One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.

According to the Osmond brothers, “One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, girl.” Yes, you can thank me later for putting that song in your head all day, but I would disagree with the sentiment when it comes to teamwork. Sometimes all it takes is one bad apple.

I don’t work in patient care and the view from where Kathy and I sit is different from what many of you do daily. But this past week I have been at the bedside for my Mom and have been the witness to the patient and family view of healthcare. I can tell you that one bad apple is all it can take to ruin the vibe of a unit and a whole institution.

My mom feel and broke her hip and started out at the Emergency Room, then on to Med Surg, and now is in the inpatient rehab center. My family and I had good feelings and positive vibes about the care she was receiving until she was transferred into the rehab unit. In observing the staff and the interactions on this unit, it is clear there is one nurse that is a bully and directing the actions and affecting the atmosphere of the whole unit. This one person has changed how we feel about the whole hospital.

Spoiled Goodness

How do we deal with the bad apples? Racecar driver Dale Earnhardt said, "All badness is spoiled goodness. A bad apple is a good apple that became rotten." I don’t think most people start out wanting to be a bad apple, it happens over time and having the opportunity. As leaders you have the opportunity to stop the behavior before it becomes a habit. That means you must be intentional about your actions and what you permit from your team.

Here’s an interesting statistic to think about when it comes to productivity: bad apples decrease managerial effectiveness by 40%.  Think of all the time you spend with the bad apple, all the meetings about the bad apple, and all the other people complaining about that bad apple. Dealing with one bad apple is a lot of your time as a manager!

Here are some things you can do to eliminate or decrease the influence of bad apples.

• Keep communication open and flowing to all team members. Open communication with all can marginalize the bad apples influence.
• Have difficult conversations everyday if you need to so they know what you expect their behavior to be.
• Work on team dynamics, not just getting things done.
• Encourage team members to talk to each other, not just the person at the head of the table.
• Document behaviors of the bad apples closely so that if you have to move the person out of the team you have all the documentation you need to make it happen.

The Brighter Side

On the brighter side, author Lucinda Riley said, "For every one bad apple, there are thousands more whose hearts are full of kindness." If we look around, we certainly know this to be true. As a family member visiting my mom, I have to remember that it is not all about warm blankets and hot coffee but about the hard painful work of healing and getting stronger. I’m thankful to the nurses and doctors and those behind the scenes who are making that happen. That’s the crazy view from where we sit this week.