The Florence Prescription, Joe Tye (with Dick Schwab) – a Book Review

Florence

Culture. Culture. Culture. How do organizations build the culture they want?  The fact is, that when it comes right down to it, they don’t. The people do. The organization can create the conditions for a specific culture they want build, but if the people don’t buy in, if the people don’t embrace the culture ideas whole-heartedly, if the people don’t believe, it’s a futile exercise.

If you want to improve culture within a team or an organization, pick up Joe Tye’s book, “The Florence Prescription.” Whether you’re looking for a culture of accountability, teamwork, trust, or commitment, the concepts from this reading for building a culture of ownership offers one of the best roadmaps I’ve read for both inspiring people to change and driving towards a new culture.

“The Florence Prescription” is a fable, making it an easy and relatable read. Although the story is about a hospital, the ideas are relevant for every type of organization – as are the challenges, including finger pointing, blame, negativity, false perceptions, poor attitudes, lack of pride in work, lack of commitment to the organization mission, silos, inadequate communication, and lack of engagement.

The heart of the reading concerns the eight essential characteristics required to foster a culture of ownership:

Commitment – to values, vision, and mission
Engagement – being fully present both physically and emotionally
Passion – loving your work and letting it show
Initiative – seeing what needs to be done and taking action to get it done
Stewardship – effectively shepherding limited resources
Belonging – being included, feeling included, and including others
Fellowship – being a friend and having friends at work
Pride – in your profession, your hospital (organization), your work, and yourself

If you are ready to create the conditions for culture change that will improve performance, increase employee engagement, and foster an environment where individuals, teams, and the organization thrive, “The Florence Prescription” is – if you’ll pardon the pun – just what the doctor ordered.

(Please reach out to me – I’d love to hear your thoughts about the book.)

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