From Hospital to Tech Company: For Success, Invest in Your People

 
A young Pulsara team (circa 2014) poses on the lawn outside our first office.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Huge thanks to Shane Elmore, Blogger of the Year, for the topic of this blog post and for submitting the three top ways to invest in people. The rest of the post practically wrote itself!

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"What is our company's greatest asset?" 

When Pulsara's Founder and CEO, Dr. James Woodson asked this question at an all-hands meeting recently, my mind jumped to the obvious -- We reduce time-to-treatment by 10-40%! Clearly, our biggest asset is our platform that helps care teams do their jobs more efficiently and improves treatment time outcomes for critical patients!

Our team threw out a few other answers along those lines. We described things that aligned with our company's mission and vision statements and other assets that give Pulsara value for both investors and clients. 

But when James revealed what he views as our biggest asset, it instantly made sense. We had been thinking about it too much. Our greatest asset is something that no other company out there can reproduce, no matter how talented their engineers: Our people. 

The success of Pulsara lies entirely in the hands of the people within. If we're unified toward a common goal that we all believe in, if we look for grit as a key attribute in everyone we hire, and if we use our shared expertise in medicine, engineering, customer service, sales, marketing, and operations, we can propel our product to success. The product cannot do that by itself. 

Investing in people has huge returns for businesses as well as personal relationships. It's why the Harvard Business Review writes that If You Want Innovation, Invest in People. It's why Forbes gives us 4 Reasons To Invest In People, Not Companies. And it's why the most successful businesses out there -- be they tech companies, hospitals, consulting firms, you name it -- consistently rank the highest in employee satisfaction. 

So what can you do to improve the happiness and productivity of the people at your business? I asked Shane Elmore, Pulsara's Vice President For Clinical Innovation and Development for his top three tips for investing in people. Here's what he said:

1. Listen -- Sure that sounds easy enough, right? Unfortunately, sometimes it's easier said than done. As leaders, we often think that when someone comes to us with a problem, they want solutions. In reality, sometimes people just want to be heard. Take a moment to understand and really listen, rather than feeling like you have to instantly respond with all of the answers. In a social media driven world, it's easy for everyone to throw their opinion out, but few know what it's like to work under a leader who allows them to be heard.

2. Ask Questions -- When talking with people, many leaders forget to ask questions -- or they ask, but don't really listen to the responses (if this is you, re-read step 1 above). But you can learn an incredible amount about people and their opinions, challenges, and successes by simply asking thoughtful questions and follow-ups to those questions. The secret to being a "good conversationalist" as well as making people feel like an integrated part of your team? Take a genuine interest in people. Ask them questions and the rest will follow. 
   
   
3. Encourage -- Few will admit it, but we are all dying to have a kind word spoken to us. Most of us are acutely aware of the mistakes and social miscues that we make every day, and then are quick to dismiss our own successes and the happiness we bring to others. Unfortunately, there are also plenty of leaders who treat their coworkers in a similar way, making mental notes of missteps and failures to provide "constructive criticism" later on. And don't get me wrong, constructive criticism is crucial to growth and success, but so is genuine encouragement for jobs well done -- just be sure you never offer encouragement because you want something from another person. Flattery never gets you far. You know that anti-terrorism slogan you see at airports? "If you see something, say something." Well, it works for investing in people too. If you notice a job well done (no matter how small!), say something.