People are the heart and soul of Empower. So, as an allied health care organisation, Empower invests heavily in developing talented employees in the same way a product business concentrates on improving its features and performance.
Behind Empower is a team of great leaders that motivate, encourage, support and professionally develop our clinicians into talented employees that flourish with each passing year.
In this blog, we talk with Mark Ngau, South-East Regional Manager, to learn how he supports his team members from graduates, right through to senior clinicians.
Creating a Healthy Culture
“A healthy culture is the backbone to supporting and developing employees. I like to create an engaged and meaningful environment where every team member has a sense of purpose and is involved in interesting and valuable work.
Some people are too quick to judge the aged care sector. Having previously been in the public hospital system and experienced a solid stint in private practice, I can strongly claim that aged care is a rewarding and gratifying career that provides ample opportunities to treat and support a comprehensive range of conditions. You can make a tremendous difference to a person’s quality of life and achieve real personal satisfaction through your work.
I make a point of making sure every graduate fully understands the importance of their role and how their efforts make the world a better place for someone else. When this has been truly realised, I find that on an individual level, my team members are happier, more engaged, and more creative.
I love a highly-energised team spirit, so I lead by a few basic principles; I am always available for a conversation, I am more than happy to have one-on-one technical discussions, I encourage my staff to use me as a sounding board for recommended treatment plans, I will always return a phone call or text on the same day, and believe the team should have lunch together.
Creating a sense of belonging fuels team spirit and productivity because it aids open and meaningful conversation, the avoidance of unnecessary conflict, and maximises the effective use of each members skills and knowledge.”
Mentoring Employees
“My role as a Regional Manager is both challenging and satisfying. As a Regional Manager, I am involved predominantly in workforce planning and ensuring that our therapy services meet our client’s expectations. But my greatest satisfaction lies in supporting and mentoring my team members in their respective roles.
I feel that the best way to effectively support and mentor my team is by providing direct guidance and feedback. At Empower, we work very closely with each team member to co-create individual, professional development programs with tailored goals to set a learning framework.
The Regional Managers then collectively build weekly, fortnightly, monthly and quarterly professional development plans that addresses both team and individual skill development so we can help each person reach their full potential and empower our team members to be capable of working efficiently and independently.
We use different learning environments to mentor, engage and stimulate each employee. I might encourage a graduate to shadow a senior clinician during an unusual or complex treatment. At other times, I will sit in on a treatment to observe and offer myself as a sounding-board during an assessment or treatment. I have personally found when you create a positive learning environment, inquisitive questions can be answered, doubts can be stamped out, knowledge grown, and confidence gained.
When a clinician acts on that feedback and is motivated to learn more, that’s when you start to see potential developed and talent grow. Improvement in skills and capabilities are always noticed and this often leads to the door opening for promotion opportunities.
A great testament to our mentoring is with our recent graduate Kendall Sutton. He started this year with Empower (2019) and within 6 months, was promoted to Site Leader. Kendall took every opportunity to actively participate in professional development workshops, listened to our feedback and put our constructive feedback into practice. He was like a sponge, absorbing every bit of knowledge possible, practicing new technical elements and committed to accomplishing his individual learning goals. Kendall took on any challenge and stretched himself by participating in organisation activities, naturally leading by example. It was when he was able to put his own spin on treatments and suggest new processes to improve Empower as a whole, we knew Kendell was destined to become a future leader and promoted to Site Leader.”
Providing A Bright Future for Developing Talented Employees
“Graduates are a core part of the Empower family. They bring a fresh perspective, drive, passion and a thirst for knowledge. However, with that drive for success, comes a desire to have a job with a purpose. I am very aware that if minds are not engaged and constantly learning, they’ll move elsewhere.
Empower embraces quality and innovation as its core values. I am committed to giving all team members the opportunity to grow their skills based on industry demands, and in turn promoting job satisfaction for both a graduate and me, knowing I am nurturing future innovators for the aged care industry.”
Advice to a Potential New Grad
“The best advice I can give is to explore different clinical or practice areas for a solid period of time, with 12 months as a minimum.
Everybody’s journey both in life and career is different, so there is little to be gained by measuring your worth by comparing yourself to your peers.
Whichever area of practice you decide on, make the most of your time at the organisation by gaining experience and skills that may potentially be of use in your own future e.g. be actively involved in conducting education sessions for peers/staff/families to improve your public speaking.”
Author – Mark Ngau, South-East Regional Manager
Empower’s Graduate Program
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