There are certain qualities that are synonymous with Spirituality; love, kindness, and selflessness are primary components. Spiritual people recognize they are part of a larger world, but that it does not revolve around them. People who are Spiritual recognize the good in our world and the positive qualities in other people; they are optimistic and focus on what they have rather than complaining about what they do not have. Spiritual people see themselves as survivors, not victims. Rather than holding resentments, they forgive and may forget; they do not stay stuck, they move on with life.

Spirituality is as much of an attitude as it is a way of life. Spiritual people are open-minded, accept and respect the views of others, and they never try to force their ideas or beliefs on others.

People who practice the Twelve Steps of AA and incorporate them into their lives have become Spiritual. However, the Twelve Steps are by no means the only steps to becoming spiritual. The beauty of Spirituality is that it is as personal as it is individual. People have to find their own Spirituality, it is not something that can be given to them; however, Spirituality is freely given.

By Peter Edis

According to David Snyder, (How to Hire a Champion), the word “competency” and the concept of “competency-based hiring and development,” is largely misunderstood; not only in health care, but in business and industry as a whole. Yet, arguably it could be one of the most critical insights a hiring manager identify in a candidate.

While concept of competency can be explained in many ways, most managers would
agree that at least one definition has to do with an employee’s or a candidate’s ability to do their job or do the job for which they are being hired. One of the most critical decisions a hiring manager must make, for instance, is can this candidate do the job for
which they are applying. The consequences for hiring the wrong candidate often impacts an organization in many ways: For instance, decreased productivity, low moral, and even
the loss of staff who became frustrated and resign because of the poor performer. Ultimately, a hiring mistake can and often does cause an organization to lose revenue in the long run.

On the flip side, hiring the right person, for the right job, can and does have a positive impact on an organization. The influence of a top performer for instance can help take overall productivity to the next level. It is no wonder then, why managers strive to hire these “Champions”.

The inspiration for Champion Chronicles spawned from the idea that top performers (Champions) possess certain characteristics or assets (Competencies) that distinguish them from their peers. In hiring candidates and retaining employees with these qualities,
an organization stacking the deck in their favor.

What follows are one “Champion’s” ideas on how these qualities may be defined in the health care / behavioral health care industry and how to identify them in potential candidates as well as current staff.

Passion Competency: The Basics

In drawing up a competency model for hiring a top performer, four factors always come into play. We will apply these four factors to the analysis of a passionate executive in the
behavioral health care industry.

1. Technical Skills: A passionate executive is one who cares deeply about this line of work and has made a commitment to be all he can be. Consequently, he has excellent command of the technical skills or the nuts and bolts of the business. This is a person, who by virtue of his passion for his work spends his evenings at home researching, reading, identifying best practices in the industry. He wants to know everything he can so that he is always well prepared to be the best he can for the organization, he staff, and most of all, the customers.

2. Higher Order Competencies: As an executive that functions from the higher order competencies, this individual is not a micro manager. He is a competent professional that knows the business like the back of his hand. In turn, he expects those that report to him to know their jobs well. The executive that demonstrates this level of analytical thinking has confidence in his staff and therefore he empowers them to get the job done well. In the event that his staff can not get the job done, he expects them to know when to ask for assistance rather than producing results that are less than optimal.

As an Administrator, he possesses the analytical thinking, project management, planning, and decision making needed to be effective both immediately and for the long haul. As such, he can define and outline the skills, behaviors, and attitudes required of and measured in his direct reports.

3. Attitude and Motivation: The executive possess the personality traits, attitudes, values and motivations that exemplify a skilled and passionate desire to create and
sustain a positive and productive working environment. He teaches, upholds the highest standards of ethics and integrity, and is a coach and mentor to those around him. This is the kind of executive that is loyal to the organization, supportive of his coworkers and inspiring to his direct reports; additionally, he treats every customer with the same level of dignity and respect that he would expect if he was the customer.

4. Behaviors (or character): As a candidate, he has a consistent track record of demonstrating the behaviors that define a strong work ethic, morality, honesty, and
integrity; he leads by example, mentors others, and champions the values of excellence in
all of his affairs. These character traits reflect a pattern or habit of consistently dependable behavior over time.

If given the opportunity, the executive can easily explain how he exemplifies these noble characteristics as he conducts daily business. His resume and references have been validated. The results of interviews and background checks show he has the hard skill, competence, and attitude needed to exemplify these positive attributes on a daily basis.

A FEW MORE EXAMPLES:

UNDERSTANDING CLIENTS

Behavioral health patients do not wake up out of the blue one day and decide that it is a nice day to check into the psychiatric hospital any more than the alcoholic suddenly decides to stop drinking. It is often quite the opposite; that is, they try desperately to help themselves and it is not until they are on the brink of despair, when all else has failed, do they reluctantly seek professional help.

At the same time, it is not uncommon for people with problems, even very serious problems, to be ambivalent about needing help. Perhaps it is the stigmas society associates with the mentally ill that make it so difficult for people to reach out. Or a society that lives on the fast track and wants that miracle pill that will make everything better with the smallest disruption to their daily routines as possible, even when those routines are clearly counterproductive.

The exemplary behavioral health professional understands the dynamics of mental illness and addiction. He recognizes the denial and ambivalence that is characteristic of all people with serious problems. He exemplifies a passion for helping these people and he inspires and motivates those around him (patients and staff).

At the same time, he is well aware of the need to help these patients take responsibility for their problems as well as their actions. He believes in empowering them through insight oriented therapy and motivational lectures and behavioral based exercises. He understands the need to involve the patients’ families in the process and he rolls with their excuses for being unable / unwilling to attend sessions. The exemplar is creative and focuses on each patient as an individual.

SELFLESSNESS VERSUS SELF SERVING

The exemplary professional is intrinsically motivated. He is on time and prepared for work, he gets right to business, and he is on top of his case load. He smiles, always has something positive to say, and rolls with the frequent interruptions that are so characteristic of the behavioral health environment.

The exemplar goes out of his way to help his peers, unlike his opposite that goes out their way to prevent others from being productive and is forever trying to suck others into their negativity. These toxic workers go out of their way to create negative alliances with anyone that is willing to listen. They display little genuine desire to help others and they constantly make excuses for their own inadequacies.

An exemplary employee will have no part in the negativity. In fact, they may not even be aware of it at first because they are focused and task oriented. When they do become aware of the toxic worker(s) they address it openly. They are more concerned with the health and productivity of the team and the ability to meet the patients’ needs than they are with the issue of the day for their toxic peer.

The bottom line for the exemplary professional is providing quality care for the patient every day.

RELATIONSHIP SKILLS

The exemplary professional is an expert at managing relationships; they see the big picture and they do not become overly influenced (positive or negative) with out having
all the facts. They are empathetic, compassionate, patient, and understanding. They enjoy working with people and it shines through in everything they do.

As hard as it is to imagine, there are people working in this business (the people business) that may have the actual skills, but they either do not possess or they have lost the patience, understanding, compassion and empathy needed to be effective. They do it
because it is their job; it may be all they know how to do. Hiring someone like this would be an absolute disaster. Allowing an employee to continue in their position with out providing them with proper supervision and specific examples of their behaviors during performance appraisals is a serious mistake.

HOW TO HIRE A CHAMPION

Again, one of the best ways to avoid hiring the wrong person is completing a thorough background check. It is prudent and warranted to spend extra time thoroughly evaluating a potential candidate before they are hired than it is to be forced to weed them out afterwards.

Speak to several previous employers whenever possible. Remain objective and do not make a decision based on one glowing reference or a single bad reference. A great
employee can have a bad experience just as a bad employee can have a positive experience.

It is advisable to have a set of questions prepared for reference checks. Stick to your questions and avoid making a decision based on one or two interviews. Checking three professional references and three personal references is an excellent way to fully assess a
potential candidate’s references. Look for themes; try to identify the individual’s brand.
What are the made of? Are the motivated? Assess their Champion factor – are they enthusiastic, have they always demonstrated initiative, do they have the passion and the skills that are characteristic of the exemplary employee?