The SRA Symposium - College of Medicine

Papers
with little or no cash outlay. Internal sharing of new ideas and concepts are key for organizations
with limited resources. Staff who attend meetings should be prepared to share the highlights of the
sessions that are relevant with colleagues and management.
Staff should be mentored in building relationships, both internally and externally of the immediate
work groups and organization. Have staff explore “where their jobs take them.” Who are they
interacting with throughout the course of their work assignments? Internal relationships within an
organization are just as critical and can be more crucial to develop. Many organizations experience
in-fighting or finger-pointing between work groups or departments. Team building and relationships
can help to resolve issues quicker than if no relationship existed. Case in point, recently an
agency’s outstanding final report website indicated an overdue report for a project which had
ended in 1999. The project director stated that he had provided the report, prior to the implementation
of electronic submission. An email to the agency staff was to no avail. A follow up email
with a contact at the agency, which a relationship has been established through several interactions,
was critical in resolving the issue. Share similar experiences of the importance of developing
relationships with staff. These contacts are invaluable.
Relationships need to be give and take. Demonstrate assisting others with problems that may not
directly relate to current workload. Foster an environment of “what can I do to make this happen”,
instead of creating roadblocks to success. Share the knowledge that has been gained over the life of
your career.
Don’t be afraid to “get into the trenches.” Be more than willing to assist staff during crunch times if
copying, filing or other “menial” tasks need to be performed. Be willing to take on a portion of an
individual’s work to assist during particularly difficult times. This willingness serves two purposes:
staff will view management as being a part of the team that does what it takes to get the job done
and a refresher course for management is taking place! It is amazing how quickly daily routines
and processes change. Don’t become a manager who “doesn’t know what they are talking about”
when it comes to being able to perform what it takes to get a proposal out the door or submit
various reports on-line. Managers who fail to participate in the work of their staff are performing
a major disservice to their organization by not keeping up to date with current practices of the
profession.
Leading a balanced life between professional and personal can be difficult to do. There is nothing
worse than one’s child saying “You think too much about work.” A staff member who is overburdened
either at work or home will not perform optimally in either situation. Staff should be
encouraged to take vacation time without the guilt of leaving work behind. Time away from work
re-energizes most individuals who return to the workforce refreshed and renewed.
Management also needs to take time to relax and reinvigorate. Everyone in the workforce experiences
difficult times, including management. If possible, leave personal difficulties outside of
the workplace. Unfortunately, some of life’s events are so serious that this is not possible. When a
personal situation is at a magnitude where it may affect one’s ability to focus at work, share. The
amount of details discussed is the decision of the individual. Staff will often rally to assist individuals
through a difficult time.
Clear the mind and work space of distractions when meeting with staff. The ability to focus solely
on the staff ’s topic at hand gives the message that the issues being brought forward and being
discussed are important to all. While these issues might be readily resolved, in a quick and efficient
manner, staff would not bring them to management’s attention if they knew how to effectively and
correctly deal with the topic. Extend the courtesy of full attention; minimize the email program
and place the telephone on divert, if possible. These small gestures are extremely important in
building a team. Staff need to be courteous of one another, when meeting with management. It is
212 2005 Symposium Proceedings Book