Shola Richards is founder and CEO of Go Together Global, an international consulting company devoted to creating behavioral change at the workplace. He’s also an author and TEDx Talk speaker who has been dubbed “Brother Teresa” for his pioneering work in teaching management and front-line staff to collaborate in more harmonious and positive ways, even in the stressful world of healthcare.
Richards spoke on that very topic as the opening keynote at MGMA’s 2021 Medical Practice Excellence: Leaders Conference. He said his mission stems directly from terrible personal experiences he had while working in training for a major healthcare employer more than a decade ago. At the time, Richards was wrapped up in the daily drama of a toxic workplace culture that thrived on chaos and fractious interpersonal disputes.
“It was bad,” he said on an episode of the MGMA Insights podcast. “There was bullying, harassment, all sorts of awful things going on, and really no accountability structure. People could just get away with whatever they wanted to. It was horribly depressing in a sense that it made you lose faith in humanity.”
Hear more from Richards in this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast:
Ironically, Richards said even those challenging conditions pale to tensions in the current workplace and political climate, with a global pandemic, civil unrest and apparent divisiveness that has filtered into workplace conversations and behavior – not to mention the dynamic experienced as remote workers ease back into in-person environments.
Richards said his experiences in a hostile work setting aided him in creating strategies that can help administrators and employees de-escalate personnel issues, even in these turbulent times.
“I had to learn techniques for resilience and what it really meant,” he said. “Resilience has this bad [connotation] that you’ve just got to grit your teeth and make your way through it, and that’s not really what it’s like. It’s really some simple, thoughtful things like focusing on what you have the power to control, really surrounding yourself with people who will support you instead of drag you down and taking action, regardless of how little it is toward some sort of healing and improvement.”
Richards said emotional intelligence has plenty of application in the modern workplace, like thinking issues through and engaging in conversations that are respectful and open – in tough situations or otherwise. Even a simple courtesy like being on time for meetings can significantly demonstrate those skills.
“By being present when you’re having a conversation with someone, it can make a huge difference,” he said. “We’re so hyper-distracted in our world right now, and it’s really challenging, so I tell people there’s certain things that we can do to be mindful and to show and demonstrate that you’re being kind, one which seems so simple … starting and ending your meetings on time. I’ve seen supervisors show up consistently late. They don’t call, don’t text or say they’re running late. It’s such an example of rudeness and a lack of self-awareness. I really want people to be freakishly in the moment and to be aware of how their words and actions affect others.”
Richards spoke on that very topic as the opening keynote at MGMA’s 2021 Medical Practice Excellence: Leaders Conference. He said his mission stems directly from terrible personal experiences he had while working in training for a major healthcare employer more than a decade ago. At the time, Richards was wrapped up in the daily drama of a toxic workplace culture that thrived on chaos and fractious interpersonal disputes.
“It was bad,” he said on an episode of the MGMA Insights podcast. “There was bullying, harassment, all sorts of awful things going on, and really no accountability structure. People could just get away with whatever they wanted to. It was horribly depressing in a sense that it made you lose faith in humanity.”
Hear more from Richards in this episode of the MGMA Insights podcast:
Ironically, Richards said even those challenging conditions pale to tensions in the current workplace and political climate, with a global pandemic, civil unrest and apparent divisiveness that has filtered into workplace conversations and behavior – not to mention the dynamic experienced as remote workers ease back into in-person environments.
Richards said his experiences in a hostile work setting aided him in creating strategies that can help administrators and employees de-escalate personnel issues, even in these turbulent times.
“I had to learn techniques for resilience and what it really meant,” he said. “Resilience has this bad [connotation] that you’ve just got to grit your teeth and make your way through it, and that’s not really what it’s like. It’s really some simple, thoughtful things like focusing on what you have the power to control, really surrounding yourself with people who will support you instead of drag you down and taking action, regardless of how little it is toward some sort of healing and improvement.”
Additional resources:
- Living it: Creating and maintaining exceptional organizational culture
- Creating a great place to work for all
- Reflections on leadership: Approaches to enhance effectiveness
Richards said emotional intelligence has plenty of application in the modern workplace, like thinking issues through and engaging in conversations that are respectful and open – in tough situations or otherwise. Even a simple courtesy like being on time for meetings can significantly demonstrate those skills.
“By being present when you’re having a conversation with someone, it can make a huge difference,” he said. “We’re so hyper-distracted in our world right now, and it’s really challenging, so I tell people there’s certain things that we can do to be mindful and to show and demonstrate that you’re being kind, one which seems so simple … starting and ending your meetings on time. I’ve seen supervisors show up consistently late. They don’t call, don’t text or say they’re running late. It’s such an example of rudeness and a lack of self-awareness. I really want people to be freakishly in the moment and to be aware of how their words and actions affect others.”
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