I used to think that if I cared about my team, I needed to carry everything. And in imaging, that belief feels pretty justified.
Browsing: Director’s Cut
When you’re leading in a high-demand environment (hello, imaging), your nervous system spends most of the day in a high-alert, high-decision state.
I want to tell you a quick story and I have a feeling you’ll recognize the “weight” of it.
We’re going to discuss a tiny, two-second habit that breaks this defensive cycle and transforms your impact from dismissive to collaborative.
Radiology leaders are not short on effort. They are short on options. Across the country, imaging departments are competing for the same limited pool of credentialed technologists.
In the first article, we talked about why onboarding needs to be treated as a long-term engagement strategy, not a one-week administrative task.
The start of a new year is an opportunity to reset. In radiology, where the pace is fast and the expectations are high. A new year becomes more than a calendar milestone. It is an opportunity to re-establish priorities, strengthen culture and refocus on what matters most – our people, our patients and ourselves.
Most radiology departments have a solid orientation process. New hires get their ID badge, system logins, compliance training and an overview of workflows. By the end of the first week or two, they’re usually on the schedule.
I have heard that we retain only 25% of what we hear. Based on my own experience, I believe this to be an accurate statistic. To actively listen may be the number one key to improved communication. This is a skill that needs to be honed, and we have to follow some rules to become good at it.
Before you even meet the veteran technologist on your team, they’ve likely already navigated three job moves, two deployments, and a dozen sleepless nights wondering if their spouse is coming home. They show up on time, stay late and never make excuses. Not because life has been easy – but because they’ve had to make hard things look easy for years.
