Everyone networks. You do it often without even knowing it\u2014talking with family, friends, co-workers and business professionals. It can be as simple as chatting with a patient or resident while serving lunch, as involved as making a connection while attending a professional seminar or anything in between. As a healthcare foodservice professional, every conversation you have and every connection you make during the course of the day rolls out the red carpet to improving yourself, your operation and, ultimately, the people in your care.
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\nWhether your networking is done on a personal or professional level, the goal is the same: to cultivate and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with a mix of people with whom you can share ideas and knowledge.
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\nThe key word in that definition is people, says Maureen Leugers, Director of Non-Commercial Customer Success at Gordon Food Service. It\u2019s not about collecting business cards of people you can call when you need advice. It\u2019s about reaching out, talking and listening\u2014really listening\u2014to people.
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\n\u201cIt\u2019s less about having a bunch of LinkedIn connections and more about having a phone-a-friend relationship,\u201d Leugers says. \u201cNetworking is about sharing information as much as it is receiving it, and that\u2019s critical for healthcare foodservice.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the healthcare subculture, the foodservice director often feels isolated or far down the ladder of importance, according to Gordon Food Service Customer Effectiveness Manager Ken Wasco. There are administrators, doctors and nurses, therapy professionals, then foodservice workers.
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\n\u201cIt\u2019s easy to think your opinion or experience doesn\u2019t have an impact, but it does,\u201d Wasco says. \u201cYou and your staff are connected to residents all day long\u2014you know what they like and dislike, you understand nutrition, diet needs and even who they like to sit with at dinner.\u201d
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\nEffective networking starts with reaching out, Leugers says. She cites business consultant Harvey Mackay\u2019s advice\u2014dig your well before you\u2019re thirsty\u2014as relevant to healthcare foodservice.
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\n\u201cIf you listen to other people\u2019s needs and connect them with the data and the people who can help, you\u2019ll find they are willing to share knowledge and ideas with you when you are in need,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
The risk of not reaching out is that it\u2019s hard to stay on trend or avoid inefficiencies, and that can increase expenses that take a toll in patient or resident count. If you\u2019re in charge of food service at an assisted living community, Leugers says, you need to be reaching out to hospitals and telling them about your nutrition plan, memory care capabilities and other successes. The entire community benefits when you network your strengths and keep an open line of communication.
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\n\u201cIf you show a hospital how your foodservice program promotes healing and contributes to lower admission rates, your community will be on their preferred placement list when patients are discharged,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd that\u2019s built on networking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Networking\u2014contact and conversation with people in the business\u2014ultimately keeps the operator current on foodservice topics: the latest government regulations, new food products or serving items that can improve the dining experience. 1. Taking before you give. The goal is to connect, not to only need things. Business consultant and author Harvey MacKay suggests these ways to improve networking among a group of professionals.<\/p>\n Connecting with people in the know leads to smarter and better patient and resident care. Everyone networks. You do it often without even knowing it\u2014talking with family, friends, co-workers and business professionals. It can be as simple as chatting with a patient or resident while serving lunch, as involved as making a connection while attending […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":4569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,111],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25858","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-running-your-business","category-healthcare"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\nIn today\u2019s high-tech world, it\u2019s easy to think all the information and networking you need is online. With the Internet, Wasco says, everyone has all the answers. \u201cThe challenge is to know the right questions to ask, and networking provides a way to learn those questions.\u201d
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\nHe suggests forming a network of five people who know what you do. They can work in your healthcare community or in other businesses. This group is not only a personal network, but it\u2019s the antidote to feeling alone with an opinion or problem.
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\n\u201cI guarantee that among the five people you will find someone with the same or similar concerns and you\u2019ll be able to talk through solutions.\u201d
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\nAny knowledge gained through networking increases the foodservice director\u2019s value, Wasco and Leugers agree. And this benefits the entire team that cares for patients and residents. Here are some key considerations that can make your networking more relevant:
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\nStart where you\u2019re comfortable. <\/strong>Networking can be a lot like going alone to a party, Leugers says. You\u2019re never at ease until you mingle and find people with similar interests.
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\n\u201cStrike up a conversation with the foodservice director at the assisted-living community across town,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot easier and less expensive to connect locally, and people are happy to share information you can bring back to your community.\u201d
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\nNetwork in-house.<\/strong> We all have expertise, Leugers says. Your facilities team has knowledge about the environment, the foodservice team knows safe food-handling, the nursing team knows about infection control and you should be sharing that knowledge internally. \u201cIn the end, we care for the whole person, not just the nutrition or diet needs.\u201d
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\nKnow the pros.<\/strong> If you want to look beyond the local landscape, there are a number of professional and trade associations at the local, provincial and national levels, Leugers says, and they are there to help. Examples include Examples include the Canadian Association of Foodservice Professionals (CAFP), the Canadian Society of Nutrition Managers and Regroupement qu\u00e9becois des r\u00e9sidences pour ain\u00e9s for Quebec. Many of them have their own network of professionals able to respond to your needs, and most offer seminars, workshops and conventions that can be valuable.
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\nShare your learnings.<\/strong> Attending a conference or a workshop comes at a cost to your care communities, either in travel expenses or time away from your job. So if you\u2019re able to attend, take notes and come home with information you can share.
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\n\u201cIt shows the value of sending you to the seminar, plus it gives your boss or administrator something to think about that may not have been a priority before,\u201d Wasco says.
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\nPractice saying two things after you return from any networking venture, Leugers advises:
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\n\u201cI just learned this.\u201d
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\n\u201cWhat do you think \u2026 should we do this here?\u201d<\/p>\n5 Common Networking Mistakes<\/h3>\n
\n2. Assuming everyone else cares. Everyone brings problems to the table and they care more about theirs than yours.
\n3. Taking a shotgun approach. Networking with just anyone won\u2019t bring the best solutions.
\n4. Assuming tools create connections. If your Twitter followers aren\u2019t reading your Tweets, you won\u2019t get answers.
\n5. Reaching too high. Do you really need to talk to the chief executive? An industry peer may prove more mutually beneficial.
\nSource: Inc.com<\/p>\nNetworking Tips<\/h3>\n
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