In this episode, we spoke to Ed Birkhamshaw, Consultant at the QE, about his involvement in the Civility Saves Lives movement. Having worked as an infectious diseases doctor during the Covid pandemic, Ed started to realise that he was becoming an incivil clinician. Acknowledging the effect that this behaviour was having on himself, his team and his patients, Ed discovered the significance of Civility Saves Lives within healthcare. Ed reflects on the importance of respect, promoting psychological safety and learning from both our mistakes and successes as a team.
3 Quotes to lead by...
1. CIVILITY SAVES LIVES
‘In healthcare, our behaviour matters, and it’s important because it has an impact on our team, our team’s performance and that has an impact on our patients. So that’s really the underlying message, and that’s what kind of woke me up to the idea of Civility Saves Lives and how important it is within healthcare.’
Q. What can you do to create a culture of civility in your team?
2. GENERATE A CULTURE OF RESPECT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY
‘I think we’ve started to realise that, within healthcare, how we get the best for our patients and how we get the best out of our teams is through civility and respect and by generating a culture of psychological safety where people can be comfortable being their best selves at work.’
Q. How can you ensure that your team feel respected? How can you promote a psychologically safe environment for your staff?
3. LEARN FROM BOTH EXCELLENCE AND OUR MISTAKES
‘Making mistakes is difficult, and we shouldn’t pretend that we can all just happily accept our mistakes and that it’s easy. But as leaders within the organisation, we need to accept that uncomfortableness and run with it. We have to demonstrate to other people within the organisation that mistakes need to be discussed openly and that we have to have a non-judgemental, non-blame culture. But to counter that, which is also really important and something I’m really passionate about, is learning from when things go well. We need to learn from excellence. Celebrating excellence rewards people, makes them feel that their work is worthwhile, and makes them do the same things again.’
Q. What learning opportunities are you creating for your team from both mistakes and successes?
External Resources
Creating a Culture of Civility: Practical Strategies For Leaders
Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety in the Workplace
The Best Leaders Demand Excellence, Not Perfection
