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How can I get people to do their chores? Why are people so lazy?! 

By Robbie MacCue

  • Is this really your biggest challenge? Ongoing conversation around chores. What if chores are a symptom of a bigger issue? If you have an elite team or world class organization the chores conversation disappears.
  • What if Lazy doesn’t exist? Perhaps it’s a conclusion that you’ve drawn, where else is this happening?
  • Be clear about expectations & having agreements
  • If it’s that big of an issue, Go hire a cleaning service… We want high performance & skilled professionals, why do we expect them to clean the toilet?

Start reading the Article:
Creating an EMS Organization that Doesn’t Suck

  1. Does your organization energize you or bring you down?
  2. Do you dread your board/staff/member meetings?
  3. Does it seem easier to just do it all yourself rather than get people to step up?
  4. Are you counting down the days until your term is up or until your next vacation?

If you answered yes to any of the above it is an indicator that your organization is designed to survive, i.e. energy-sucking rather than thrive, i.e. energy-giving. Don’t despair; it is not your fault.

The first step towards stopping your organization from sucking is to be willing to see the situation as a “design” problem versus a “personnel” or “personality” problem. Traditional thinking attributes organizational problems to the individual members of the organization. Although individuals can influence an organization they are rarely the source of the problems.

Finish reading the full article: "Creating an EMS Organization that Doesn’t Suck"

Full Video Transcript

Welcome. Today's EMS leadership, Q and a. And we have a doozy of a question that we get all the time. I think in all of our trainings, we've heard this question and it just seems almost so silly. How can I get people to do their chores? And it's usually followed up with why are people so lazy? So at least that maybe if you can,

the biggest way, You know, and the thing is, is that, first of all, it's one of those things that could be a pet peeve for people. And you know, this it's like people should just do their chores, you know? And I think it's because a lot of our EMS organizations have been, you know, have over time.

It's just the way you do things, right? The everybody chips in, and it's, it's sort of a, a Rite of passage, right? That the new people have to do the chores. And, you know, this has been, this has been around for a long time, this problem, but what if the chores are really a symptom of a bigger issue?

You know, if you have an elite team, if people feel like they're part of a world-class organization, I wonder if that chores conversation would disappear, you know, and the other part about this is I get really suspicious or curious, I guess when people start throwing around terms like lazy, you know, why are people so lazy because that's a conclusion word,

you know, people are doing or not doing what they're doing or not doing, but it, when you call someone lazy or stubborn or things like that, that's a label that you're putting on someone. So now you've added a barrier to, you know, because now you have to stop them from being lazy versus there's an action or an activity that you need them to do.

So, you know, I ask people to get curious about their labels and wonder, is, is this really true that this person is lazy? Or is it more likely that in this situation they're not doing what you want them to do, but I think it points to a much bigger issue. Yeah, I absolutely agree. And one important thing to remember too,

is just be clear about having either these are your expectations, or do you question, do you have agreements and are you ha do you have verbal and written agreements that say and understandings that both parties understand? Because all too often, I think we may be expecting somebody to do something when they don't do it. It gets us upset about it. And it kind of sends people into a bit of a tailspin around,

around these issues. And honestly, if it's that big of an issue, go hire a cleaning service, right? We all say we want a high-performing team in an organization. We want highly skilled PR lifesaving professionals. Why are we expecting them to clean the toilet? I mean, in hospitals, you know, there there's a cleaning staff in every organization that I've worked in,

you know, where there's professional people, they don't ask them to empty the trash and clean the bathrooms, or even, you know, other than maybe clean up their own dishes, they don't ask them to do chores around the organization. So, you know, we are talking about professional people who are saving lives and maybe we just need to think differently about,

you know, what, what we invite them to do. Absolutely. We've got an article for you that you can check out here creating an organization that doesn't suck. It's actually a really great title for a really great article. And if you have a question you'd like to submit, you can send it to support@emsleadershipacademy.com or leave us a voicemail at (888) 330-8288. And we'd love to take your questions.

All right. Thanks for watching.

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Robbie MacCue


Robbie is the cofounder of the EMS Leadership Academy, host of the EMS Leadership Summit, and paramedic captain in Albany, NY where he serves in the Special Operations Division for ground rescue, flight, & tactical medicine. He performs international medical flights with North America's largest fixed wing Air Ambulance service. For more than 14 years, Robbie served as President of a non-profit EMS organization advocating for increased funding and raising the bar of excellence. In addition, Robbie is an American Heart Association advocate who is passionate about empowering others to save more lives. He has taught physicians, nurses, and other medical providers Advanced Cardiac Life Support at medical schools and hospitals throughout Manhattan. Robbie has undergraduate degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a MBA from Case Western Reserve University and provides business consulting that combines his love of technology with healthcare.

Robbie MacCue

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