How Jan Calzon’s “Moments of Truth” can help Stroke Rehab
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“Moments of Truth”, a phrase coined by Jan Calzon,a former Scandinavian SAS Airlines Chief Executive describes the concept about critical moments, when SAS Airlines staff were dealing directly with customers and the potential impact that his staffs’ actions had on the customers’ perceptions of the company.
He strongly believed that these perceptions had the potential to make or break the company’s relationship with either potential or existing customers.
This impact is especially important in the case of a service provider since they are selling a service \{which by its very nature intangible\} plus that SAS’s sales message was designed to create an expectation of a superior level of customer service
In the particular example of SAS Airlines these moments included such instances as – customers’ experience on the phone to reservation booking staff, customer service levels at check in and in-flight staff. These instances resulted in either loss of business\{negative experience\} or an ongoing relationship with that customer[positive experience].
How does this concept relate to Stroke Rehab?
As a stroke survivor, I feel the awareness of this concept \{i.e. the identification of “key moments”\} can further assist both the clinician and survivor in the rehab journey.
Surely the clinical objective of any interaction between clinician/survivor must be to have the survivor attain the maximum level of recovery.
Therefore, the identification of these ‘moments’ can help what is often a difficult journey and importantly strengthen the all-important rapport between the clinician and stroke survivor.
For example, one such ‘moment of truth’ would be the very first time that the Stroke Survivor visits the Rehab Gym- a critical moment- many of us have never been in a gym of this nature, and just having sustained a stroke, so it is imperative that rather than “diving in at the deep end” the clinician should explain the set up/layout, the activity carried out here and the role of the physio.
The clinical equivalent of a workplace induction.
By having this discussion, it should allay some of the concerns of the survivor/family/siblings and have a positive impact on the patient’s all-important level of motivation.
Other “moments” could be-
1.Meeting the survivor’s family for the first time
2.Regular reviews of progress with the survivor and their family.
3.Celebration of achievement of rehab goals.
My ” Moment of Truth”.
My moment of truth occurred one afternoon in the Rehab Gym at Bankstown Hospital after a particularly arduous session on the dreaded Tilt Machine and Treadmill, when my amazing physio said to me
” You are not going to dance out of here nor will you run out, BUT you will, if you keep doing what we want you to do, you will walk out of here”.
Those words resonated with me, then and now – some 4 years later!! A REAL Moment of Truth!
What does it all mean?
Well the next time you are with a stroke survivor, recognise these moments, capitalise on them for both your benefit as a clinician and for the survivor’s betterment also.
I am not a stroke clinician, but I have witnessed how powerful this process is in the corporate world, so why not try it in your daily rehab activities. It just might help you and your stroke survivor.
Further information on Jan Calzon and the “Moments of Truth’ Concept is available on the links below-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_truth_(marketing)
Happy Trails !