Eyeworld Daily News

50 | EYEWORLD DAILY NEWS | MAY 16, 2020 DAILY NEWS ASCRS VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING each of these. Even a 10-min- ute walk a few times a day can provide a much-needed energy boost. Adequate sleep is also essential, in addition to proper nutrition and hydration. As for spiritual needs, Ms. Baldwin said these may look different among individuals and "could include meditation or mindfulness, a nature walk, or anything that fills your tank." Acknowledging gifts and expressing gratitude can help one's mental state as well. "Whatever it is for you, becoming more consciously aware and expressing gratitude is a wonderful way to boost your spirits—and the spirits of others—during this difficult time," Ms. Baldwin said. Once these feelings are acknowledged, she continued, you can begin to provide a plan that provides "reassurance, transparency, and commitment to doing what's right for the organization, its people, and patients served." "People are amazingly able to deal with reality, even if it has a significant downside. It's the unknown that is para- lyzing," said Jim Haudan. "A leader's job is to bring the facts about 'exactly where we are' to their organization and teams. In times of economic trouble, not only can most people han- dle it, they crave it. Be truthful about job security. If there are no guarantees, tell them. Uncertainty and ambiguity can be more harmful than the bad news itself." As Ms. Baldwin put it, when people are left to won- der, they create their own narratives, often negative. So frequent communication with the team and patients at this time is vital. Though email and phone calls are easy modes of communication during social isolation, Kevin Denny, MD, stressed the importance of see- ing each other. For example, he has moved what was a regular in-person resident check-in conference to a video chat. "There is a difference between the level of communi- cation that takes places in an email vs. being in the room," he said. "Meeting regularly with residents and my prac- tice staff, now virtually, we're looking at one another, hearing each other's voices, and seeing expressions, which makes all the difference in understand- ing." Be there for patients While a practice leader might be focused inward on how to usher staff and business through this crisis, patients, even if they're not coming into the office, need communica- tion, too. "Patients want to know they're not forgotten," Dr. Den- ny said. "Given our evolving un- derstanding of the COVID-19 disease, we should present information in a way that conveys the limits of our knowledge, while reassuring patients that medical science is working hard to increase our effectiveness," he continued. Dr. Denny said his team communicated with patients at several points in the COVID-19 situation and reassured them that they could contact the team via email for urgent matters. "We're not seeing patients in the office unless there is a need to, but they can reach us this way. So they're not alone," Dr. Denny said. Understand what's within your control Very quickly in a crisis, lead- ers have to focus on what's within their control, creating a solutions-based plan with confident, decisive actions, Ms. Baldwin said. Mr. Haudan recommended having members of a core team write down their thoughts and discuss as a team what's within their control vs. not. "For the things that are within our control, look at them with fresh eyes and outline new ways to approach them in the current environ- ment," he said. Prepare for mistakes, take advice One of the main points Dr. Denny wanted to share is to be prepared to make and acknowledge mistakes, lis- tening to advice that might lead toward a better decision. Dr. Denny said he originally planned to still host his De- partment of Ophthalmology grand rounds in person, taking precautions with adequate space between attendees, no hand shaking, etc. But after proposing this, some trusted colleagues approached him and suggested video instead, which has allowed spirited dis- cussions but to an even wider audience than before. "While ophthalmologists aren't on the critical care frontlines with COVID-19, we are responsible for keeping our practices viable until we can resume care. Trusted advisors and colleagues are a godsend, since it's not possible to be an expert about every possible question," Dr. Denny said, adding later that he took BSM Consulting's March 26 webinar "Business Survival Through The COVID-19 Crisis," which he called a "master class on leadership through this chal- lenge." Along the same vein of seeking advice, Mr. Haudan recommended deputizing "opportunity scouts." Get your team involved in imagining a response to various situations. "Their ideas for weathering the storm on both the cost and revenue sides of the business are often better than what most leaders could implement on their own," he said. Take care of yourself "The airlines use a great line during their pre-flight safety messages—put your oxygen mask on first," Ms. Baldwin said, noting that taking care of yourself demonstrates true leadership. It can be easy to let one's own physical and emotional needs slide when focusing on tasks related to crisis manage- ment, but Ms. Baldwin said it's healthy to make time for About the sources Laura Baldwin Principal, senior consultant, and certified professional coach BSM Consulting Phoenix, Arizona Kevin Denny, MD Frank Stein and Paul May Director The Pacific Vision Eye Institute Chair, Department of Ophthalmology California Pacific Medical Center San Francisco, California Jim Haudan Founder and chairman Root Inc. Sylvania, Ohio Bruce Maller Founder and CEO BSM Consulting Incline Village, Nevada continued from page 48

• Cover