Some just try harder

There is a series of commercials that have been produced for Avis Car Rental where the customer would be mistreated in some awful, yet humorous way and the announcer would say something to the effect of, "ever get the feeling that they stopped trying?" By comparison there is a scene where a customer is warmly greeted and taken care of by the Avis Customer Service Rep. The viewer is then left with Avis' slogan, "We try harder."

I've always enjoyed these commercials. They exemplify the kind of positive and frighteningly negative customer service encounters we have all had as we go grocery shopping, fly on an airline, or yes, even rent a car. "There is more truth said in jest . . ." as the saying goes.

The "We try harder" part is perhaps a bit hokey and I am certain that the annals of car rental lore are litttered with customers who would beg to differ on Avis' assertion based on their own personal experience. But it is an interesting statement to put yourself, as a company, on the hook for and I commend Avis for trying. What they are selling, in truth, is the individual effort given by individual employees on each transaction--a tall order. Anyone who has supervised individuals would certainly balk at guaranteeing such a thing.

As an HR professional I really enjoy observing people in their jobs. Do they enjoy it? Does it seem like a good fit, or are they collecting a paycheck? What is behind the flip comments about the supervisor? I naturally get a chance to endulge this penchant of mine while at Hopkins. I get to watch Nurses, Clinical Assistants, Support Assistants, and other staffmembers of the hospital perform their duties as they relate to me and others.

I'm happy to report that these professionals seem to be like everyone else. Some are motivated by what they do or at least perform their duties with enough zeal and vigor to convince me. Others, meander through the day doing enough to remain employed a little longer and little else.

Sometimes we think of healthcare professionals as automatically being intrinsically motivated to do what they do. I'm here to tell you that there are plenty who are. For example, there is the Clinical Assistant who went well beyond her duties of taking vital signs and collecting samples of various types to learn about wound care so that she could better help cancer patients heal from surgeries, or other sores they might acquire during treatment. She personally took the challenge of rehabilitating the skin on my neck that had been iritated and even removed from the adhesives when I had a central line placed in my neck. After a few days of her care my neck didn't even look sore.

Or the snack cart attendant . . . the old one used to ask whether the patients would like a snack from the snack cart as she sprinted through the outpatient unit. You could call after her if you were interested but it was just as likely that she would be gone before you could get the words out and you had to try guess what she had. The new attendant that has been around for just a couple of weeks slowly brings the snacks around on a try, shows you what he has, and asks each individual patient if they would like a snack. I don't know what the first one gained in her speed but I'm certain she didn't give out many snacks. Even though I don't often take a snack I appreciate the new attendant more--I feel taken care of.

Nurses aren't immune. I might think of them as highly skilled professionals but perceptions of their skill should not be confused with the very evident dichotomy that some work for the patient and others work because they have to, nursing the chosen profession. For every nurse that knocks themselves out to get my transfusions done in rapid order, there is another who gives me a cup of pills to swallow and instructs my caregiver to get up and go get the water to wash them down.

During one conversation while I was an inpatient, one fairly new nurse confessed to me that this was her first real nursing job and that she was about 5 months into it. She happened to have been assigned to me 3 days in a row and I asked her a lot about her career choice, her job search, etc. She even admitted at different points to being nervous with the amount of responsibility patient care requires and a desire for her patients to think that she's a good nurse. While she was not the most skilled or knowledgeable nurse I had during this time she may have been among the best--she tried harder, and I told her so.

Having spent a good portion of my career matching people to positions, I have come to realize that making a good match requires no small amount of effort. I have also learned that taking shortcuts (AKA, not trying harder) proves counterproductive in the long run as I work to replace the previous poor hire. I have also come to recognize when a good match has been made--and I have to say that I think Avis has it right. When a good match between person and position has been made it looks like they just try harder. Conversely, a poor match of person and position seems to fall prey to over-reliance on beaurocracy, dodging of responsibility, or just a general malaise in the performance of job duties--all things that may well be the object of humor in the Avis commercials.

So, as I walk out of Hopkins for today I will reflect on the care I've been given and the interactions I've had. A welcoming and fast CA who has been on the job for decades (compared to the one I had on Monday that started grousing and pointing out to me the coworkers that 'spy' on her), a nurse who is clearly knowledgeable but takes forever to get around to her patients, and even the parking attendant who mumbles a greeting, whose eyes seem to always be at half mast, and who takes a surprisingly long time to punch a few buttons and to scan a parking ticket. Who of these were good hires, and who are just individuals in a job? I think I can spot 'em a mile away.

Each of these individuals are related to my care as a cancer patient. Some care and exemplify this by trying harder to make things better. Others clearly do not. I think the balance of those interactions lead a patient to a summation of their experience and an assessment of the care they have received. Hospitals, Hopkins included, might do well to adopt Avis' slogan and strive to back it up. Heh! I wonder if the recruiters at Hopkins are ready for THAT challenge--they'd have to be the first to try harder!

As always, thanks for reading,

--Russ.

PS - recent tests continue to show an absence of leukemia and absolutely no immune system. As of yesterday I was being told that a Bone Marrow Transplant might take place in 4 - 8 weeks with several factors coming into play in how this shakes out. Certainly I'll keep everyone posted as this process develops further.