Team Topics

1. Creating, Strengthening and Supporting Advocacy TeamsSandra Hassink, MD, FAAPMolly Droge, MD, FAAP Be Our Voice is a program of the National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ), in cooperation with: Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

2. Team Topics Team Basics Teams at the Top Advocacy Teams

3. Teams are Different A real team – appropriately focused and rigorously disciplined - is the most flexible and the most powerful unit of performance, learning, and change in today's complex world. Katzenbach and Smith

4. Definition of a Real Team A real team is a small number of people with complementary skills that are committed to a common purpose, performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. Katzenbach and Smith

5. Team Basics Performance Results Problem solving Mutual Skills Accountability Technical/ function Small number of people Interpersonal Individual Specific goals Common approach Meaningful purpose Collective Work Products Personal Growth Commitment

6. Leaders Enhance Team Performance Clarify purpose and goals Build commitment and self-confidence Strengthen the team's collective skills and approach Remove externally imposed obstacles Create opportunities for others Do real work

7. Working Group vs. Team Leader driven Single- leader working group Position skill Individual accountability Efficiency Leader's goals and approach Performance Driven Real Team Mutual accountability Complimentary skills Performance results Collective Work products Personal growth Team’s goals and approach Collective Work Products Time required

8. Types of Teams

9. The Team Performance Curve

10. Becoming a Real Team Groups become teams through disciplined action when they : Share a common purpose Agree on performance goals Define a common working approach Develop high level of complementary skills Hold themselves accountable for results

11. The Goal Difference Activity-Based Goals Develop a plan for communicating about childhood obesity in the community Short-Term Goals Outcome-Based Performance Goals Reduce percent obese children in our community Recruit 10 new team members this year Teams thrive on performance challenges; they flounder without them.

12. Approach to Advocacy Traditional advocacy in a group setting: one person is the driver and does most of the work, others start out enthusiastic but fade away, initial leader gets overwhelmed and overworked, initiative eventually falls apart. Team approach: group develops goals and assigns/volunteers for tasks together, tracking and regular communication takes place, group reconvenes periodically to assess progress and adjust course.

13. Creating An Advocacy Work Plan Creating a site specific advocacy work plan will help your team of newly trained healthcare professionals have: Common Purpose and Direction Performance Goals Accountability

14. Advocate Advocate Individual Able to articulate unique experience Able to engage others to advocate for the cause Can respond quickly to emerging issues

15. Advocacy Team Common goal Unique talents TV, radio, internet, blogging, Meeting with legislators Public speaking Writing

16. Common Goals Spend time with group developing vision of what successful advocacy will “look like” Health care providers Families and children Schools and community How will you know you have been successful EX. Legislation passed, school policy change

17. Advocacy Team Unique skills Organizing grass roots Engaging new partners Engaging new advocates Articulating goals

18. Advocacy Team Unique perspectives Physician Nurse Dentist Dietician Exercise specialist

19. Advocacy Team Unique connections Parents/families Professional groups Community organizations Business leaders

20. Team MemberExercise Talents and Skills Write down what talents and skills you feel you have that would help the advocacy effort You can use these lists when you begin to do your advocacy work planning

21. Supporting the Team Revisiting the Advocacy Work Plan: Develop goals Delineate tasks Assign responsibility for tasks Help break down tasks into doable bits Structure communication to help trouble shoot and stay on task Reconvene to update progress, look at barriers and successes

22. Engaging and Connecting With Your Advocates Meeting to train, share goals, assign tasks and kick off group 8 hours (CME, meals, take aways) Leave with a plan, contacts and communication Call to assess status 1 hour Monthly calls to check in over next 3 months 15 minutes Quarterly meeting to connect with advocacy team 2 hours each

23. Supporting the Team Logistical Support link HCP advocates with organizations provide the resources they need to effectively educate and advocate.

24. Supporting the Team Training Find ways to link the training of healthcare professionals into places they already go In recruitment, emphasizes the importance of community interventions as a critical way to address childhood obesity

25. Supporting the Team Training continued Have experienced HCP advocates share their success stories and lessons learned Bring community leaders together to help healthcare professionals understand community dynamics

26. Supporting the Team Match the Engagement to the Time Available Ask HCPs to commit in concrete ways to community education and advocacy efforts.

27. Supporting the Team Recruit Community Physicians to Work in Their Own Communities Focus on underserved and diverse communities

28. Supporting the Team Meet HCP Advocates Where They Are For new advocates: identify where they are already part of groups where they can initiate their advocacy efforts Encourage them to become voices for your cause in their own professional organizations

29. Supporting the Teams Informed Teams Project Sites should track policy issues and policy changes at all levels of government Share this information with their healthcare professionals teams

30. Supporting the Team Share Success Stories Recognize Team Members Acknowledge Partners

31. Supporting the Team Engage and Communicate with Community Based Organizations (CB0). Project Site teams can: help CBOs understand the schedule and availability of healthcare professionals. be the “translator” for both the healthcare professional and the CBOs to better understand how to work most effectively together

32. Supporting the Team Reach Advocates Early Recruit from HCP training programs Take advantage of curriculum requirements for community engagement activities

33. Supporting the Team Provide Feedback & Data to Healthcare Professionals Stay in touch. emails, phone calls, social networking sites, faxes, a simple newsletter or meetings.

34. Supporting the Team Provide Feedback & Data to Healthcare Professionals Check-in and dialogue: give and take Share success stories and achievements Give them a voice

35. Supporting the Team Help Healthcare Professionals “Buddy Up” Connect new advocates with those who have been working in their communities for some time. For the “Buddy” advocate, it communicates they are of strong value to the team For the new advocate, they have an immediate sense of connection and accountability

36. Parting Words It is easier to recruit healthcare professionals than it is to keep them engaged!

37. In the Trenches Now we are going to highlight some real life advocacy experiences that highlight these lessons.

38. Break Outs to Build Your Site Specific Advocacy Work Plan