Better Together

Last week we had the opportunity to bring the whole team together for two and a half days. For many, it was the first time we’d been able to do this for a year or so. For some, this was the first time they’d had the opportunity to meet in person, having spent their time since joining the company largely on Zoom. For others it was simply the fact that they work primarily in another state, country or mainly on customer sites, as much of our team are involved in construction and maintenance.

Unlike many organisations that contracted during the last 2 years of the pandemic, we have grown significantly as the category we work in is undergoing unprecedented investment and we are investing to support the growing need for our products and solutions. The time was right to bring the team together as we position ourselves for the opportunities that lay ahead.

Proud of our achievements

In just under 6 years, we’ve come a long way. With our heritage in Operating Room (OR), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department (ED) design, we were the first to bring the following innovations to Australia and New Zealand:

·??????4K/3D Digital Operating Theatres (2017)

·??????Fully Modular Ceiling System for Air, Lighting and Structural (2017)

·??????Patient Lift Pendant (2017)

·??????Electric Break Pendants (2017)

More recently, we’ve introduced products such as Indigo Clean Continuous Environment Disinfection lighting to dramatically reduce Healthcare Acquired Infections and Rampart Radiation Protection for Interventionalists.

As we grow, we continue to add new products to our portfolio to support our mission to improve health in Australia and New Zealand. Getting the team together was a great opportunity to increase their knowledge of our portfolio, to work together to find new ways to add value to existing and prospective customers and to get their input on how we can work better together to achieve our goals.?

The importance of teamwork

It's fair to say that whilst we mostly had an appreciation cross functionally of what each other does (obviously a more detailed understanding within functional areas), we had, in some cases, less of an understanding of other’s goals and aspirations and in some instances, few personal insights into the individuals who make Wilhelm the great organisation it is to work for.?

According to Atlassian, research shows that collaborative problem-solving leads to better outcomes; people are more likely to take calculated risks that lead to innovation if they have the support of the team behind them; and working in a team encourages personal growth, increases job satisfaction and reduces stress.

During the conference, we had a number of opportunities to work together, identifying issues, challenges and opportunities. As part of this, we undertook a simple but powerful tool - Stop, Start, Continue – empowering individuals and teams to decide what they want to change when moving forward. We asked them:

????????What’s not working? Let’s do less of that.

????????What should we be doing that we’re not? Let’s identify.

????????What’s working? Let’s do more of that.

The output of these and other sessions have identified some key opportunities to drive the business forward which we will progress over the coming months.?

The benefit of different perspectives

There were a few things we found. First, we were all passionate advocates for the business and are committed to its continued success. Second, many of the issues identified and ideas for growth were shared amongst team members from different functional areas. Third, we’ve got a much better chance of solving problems together with our different perspectives and knowledge. Fourth, the appreciation of our commitment to improving health is tangible – our products and solutions are making a real difference to the lives of clinicians and patients.?

This sentiment is echoed in John J Murphy’s?Pulling Together: 10 Rules for High-Performance Teamworkwhich states “Each individual has unique gifts, talents and skills. When we bring them to the table and share them for a common purpose, it can give companies a real competitive advantage”

Looking to the future

We’re fortunate to have some of Australia and New Zealands leading hospitals as customers including Sydney’s St George, Westmead and Liverpool Hospitals, together with leading health organisations Calvary and Nexus Hospitals and Evolution Healthcare.

With the?record investment in the future of Australia’s health system?and?significant investment in the New Zealand health system, coupled with our exceptional, innovative product portfolio and our reputation for excellence in service delivery, we are uniquely poised to bring Wilhelm’s advanced healthcare technology to many more facilities down under.?

Doing more together

Apart from all we achieved during the working sessions, our social sessions really gave us the opportunity to compete, problem solve and in the process get to know each other better. We learnt about interests, families, travel experiences – all the things that you don’t get to know when you’re working as a dispersed workforce. We’re definitely a much closer team than before and have all agreed we need to do more of this.

We also had the opportunity to give something back. One of our team building exercises was building Bikes 4 Tykes with Hidden Door Experiences (as pictured above). Apart from some great fun, we had the opportunity to build bikes for children supported by local Youth and Community Organisation Weave.

By working together and utilising each other’s strengths, we can achieve better outcomes for today and a brighter future for tomorrow. Whether it’s our team, our customers, manufacturers, builders, architects, we work hand-in-hand with our partners, with a can-do attitude, as we aim to be the market leader and the solution provider customers think of first.?

If you’d like to see how Wilhelm could be a good fit for your project or facility, contact us?here.