Improving the Healthcare Industry

I recently posted a blog titled, “Moving the Middle.”  I spoke about how FranklinCovey’s 4 Disciplines of Execution Process can help your average performers behave and execute more like your top performers.  We have used this methodology to help organizations significantly improve their execution capabilities in almost every major industry. 

I am excited to announce that we have used this process to help organizations in HEALTHCARE.  Improving in this area has a dramatic impact on people… and their families. 



When we work with most healthcare organizations, we typically see leaders trying to improve in one of 3 specific areas:

·         Satisfaction (Patient Sat Scores, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention)

·         Financial (Top-line revenue,  Resource Allocation, Cost Savings)               

·         Operational (Efficiencies, Speed of Service)

Healthcare organizations around the country are using The 4 Disciplines of Execution to close gaps in each of these three areas.  Click here to download a PDF of actual client results.

If you would like to learn more, consider watching the 17-minute video to introduce our 4D process and a few client video case studies.  I think you will find that their results are quite impressive and impactful… for the organization itself and their patients.  Follow this link now.

Watch the video for improving guest satisfaction now.

For more information about institutionalizing our 4D process in your healthcare organization, please contact me today. 

Until next week,

John Vakidis

Moving the Middle

At FranklinCovey, we have worked with thousands of organizations in almost every major industry for over 20 years.  We’ve seen organizations struggle with a variety of challenges.  Executing strategic goals is probably THE biggest challenge we’ve seen leaders face over the last decade and I don’t anticipate that changing anytime soon.

Our Execution Practice has helped our clients obtain breakthrough results in a variety of industries including: manufacturing, healthcare, government, not-for-profit, pharmaceutical, hospitals and many more.  We have also utilized our Manager’s Certification Process to help multi-unit operators do what we call, "Move the Middle.”

Every organization, good and great, has pockets of great performance.  What typically sets these organizations apart is the degree of variability.  In an average organization, a typical bell curve might include data something like this:

·         20% of Great Performers (on the right)

·         20% of Low Performers (on the left)

·         60% of average performers (in the middle)

What if you could increase sales, improve operations, etc. for the average performers by 25%?  Take a moment to do the math for your organization.  For most companies, this change would have a HUGE financial impact on their bottom line. 

In order for leaders to have this type of dramatic shift on the bell curve (right and tight), it usually takes a substantial change in human behavior.  We all know that changing ourselves is difficult enough, but changing behavior for a huge pocket of your organization is even more difficult and for most leaders, it's perplexing.

With our 4 Disciplines of Execution Methodology, we can help multi-unit operators “move the middle” to achieve some pretty amazing results.  To learn more, take a moment to watch this video below, narrated by Chris McChesney, FranklinCovey’s 4 Disciplines Practice Leader.

 

Do you want to learn more about our 4D process?  Please contact me to set up a meeting with your FranklinCovey Client Partner or to attend one of our upcoming executive presentations on this topic.

Until next time,

John Vakidis

Living an Extraordinary Life

Last week, I posted a blog introducing our newest solution, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity.  I had the pleasure attending this program as a participant yesterday and today, all I can say is WOW!  We were taught by our very own Leigh Stevens, who helped develop this program over the last 2 years.  This program has so much new thinking around productivity in the workplace and has a process to help individuals make better choices to leverage their key opportunities in work and the workplace.

One thing I learned to change in my work habits was to delegate more when possible.  This week, as the editor of this blog, I am leveraging the strengths of one of my colleagues, Kellie Edmundson. 

I hope you enjoy Kellie’s post below! - John Vakidis

Are you living an Extraordinary life?

How long does it take you to do the things you need to do?  How many times have you said, “If I can just get through this week, I’ll be able to …..?”  Are you a list-maker?  Most of us are and how often do we really get through that list by the end of the week OR if we do get through it, do we really do the things that matter most to move our income or our organization forward? 

Research shows that most people only spend 60% of their work day on the productive tasks and 40% of the day is spent on “catching up with emails”, dealing with interruptions, or trying to handle the whirlwind of this thing we call, “life”.  By the time most people get to the things that take creative thinking, it is done in a panic/urgent and often haphazard mode. 

In today’s world, there is greater opportunity for both organizations and individuals to accomplish extraordinary goals.  I mean, think about it, anything you’d ever want to find out is most likely at the click or two of a button.  However, all too often, the demands of our jobs coupled with the vast amount of information coming at us from so many directions is overwhelming and exhausting and can flat out paralyze us to a point that we cannot focus at all.  For most people, it keeps us from being able to accomplish the things that matter most in our professional and personal lives. 

We do know that behavioral change takes time but think about how different our lives would be if we could deliberately pay attention to the most important things amidst all the distractions.  Why does it matter if we “get it all done” if we don’t get the “right things” done?  The difference between sinking into the sea of unending stress and urgency and soaring to new heights is in one’s ability to make wise and disciplined decisions.  At what point do you say, enough is enough, I’m ready for a change?

- Kellie Edmundson, Client Partner (Austin/San Antonio)

PS - If you are interested in seeing if the 5 Choices is right for your organization, consider joining us at one of our introductory showcases in your area, late September.  Click here for more details.

The 5 Choices

On Sept 26^th, FranklinCovey is launching its newest solution, The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity. We have probably trained more people on this planet in time management and productivity than any other training organization in the world!  With our principle-based training, individuals across the globe have been able to increase their overall effectiveness (personally and professionally) for well over 20 years!

Well, times have changed!  With more pressure to do more with less and with technology making us ever so connected, the choices we make are more crucial now than ever before … if we want to be successful.  Consider being one of the FIRST attendees for our 2-day public sessions in your area:

Dallas on 11/01-11/02                     Oklahoma City on 11/03-11/04

This program is regularly $1,295.  Because we are launching this new offering, we are providing all participants a discounted registration opportunity.  Save $300 and register for only $995 + tax for one of our November sessions mentioned above.  Contact me directly to assure this rate and your seat!

Certify to Teach within Your Organization
Become a licensed facilitator and teach The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity to employees in your organization.  Benefits include special pricing, the ability to customize the class to your organization, ongoing FranklinCovey support, and more.  Purchase 30 Participant Manuals upfront and we will waive the certification costs, which include a facilitator kit, program DVD, 15 participant workbooks (and Organizational License Fee if applicable).  This offer can save your organization up to $4500!  This offer expires 11/25/11.

Bring FranklinCovey Onsite
Have a FranklinCovey Consultant come to your organization.  If you bring this program onsite before 11/25/11, we will offer you 30% off our consultant fees for our Onsite Launch Promotion.  Contact me now for more details and to learn more about customizing this solution for your team!

Learn more about the 5 Choices below…
The 5 Choices to Extraordinary Productivity process measurably increases productivity of individuals, teams, and organizations. Participants make more selective, high-impact choices about where to invest their valuable time, attention and energy.

	In today's world, people are drowning in email, overwhelmed with demands, and trying to do more with less. 5 Choices participants filter the vitally important priorities from distractions so they can focus on making a real contribution.
	Everyone wants to make a difference, but competing priorities often prevent them from achieving extraordinary results. 5Choices participants redefine their roles in terms of extraordinary results to execute on high-priority goals.
	The crushing increase in workday pressures can make people feel helpless and out of control. 5 Choices participants regain control of their work and lives through a cadence of planning and execution that produces extraordinary outcomes.
	An electronic avalanche of email, texts, and social-media alerts seriously threaten productivity as never before. 5 Choices participants leverage their technology and fend off distractions by optimizing platforms like Microsoft® Outlook® to boost productivity.
	Today's exhausting, high-pressure work environment burns people out at an alarming rate. Applying the 5 Energy DriversTM, participants benefit from the latest in brain science to consistently recharge their mental and physical energy.

Increasing personal productivity, one person at a time,
John Vakidis
________________________________________________________________

The 5 Choices of Extraordinary Productivity was launched barely over a week ago.  FranklinCovey is hosting a 175-City Tour to introduce this solution to leaders, trainers  and HR professionals across the globe. 

Over the last few weeks, nearly 2,000 people have seen our 2.5 hour showcase for our initial launch?  Were you one of the lucky attendees?  If the answer is no, that’s alright.

On Nov 2^nd, from 2 PM-4:30 PM (Central) and Nov 3^rd, from 8 AM-10:30 AM (Central), we will be offering these showcases VIRTUALLY.  These webinars will allow participants to evaluate FranklinCovey’s brand-new approach to measurably improving productivity.  

We will address the following three items:

1. Why organizations and teams often struggle with productivity and the key challenges that prevent people from optimizing their performance
2. A preview of the content, including an overview of each of The 5 Choices which lead to improved productivity in a measurable and results-oriented way
3. How FranklinCovey implements The 5 Choices within teams and organizations

Register now for FranklinCovey's The 5 Choices Webinar Overview.

We also have special promotions for on-site training and certifications for clients who implement this solution in house by November 25^th.  Contact me (214-387-9960) for details on how you can save 30% off our consulting fees for this program or get a FREE certification with the purchase of 30 manuals.

Creating extraordinary teams one individual at a time,

John Vakidis

Introduction

Hello! 

Welcome to my blog for FranklinCovey - N. Texas and Oklahoma.   My name is John Vakidis and I am a Business Partner at FranklinCovey.  I work with a team of Client Partners supporting our clients in Texas and Oklahoma.  We work with leaders to help them achieve their top business strategies through our Training and Consulting Offerings.

Please allow me to provide you with an overview to our company.  We have a presence in 147 countries across the globe and we’ve been providing world-class training for over 20 years.  Our clients include 90% of the Fortune 100 and more than 75% of the Fortune 500.  We also work with thousands of small to mid-size organizations, including non-profit, education and government entities.

Our mission is “To Enable Greatness in People and Organizations Everywhere.”  We believe in discovering the principles to effectiveness and study what great organizations do to become “great.”  All of our content is designed to make changes to human behavior towards getting sustainable, superior results.

While many people know us for 7 Habits or Time Management, we’ve come a long way from our roots. We primarily work with organizations in 3 key areas:

·         Individual Effectiveness

·         Leadership & Management Training

·         Strategic Goal Execution Consulting

You must have strong individual contributors, trustworthy leaders that inspire the best in their teams and an extraordinary capacity to execute if you ever want to be considered “Great.”  If you want to learn more about our offerings for Individual Effectiveness or Leadership, consider joining my group on LinkedIn, FranklinCovey - N. Texas & Oklahoma Leadership Discussion Board. 

About every 1-2 weeks I will be posting blogs, videos, successful client case studies and more to introduce our solutions to followers of this blog.  My goal is to provide you with a basic understanding of our content and to share how other clients are successfully implementing our solutions to achieve some pretty amazing results.

If you would like to engage with us at any point along the way, please contact me.  I am 100% confident that FranklinCovey can help your organization achieve your most important and challenging corporate goals.

Until next time,

John Vakidis