Dear Colleague,
We’re closing in on 430,000 tips completed across Ballad Health – an incredible accomplishment that reflects your dedication to growing as a team and building a culture of excellence. Thank you for continuing to invest in yourselves and one another through the B Excellent journey.
Last week, we wrapped up the Impact of Collaboration skill, where we explored how to break down barriers, build meaningful connections, and support one another through feedback, reflection and shared goals. This week, we’re beginning a brand-new skill – Beyond the Work, which shifts our focus to how deeper personal connections can strengthen collaboration and improve the team experience.
This Week’s Team Collaboration Tips
Beyond the Work Tip #1: Knowing Each Other
This tip helps you recognize the benefits of learning more about your teammates’ personalities, ambitions and behavior styles, while also encouraging you to identify and acknowledge traits you genuinely appreciate in others.
Call to action: Think about what you enjoy most about your work and what strengths you bring to the team. Share these strengths at your next team meeting.
Ballad Health HRO: Empathy for High Reliability
In this tip, you’ll explore the role empathy plays in a healthcare setting and learn how to use it effectively in daily interactions. You’ll also be introduced to the ESP (Empathy, Support, Partnership) technique, a practical approach to improving communication and understanding with both patients and colleagues.
Call to action: Ask your co-workers to give examples of empathy statements they have used to connect with patients or colleagues.
HRO tip sheet
The corresponding HRO Tip Sheet this week is “Make a Compassionate Connection,” which offers helpful reminders on how empathy enhances safety and trust in healthcare. The Make a Compassionate Connection Tip Sheet can be found in the B Excellent Toolbox or by clicking here.
Tracking your progress
If you’ve been keeping up with your B Excellent journey, your overall progress in the Team Collaboration program should now be at 43%. To check where you stand, click the “Progress” tab (found in the lower right corner of the mobile app or at the top of the desktop interface) then select “Programs” to see your completion status.
Note: Your overall progress percentage only updates once you’ve completed an entire skill, not with each individual tip. So, if your progress doesn’t seem to be moving, it may simply mean you’re still finishing up your current skill.
Reminders
B Excellent Podcast: If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the latest episode of the B Excellent Podcast. It features B Excellent champions Regina Robinson, System Director of Quality, Performance Improvement & Regulatory Affairs; and Melissa Williams, Nurse Manager at Indian Path Community Hospital. They share their inspiring journeys into healthcare and reflect on how the B Excellent initiative is helping to shape their leadership approach and spark meaningful change within their roles. Don’t miss this motivating conversation! Find it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and on the Practicing Excellence app. Be sure to tune in!
B Excellent Toolbox: The B Excellent Toolbox is a helpful resource designed to support all team members on their B Excellent journey. Inside, you’ll find tools like the Team Collaboration Program Guide, login instructions, collaboration tip summaries, HRO Tip Sheets and other resources that make it easier to stay engaged and apply what you’re learning. Whether you’re catching up on tips or looking for a quick refresher, the Toolbox gives you easy access to everything you need in one place.
You can explore the resources anytime from the B Excellent Toolbox quick link on the front page of the Ballad Health intranet or by clicking this link.
Thank you for continuing to invest your time and energy into the B Excellent journey. Your commitment to growing as individuals and as a team is what drives our culture forward. Keep showing up, sharing ideas, supporting one another and applying what you’ve learned because excellence isn’t just a goal, it’s a way we work and grow together.
