Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Capitalize on your team’s strengths rather than focusing on weaknesses.

Instead of trying to improve your facility’s nursing team by assessing its weaknesses and correcting them, try this alternative team-building exercise:

Determine the team’s three greatest strengths. During a meeting, have team members tell you every compliment the team has received lately from supervisors or customers. Write these down on a flip chart, and from there pinpoint the team’s chief strengths.

List the five most important people the team is working for, whether they’re internal staff, management, or residents. Ask your teammates how you can use your team’s strengths to help meet their needs.

Identify ways you can make your strengths even stronger. If your team is known for its technical expertise, you might ask for more technical training.

Publicize your new plan. Let your supervisors and colleagues know about how you plan to improve your team’s performance, and solicit feedback from all of them.