Founder of Nest and co-creator of the iPod, Tony Fadell knows just how important Noticing is in his work: “it’s my job to see those everyday things, to feel them, and try to improve upon them.” In his TED Talk, Fadell dives into the complacency of habituation and how it can stop us from Noticing important and sometimes invisible cues around us. Fadell offers a few tips for Noticing in all lines of work, not just design: LOOK farther by taking a few steps back; LOOK closer to identify the small things that matter; or think younger to expose yourself to new perspectives. When we take the time to Notice the big, the small, and the alternative viewpoints, we can design solutions in health care that go beyond the expectations of our team members, providers, patients, and guests.
It is easy to find ourselves falling into the habit of walking the same path at work. Take a different route! When you change course, what do you Notice? What do you hear? How can changing a habitualized practice affect the Experience of team members, providers, patients and guests?
In this On Being episode, internet thought leader Seth Godin discusses the almost spiritual practice of Noticing. Alongside the podcast’s host, Krista Tippett, Godin reflects on his intellectual coming-to-Being through historical business teachings such as the industrial revolution, the evolution of the stock market, and the power of his own failures. Godin posits that all change that happens, personal or societal, comes from a practice of Noticing something that is or isn’t working and then shifting behavior and design to build solutions to what was Noticed.
Like Godin, we all have Moments from growing up that shaped the way we Notice the world around us today. What were they? How could we tap back into those Moments to serve as a lens for our work to create a better Experience in health care?
One of the most important places to practice Noticing is within our own minds. When we practice mindfulness, we unlock a whole new level of awareness. In Noticing the ongoings within our minds, we can deconstruct unhelpful mental habits and create new approaches to problem solving. Businesses, schools, and sports teams have started to recognize that the practice of mindfulness or meditation fosters healthier team members andshapes more efficient teams. When we tap into the power of mindfulness, we unlock more empathy, compassion, and acceptance which leads to more productive teams.
How do our health care systems create a safe and welcoming space for team members, providers, patients, and guests to practice mindfulness? How might this practice be built into our day or our Experience journey? How might we promote this practice to better teams as well as individuals?
Artist and urban designer Candy Chang challenged residents of New Orleans to Notice what was possible within their own city. The project, I Wish This Was, gave community members simple tools to share their voice. Chang placed stickers on many abandoned buildings that merely read, “I wish this was…” encouraging passerbys to share their needs or ideas for the spaces. From grocery stores and bookshops to community resource centers, this project put the power in the hands of local citizens to Notice what was possible and what was needed. This experiment in civic engagement is not just limited to New Orleans; through the link above, individuals can also download the templates for “I wish this was…” stickers to utilize in their own communities.
What if we were to design a miniature “I wish this was…” experiment for our team members about an underutilized place or space? What might they share? How might we encourage an open conversation around Noticed opportunities for improvement?
Mamava Noticed a problem: women don’t have safe, convenient spaces to breastfeed or pump when going about their daily lives, and breastfeeding rates are down as a result. In an effort to remove barriers (and prevent women from having to pump in bathroom stalls), they decided to design a solution: breastfeeding and pumping pods that can easily be placed in corporate or public places. The solution caught on in big ways. Mamava pods can now be spotted in airports and sports stadiums, and all of their locations are easily found through their user-friendly app.
In this thoughtful piece from the Harvard Business Review, Dov Seidman discusses our evolution from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy to our current human economy. The key differences? While knowledge is useful, and we certainly need to create things, the human element is irreplaceable. Our ability to inject humanity – to Notice, to act, and to apply creativity, passion, and character – cannot be replaced by a machine. And it is these abilities which help differentiate brands and companies, elevating those who do it well. This shift is important for us as leaders to recognize and consider as we focus on the humanity of our work, and capitalize on those things that humans uniquely do best.
What “human factors” are essential to your organization? As we introduce more technologies, how can we be sure to foster the essential human elements that help shape our culture?
In the Spotlight: Northwell and Noticing The Food Experience
In an effort to transform the food Experience in hospitals, Northwell Health hired Michelin Star chef,Bruno Tison, to create fresh, high-quality menus to enhance the healing process in 23 of their New York facilities. Chef Tison’s aim is to ensure every patient receives “great food of the quality of a restaurant.”
We asked Sven Gierlinger, Chief Experience Officer at Northwell Health and 2017 Inside Out Lab Partner, how the knowledge of the powerful principle of Noticing helped him envision the food Experience anew. Here’s what he shared:
“At Northwell Health, we see health care differently and embrace a spirit of inquiry and innovation. Everything we do revolves around our true “North” – our patients, families, and communities we proudly serve – and providing them with the quality and empathetic care they deserve. We have been on a journey of cultural transformation and armed with the knowledge of Noticing, we took a step back and examined our organization holistically. What we found was that health care is a beautiful and intricate web of culture, process, human touch, behavior, policy, accountability, and transparency.
As we took a deeper LOOK, we Noticed that food, a basic human need, is an absolute foundation to a greater Experience. Historically, food in health care has been seen as a liability – a cost item that adds no value to medical care. However, listening to the ‘voice’ of our patients and families, we knew our organization had to make food and wellness a strategic priority. Food touches every aspect of care – it is nourishment, comfort, and even fun, but ultimately, food is healing. We partnered with Chef Bruno Tison, adding his vision and Experience to our dedicated team to redefine hospital food quality and standards in hopes of creating an enhanced overall Experience. Chef Tison is focusing on whole ingredients and cutting back on processed ones, reducing sugar and salt content. He’s introduced dishes such as an antibiotic-free pork chop over Israeli couscous and chicken soup from scratch with whole chickens and vegetables. While rethinking the whole food Experience, our goal is to create healthier foods that our patients and guests look forward to and that meet their desires. We are excited to where our food transformation will take us.”
The word “Orchestration” immediately brings to mind the exquisite performance of a beautiful symphony. We envision a conductor standing on stage, setting the tempo, LEADING dozens of individual instruments and musicians to play in concert, Connecting and weaving together the various parts, bringing out the best in each musician, and creating a masterful and memorable performance. The symphony serves as a beautiful metaphor for “Big E Experience” and our own health care journey. We, as leaders, are the conductors — setting the vision and aim and bringing all the pieces together in a harmonic whole.
How Orchestration Fits in LEADING
As leaders, we are the conductors of our Experience Orchestration. Our role is to set the tone, pace, and tempo while drawing together the vital elements—our people, our processes, and our places — into one melodic throughline. We weave together the unique talents, individual gifts, and important pieces and spotlight each touchpoint an individual has with our organization. Just as virtuoso musicians are always practicing, rehearsing, tuning — it is for the Experience we bring to life. Orchestrating an interconnected and cohesive Experience takes practice, requires rehearsal, and will always be made better by fine-tuning.
Google set out to understand what makes their teams some of the greatest in the tech industry and discovered that it’s the soft skills of team members that made them thrive. Google’s co-founders initially hired for pure technical mastery in computer science. The findings of their two in-depth studies (one in 2013 and one in 2016) surprised them. The data revealed that the top characteristics for success were being a good coach, communicating and listening well, possessing insights into others, having empathy, being a great problem solver, and being able to make Connections between complex ideas. STEM skills ranked last on their list. The big “ah-ha!” was simply that while STEM skills are vital to the world we LIVE in today, to quote Steve Jobs, “Technology alone is not enough.” What is important to remember is that the survey is never final. Google is always adapting and improving the behaviors based on what they learned.
Reflect on the findings of Google’s study and the Orchestration of our own teams. Are we LOOKING for both hard and soft skills? Consider that those with strong soft skills often come up with more creative solutions and find more satisfaction within their teams.
