Pre-COVID, I once had a leader who works in a hospital tell me they weren’t investing in the ‘soft skills’ development of staff because their focus was on medical competency training.
This article, published in The Guardian yesterday by journalist Amanda Gearing, PhD, highlights why this attitude is not only dangerous but deadly.
Research shows that nearly all avoidable deaths in surgery exhibit a breakdown in communication and cooperation.
According to Graham Beaumont, a long-term member of Australian audit committees that review surgical mortality: “International research showed up to 90% of avoidable deaths in surgery exhibit a breakdown in aspects of the soft skills required to communicate, work with others and make consistently good decisions.”
“Analysis of Australian data confirms that similar failures cause patient deaths here because surgeons are not trained in how to optimise their decision-making and maximise their success in team-based surgery,” Beaumont said.
“Very few deaths are attributable solely to the hard skills – the cutting and sewing.”
Clinical director of the Queensland Audit of Surgical Mortality, Dr John North, agreed, stating: “We hear every day about decision-making and communication failures that lead to surgical deaths and errors that could have been avoided.”
The evidence is clear: Investing in the development of your people’s ‘soft skills’ is not a fluffy extra and should not be viewed as optional.
Skills like communication, collaboration, teamwork, and emotional intelligence are foundational human skills that are absolutely critical for ensuring patient safety.
Leah Mether is a communication and soft skills trainer obsessed with making the people part of leadership and work life easier.
With more than 15 years’ experience working with thousands of clients, and an acclaimed book to her name, Leah knows what it takes to communicate under pressure. Like you, she knows the challenge of conflict, personality clashes, and difficult conversations.
Leah is renowned for her practical, engaging, straight-shooting style. Utilising her Five Cs® model of communication, she helps leaders and teams shift from knowing to doing, and radically improve their effectiveness.
