you laughing the entire time!
Carol Burnett has always been, and still remains, a gracious comedienne. She speaks from the heart when she talks about her daughter Carrie and how she lost her battle to cancer a number of years ago. But what really stands out is how she shows respect and honors Carrie for her lifework.
As Carol described her years on her comedy show with her co-hosts she was complimented by the talk show host on her admiration and respect for her co-hosts and their contribution to the show. Her response is what struck me as being so profound! She said, “…you know, there are no second bananas. All I had to do was give them as much leeway as they needed to do what they do best. Our show was better because of them…”
We as cancer registrars can learn so much from Carol Burnett. While we may be the “star” of the show in our registry departments, our work is nothing without help from our co-hosts, meaning physicians, nurses, and administrators. In fact, our customer base is so broad that we can, literally, include anyone we come into contact with, or anyone who works or serves our facility, as co-hosts or members of our cast.
When we support and honor our cast and team, our show will thrive and be successful. So, the reverse is also true. Sad, but true. If we insist on being the “star” and do not provide good leadership or support to our cast, then we will be labelled as the ego-driven, self-centered person that we portray in our behaviors and actions. Of course, that is not what we as cancer registrars want others to see or think about us!
So, how do we honor and respect our team? That’s really the easy part! Here are some suggestions:
Show genuine interest in getting to know others. Keep it professional and don’t snoop, but show genuine interest and caring.
State your goals and objectives. You can’t lead others if you don’t tell them where you are headed.
Communicate clearly and regularly. Best way is to do this face-to-face. Do not bomabard your team with endless and lengthy emails.
Encourage a learning culture. By the same token, be open to learning from your team. As the leader your success is only as good as the weakest link on your team. Encourage learning as a team sport.
Maintain a careful balance between work and socializing. Be fair and objective and never seen as playing favorites or excluding members of your team from work or outside events.
Make generous use of humor. Never make fun of others and do not tolerate others doing the same.
Share leadership. Avoid micromanaging and delegate responsibility and leadership opportunities. I read somewhere that leaders should “park their egos.”
Admit your mistakes. You’re human, you will make them. Make a point of showing how you learned from your mistakes.
Stand behind your team during difficult times. Never throw them under the bus or abandon them to serve your own interests, regardless of your personal viewpoint
If you make a habit of practicing these simple concepts you will find that your repoire and leadership with your team will exceed your expectations. Take on and assume the attitude and behaviors of successful people and those, like Carol Burnett, that exhibit the highest levels of respect and compassion.
I have an idea for cancer registrars! Let’s just toss out all the resolutions. Let’s stop making promises that you know you cannot keep or making excuses on why you didn’t get to your goal. Instead, let’s look at a positive alternative to New Year’s Resolutions. Are you ready?
