Sterilization Station: A Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast
Welcome to "Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast, the podcast dedicated to elevating the field of sterile processing and surgical services! In an industry where precision and care intersect, we believe that knowledge is power. Our mission is to empower, encourage, and motivate every professional engaged in the transformative world of healthcare.
Join us each week as we delve into enlightening discussions that shine a light on best practices, emerging innovations, and the critical role sterile processing plays in patient safety. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting your journey, our panels and expert guests will provide invaluable insights through engaging conversations and real-world stories.
From the nuances of instrument handling to the latest in sterilization techniques, we cover it all. Expect thought-provoking interviews, educational segments, and motivating content designed to inspire you to elevate your craft. Together, let’s foster a community that champions excellence in surgical services and celebrates the unsung heroes of healthcare.
Tune in to where expertise meets passion, and every episode empowers you to make a difference in the operating room and beyond.
Sterilization Station: A Sterile Processing Empowerment Podcast
From Ego to Echo: Building a Lasting Impression in Sterile Processing
Every day in sterile processing, we're writing our legacy not with ink or on resumes, but through how we make people feel and the impact we leave on others.
• The difference between ego and legacy: ego seeks personal recognition while legacy focuses on who we've helped grow
• Five legacy killers: saying "it's not my job," correcting to control rather than coach, needing to be the smartest person, holding grudges, and belittling others
• Ways to build lasting legacy: speaking encouragement aloud, being consistent, apologizing quickly, owning mistakes, and defending others when they're not present
• Your name carries a narrative—what story will follow when people mention you after you're gone?
• You will be remembered not by how many trays you processed, but by how many hearts you touched while processing them
• If you don't like the legacy you're creating, it's never too late to rewrite your story
If you're seeking coaching or leadership training, please reach out. We have a three-tier program available to help you grow in your profession.
Welcome back to the Sterilization Station, that empowerment podcast for sterile processing. I sure hope you're having a wonderful day out there today. And this is that show that doesn't just sharpen your skills but it also strengthens your soul. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and today we're slowing things down to ask a question that might shake you up a little bit what will they say about you when you are gone? That's right. What will they say about you when you are gone? And, ladies and gentlemen, I'm not talking about funerals here. I'm talking about something even more immediate. You know, when you walk out of that sterile processing department for the last time, what will your team members remember? Will they breathe a sigh of relief? Or will they say, man, we lost a real good one?
Speaker 1:Because, whether you realize it or not, every day you're writing your legacy, not with ink, right, the black and the blue pens, not with that Sharpie, that fine tip Sharpie, not even on your resume. But do you know, in the way you make people feel, right, it always reminds me of that bottle of fragrance, that cologne, right, that cologne, people smell it and it just does something. Right, you get all those pheromones, all those good smells of those oils. You think man. Well, what is that? That's Dulce Gabbana, that's, you know, that's Dulce Blue or whatever, or whatever it's called, or Issey Miyake, right Polo or Cool Water I grew up in the 80s and 90s Cool Water, but not with ink right, not on your resume, but it's in the way you make people feel. Did you offer that word of encouragement when they were down? Did you lend an ear to listen to them when maybe they lost a loved one or something major happened in their life? Were you listening to them or encouraging them? It's in how you carry yourself. It's in what you leave behind.
Speaker 1:What is your legacy going to be right? Is your legacy going to be someone who, when they made a mistake, they owned up to it, they apologized. You know I had a situation recently where I had to apologize. You know I realized that I had said something that you know responded to, something that hurt my coworkers, and you know I had to own up to that. Yes, bill Rochelle had to own up to that. But you know I appreciate that we can grow together, we can learn and we're constantly sharpening ourselves right? There's a proverb that says, as iron sharpens iron, so does a man sharpen the countenance of his friend. Right, a man or a woman sharpen the countenance of their friend and so, you know, you sharpen yourself through the things you go through. And today I want to talk to you heart to heart about that legacy, because ego might earn you an applause, but you know, legacy earns you respect. The echoes, echoes through the halls.
Speaker 1:You know there's still technicians that I remember working with at John Muir Hospital in Walnut Creek. You know some people I remember working with that had a great impact on my career. You know I mention all the time Karen Cherry, hank Balch. You know different ones that have been so David Jagrouse, right, you know. Nicole Simon, cole, wally how they've had a great impact. Carol Malone different ones that have just really impacted me in my career. You know, and I really appreciate these people and their contribution to sterile processing and how that they've served and how they have a legacy that I'm learning to lean on more and more. You know people that I've worked with over the time that taught me great lessons and it's a legacy that they left.
Speaker 1:And so what is your legacy going to be right when you leave? What will you be remembered by? That is so important and that's what I want to ask you today what is your legacy going to be? Maybe you transition out of sterile processing. What will your legacy be as a nurse? What will your legacy be as an entrepreneur? What will your legacy be as an x-ray tech? Or a surgical tech? A supervisor, what will your legacy be? And so today I want to talk to your heart, heart to heart, about what is your legacy going to be.
Speaker 1:So let's dive into this today. So here's the truth, plain and simple, right. Ego is what you build for yourself. It's how well you are, it's how you want to be praised, right? But legacy isn't about yourself. Legacy is about what are you building in others. You know my wife.
Speaker 1:One time, for my birthday, she posted on Facebook and she said you know Bill. She said you know, happy birthday. And she said the one thing I love about you is that you love people, whether you know them or you don't, the same. And that's a legacy of love, a legacy of being positive, right, having a positive mindset. That's so important. Maybe you're able, maybe you're, you were able, to speak like another language and you use that to benefit you in your job, to make people feel comfortable, and that helps them to break down that barrier. Maybe that's your legacy. You see, ego will say did you notice me? I did that. Give me credit. Right, that's ego. Right, that's the mindset of ego. But what does legacy say? Legacy says who did I lift up? Legacy says who's stronger? Because I was there, because I was able to make them stronger. Maybe I precepted a student, maybe I, I helped the struggling technician not to say, oh look, what bill did pat on the back, but because I want to see them grow and have the best opportunity to be successful, what, what kind of room did I help to create? You know, did you maybe these apprenticeship programs in sterile processing? Did you create that opportunity and bring that to your hospital? You know, when I worked at a surgery center, I remember how we were helping employees go back to school. You know, and that's a legacy you want to have, right, even in sterile processing, we don't always get recognized.
Speaker 1:The legacy isn't built in front of cameras. Legacy is built in the break room, in the way you respond when you're stressed out. That's how legacy is built and how you handle mistakes. Did you make it right? Did you go back to that person and apologize when you were wrong? That's how you build mistakes. Did you make it right? Did you go back to that person and apologize when you were wrong? That's how you build legacy. People will remember that, that you didn't just turn the cold shoulder, that you didn't just say you know what, fine, you don't like me, I don't like you, but you're still trying to work together. It's in how you handle those mistakes, it's how you treat that new tech on day one, on day two, letting them know hey, I'm here to help you, let me know if you have any questions, maybe even giving them your cell phone number. Hey, reach out to me, I'm here to help you. You don't need a title Build a legacy. You know you don't have to have a pro and don let ego get in the way of you growing. You know you just need to be intentional but yet focused and concentrated. And legacy is a killer. These are the legacy killers in sterile processing. Let's bring some of these out today to encourage the community.
Speaker 1:Five big legacy killers that I've seen in our departments that are driven by that are driven by ego and not by purpose. Number one it's not my job. That right, that sentence right. There is a culture killer. Legacy builders say how can I help you? Correcting to control, but not to coach. Do you correct people to feel superior or to help them grow? When growth is at the center, things are always going to be better on the department when you're really trying to help from a place of growth. Growth is so important and everything we do we want to try to help people to grow in their role as a sterile processing technician so correcting to control but you want to make sure that you're correcting to coach and that you're offering yourself there as a resource. You know you don't want to correct to people to feel superior, but you really want to help them grow. That's a big difference maker in sterile processing. Legacy builders teach and they don't tear down.
Speaker 1:Number three being the smartest person in the room, out loud, loud with it.
Speaker 1:This is a killer. Killer of legacy. You might be sharp, but if you need everyone to know it every day, you're not leading, you're performing. Number four holding grudges, holding grudges. You cannot carry bitterness and build legacy at the same time. You have to let it go. You won't leave a legacy if they say oh man, bill, I remember that guy, you ever crossed him, he crossed you off his list. You won't leave a legacy if they say, oh man, bill, I remember that guy, you ever crossed him. He crossed you off his list. He didn't talk to you ever again, wouldn't replace you on the weekend, wouldn't do anything to help you. You can't carry that bitterness. That's not going to build a legacy.
Speaker 1:You know, number five, belittling people, making them feel real small, that really hurts and that's not a way that's not going to leave a legacy. People are not going to remember you for that. So if you want to be remembered, you want to leave that legacy. You got to let ego First. You have to have your eye on ego, keep your eye on that ego, keep it at bay, keep it suppressed. We don't want that ego to take over. You know, we want to make sure that we're not talking down to people, we're not rolling our eyes, we're not mocking them. The legacy builders make people feel seen and not make people feel small. There's so many people in this community that have built me up right and they've left a legacy of depositing so much content into, you know, this community of sterile processing, and there's some ways to build legacy that lasts. Now let's flip the script a little bit right. Let's talk about building something real. So you might say well, bill, how do I build a real legacy? These are the things that are going to leave the fingerprints on people's lives. The people are going to say this is why Bill or Susan or Jennifer, or whoever left a legacy.
Speaker 1:Speaking life out loud, right, not negativity, but speaking life into the department. It's how you build a legacy. If someone's doing a great job, say it, say it in public. I do that all the time and say you know, valeria, I really appreciate you for staying over last night and pushing those loaners through. You know, I noticed when I got in. You really wrapped those trays really, really great. Thank you very much. Appreciating them right at the end of the week, texting your team and saying good job, good job this week. Say it in public, say it often. The word thank you goes a long way. Encouragement is free. It's not going to cost you anything. Encouragement is free and you're leaving that legacy. Legacy doesn't cost you nothing, but it means everything. It means everything when you tell someone thank you for what you did, Thank you for your help. That means a lot.
Speaker 1:Be consistent. Consistency is key. Being consistent you want consistency to be a part of your legacy. Legacy is built on trust, on dependability. It's a part of your work, friendship. It's built on consistency Showing up the same way Monday through Friday, during chaos and the storm. Being consistent, being someone that when people see you, they know I'm so glad so-and-so's here because they're going to encourage while we go through it. They're going to be there to support us through all the challenges.
Speaker 1:And then apologizing quickly is building a legacy. It's a part of the legacy that you're going to build. They're going to say Maria was a person. Maybe she made a mistake, but she was going to take care of it. She're going to build. They're going to say Maria was a person. Maybe she made a mistake, but she was going to take care of it. She was going to make her wrongs right. That builds a legacy.
Speaker 1:They know that you're a person who's willing to be consistent, willing to uplift people and willing to apologize when they make mistakes, owning your misses, being the first to say that was on me, I messed up. People will remember your humility more than your perfection. They'll remember when you took the time to make it right and then standing up for someone who's not in the room. You know, I have a manager that's like that. She'll make sure that the big wigs know the CEO, the CEO, the CFO, all the big the C-suite knows what you did and how you did it. That's you want someone to fight for you behind closed doors. Right, when you protect someone's name in their absence, you build unshakable respect. They will respect you because you took the time to defend them when no one was around. And that is building your legacy legacy you think about.
Speaker 1:Sometimes they say legacy is like it's like a, like a maybe you're a part of, like a timeshare and you're like original member. They say, oh, these are our legacy members, these are our senior members, these are our, are special, highly prioritized members and you want to make sure that you're leaving a good legacy and you want to have a legacy when you leave that people will say you know what he was a teacher, he taught what he knew, he didn't hoard their knowledge, she shared it, she multiplied herself so that she can multiply others. And a real leader's legacy is in the next generation of strong techs Making sure that the generation that's come behind is empowered to begin to create the seeds of legacy in other people. Choosing people over being right. Sometimes legacy means letting go of the need to win and choosing to listen instead Finishing. Well, if you're on your way out, retiring, transferring, stepping back, leaving the place better than when you found it, you want to have a legacy that when you left a place, it was in a good condition.
Speaker 1:I remember leaving a surgery center one time and I got there and I took it through I call it a Kaizen project where I went through and labeled the department and prepared for joint commission. I had no findings. It was really great. And I remember creating count sheets and, you know, having all of our processes in binders and the supervisor took over for me. He ended up coming to my job later, a few years later, and when he found out that I was the one that did that, he said oh man, that was great, you really set us up for success. That was a legacy I was building a legacy.
Speaker 1:Don't check out early. Leave your last chapter strong. Make sure you finish strong. You know your name is important. Your narrative is important, so let's talk about your name. Narrative is important, so let's talk about your name. When they say it. A year from now, five years from now, 10 years from now, what story will follow your name? What will be the caboose of your name? Will they say she always made me feel like I mattered. Will they say you know Bill, he was known to calm the storms. Will they say that person, they were solid, they were reliable, they were kind. Or will they say, man, that guy is tough to work with, he always had to be right. Negative energy every single day.
Speaker 1:Remember, you are shaping that narrative right now with your words, with your attitude, with your presence. Every room you enter, you either bring light or you drain it. Every room you leave, you leave a trail. So remember, you're creating the narrative and you're creating your name. You know, one proverb said a good name is more precious than riches. You want to make sure your name you know. Back in, said a good name is more precious than riches. You want to make sure your name you know back in the days that was everything right, your name was your bond, your bond was your name. You say you're going to do something. They took it seriously. So make sure you're keeping that name really in a good place and you're building that legacy.
Speaker 1:And so, once again, I ask you today, on Sterilization Station, what is the legacy that you want to leave? Let me leave you with this today, you will not be remembered by how many trays you turned over, but you will be remembered by how many hearts you touched while turning them over. Your legacy is the culture you carry. It's how you make people feel in the middle of that pressure, that turnover, that stressful situation. It's the way you handled conflict with grace. It's who you built up and who you chose to not tear down. So today, ask yourself you're tuning in? You're a sterile processing technician? Maybe you're a surgical tech? Maybe you're a surgical tech. Maybe you're a student, an extern, a supervisor, a director? Maybe you're just someone that said I want to listen to this podcast.
Speaker 1:Ask yourself the question today what will they say about me when I'm gone? And be honest with yourself. Right, be honest in your heart when you lay your head at night. Be honest with yourself. And if you don't like the answer about what will they say when I'm gone? The good news is this your story's not over. You still have time to rewrite it.
Speaker 1:Sometimes you got to go back to that conversation, right, pull that person aside, Say, can I please talk to you? And if they won't talk to you, bring somebody call that meeting, sit down and acknowledge what you did, acknowledge what you said, make it right for your conscience, perspective for your heart. Have a good heart, a good core, a good desire. It's not too late to deal with those times when you could have been different. It's nothing like pulling someone aside and saying, hey, can I talk to you for a second? You know, susie, hey, you know a while back, you know, we got into it one day and I never came back to you. You know, and I want you to know, I was really bothered by that and you know, and I know that I could have handled that. You know, some things I said were true, but I could have handled that differently. That means a lot. You're sharing a part of your heart, you're being vulnerable, you're being transparent and some people, yeah, they'll be like whatever, but some people remember the springboard to some of the best friendships were started by conflict. The road to unity is paved with conflict. So conflict is not always a bad thing. Sometimes it's what you need to grow into that deep relationship.
Speaker 1:This is the Sterilization Station. This is an empowerment podcast for sterile processing. We aim to encourage, inspire and motivate you with the right mindset and heart to keep supplying, providing the best patient outcome in sterile processing. I'm your host, bill Rochelle, and please, until next time, stay sharp and stay sterile and stay powerful enough to leave behind a legacy, not just a position. I hope that you are continuing to grow in your profession. If you're seeking coaching or leadership training, please reach out. We do have a three-tier program. This is Sterilization Station. I hope you have a wonderful day and remember to make sure you're working on that legacy so when you leave, people will remember you for the good things that you did. May God bless you.
