Selection Criteria for Outreach Operators

© OutreachU, ltd.

ISSUE 7

Over the course of more than 25 years, our firm has continued to receive requests for criteria on how to identify and select ideal Outreach Operators. This Baseline Score Card can help. First:

Before ever allowing an individual to represent your organization,  the most important criteria are

1. Integrity. This includes reliability, trustworthiness and truthfulness. It must be non-negotiable. If you allow any individual to be responsible and accountable for your Outreach and they are not a role model of integrity, reliability, humility, trustworthiness, and truthfulness, then your organization is at great risk. It’s essential to INCREASE CERTAINTY.
   
2. Whoever is involved in your customer-facing Outreach must be highly experienced and competent at performing the duties that your entity does. To follow is an example from THE BOOK OF OUTREACH for AIR MEDICAL TRANSPORT; How to Grow Flight Requests by Astonishing the Right Customers Consistently. In Air Medical Transport, Outreach Operators must be a flight clinician (paramedic, nurse or respiratory therapist), telecommunicator, pilot, or maintenance specialist. Individuals who make or influence flight requests prefer to engage with those who operate in key roles and functions before, during, and after flights.
   
   Most often, these are peers. Your most highly competent and experienced staff can answer almost any question, can offer advice, can draw on stories (good and bad) they have encountered, and – overall can teach, mentor, and inspire. To hire individuals without in-depth understanding of the stresses, challenges, skills, equipment, logistics, victories and highly detailed nuances of providing Air Medical Transport services is a guarantee set up for your failure and that individual’s failure. Remember – peers want to interact with peers and those making flight requests want to engage with the individuals to whom they trust and will be handing over their patients.
   
   The spirit and know-how of an Air Medical Transport professional can’t be faked or learned through osmosis. Be smart about this. You can hire individuals in Outreach support roles like: membership sales, social media, event planning, marketing materials design, public relations/communications, and others.
   
   Just be sure that those who are your primary customer-facing Outreach Operators are the real thing with ample affinity, integrity, humility, awesome listening skills, and flight process experience.

From this example, simply factor your healthcare operation and plug in the attributes that those purchasing or desiring your services or products crave to know about and understand – then recruit individuals for your Outreach with in-depth experience that can engage in authentic and meaningful experience-based conversations with your prospects or customers. 

ThinkThroughTools Outreach Operator Baseline Selection Criteria Air Medical Transport 

• Healthcare Outreach Practitioner™      20 
• INTEGRITY & COURAGE             10 (If Not a 10 End This Now)
• WILL POWER/ENDURANCE               5 4 3 2 1
• OUTCOMES > EGO               5 4 3 2 1 
• HAS ENDURED HARDSHIP             5 4 3 2 1 
• MISSION DRIVEN               5 4 3 2 1
• LISTENER / HIGH EMPATHY               5 4 3 2 1 
• SELF DIRECTED : ORGANIZED          5 4 3 2 1 
• LOOP CLOSER: COMPLETER             5 4 3 2 1 
• PROBLEM SOLVER               5 4 3 2 1
• ENERGY               5 4 3 2 1
• INTELLIGENCE               5 4 3 2 1
• AFFINITY / HUMILITY               5 4 3 2 1
• IMPECCABLE GROOMING               5 4 3 2 1
• TEAM / SYSTEM-CENTRIC               5 4 3 2 1 
• RELEVANT EXPERIENCE                 20
• CONTACTS OF INFLUENCE               5 4 3 2 1
• ENGAGED IN COMMUNITY               5 4 3 2 1
• UNIQUE SKILL SETS               5 4 3 2 1
• FULLY COMMITTED TIME               5 4 3 2 1
• HIGH POTENTIAL IN ORG               5 4 3 2 1
• KEEPER VS. JUMPER               5 4 3 2 1 
• CREDENTIALS OF NOTE               5 4 3 2 1
• YEARS OF FIELD EXPERIENCE         5 4 3 2 1
• COACHABLE               5 4 3 2 1
• MILITARY EXPERIENCE               15
• RN                                     3
• EMT-P                     3
• COMM SPEC                               5
• PILOT                                                        4        
• MBA/ MASTER / Ph.D. DEGREE           2   

OVERALL VALUE TO ORGANIZATION   _________

CRITERIA	SIMPLE DESCRIPTION
Healthcare Outreach Practitioner™	Evidence the individual has earned, at minimum the Healthcare Outreach Practitioner LEVEL I ™ credential. This verifies base-line knowledge of key OutreachU ™ principles, methods and tactics.
INTEGRITY & COURAGE	Evidence the individual always operates with integrity (trustworthiness, reliability, and truthfulness.) THEY ARE DEPENDABLE & THEY CAN BE TRUSTED. They are courageous and unafraid to hold strong to the beliefs set forth in the flight program’s operational doctrine.
WILL POWER/ENDURANCE	Evidence of discipline and steadfastness. They demonstrate commitment and they endure – despite pressures, roadblocks and stresses. Relentless.
OUTCOMES > EGO	Evidence that this candidate does prioritize the manifestation of positive outcomes as more important that their ego or their getting credit.
HAS ENDURED HARDSHIP	Evidence that this individual has endured hardship and is resilient, operates without bitterness, and is grateful for the lessons learned.
MISSION DRIVEN	Evidence that THE MISSION IS THE DRIVER not the Title, the Attention or the paycheck.
LISTENER / HIGH EMPATHY	Evidence of mastering AIL ™ (Authentic Immersed Listening) with a spirit of understanding when listening.
SELF DIRECTED : ORGANIZED	Among the pinnacle requirement of an Outreach Operator is EVIDENCE of being organized, a planner that creates and manages TargetTopTen Modular Outreach Plans (and others). With evidence of being ahead of the curve organized. Structured is their hallmark.
LOOP CLOSER: COMPLETER	Evidence this individual gets projects completed on (or ahead of) deadlines. Effective at loop closure. THIS IS RELENTLESSLY DOCUMENTED DAILY IN YOUR FLIGHT PROGRAM’S CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Platform.
PROBLEM SOLVER	Evidence that this candidate has a record of solving problems as compared to creating them. Comes to upper management with methods to solve problems as compared to complaining and expecting others to solve these.
ENERGY	Evidence that this candidate has high energy that is focused and directed. Not manic energy as exhibited by neurotic imposters.
INTELLIGENCE	Evidence of self-awareness. Can read the room, devoted to learning and applying know how vs. trying to impress others with books read or podcasts consumed. Bright and acutely self-aware.
AFFINITY / HUMILITY	God given. Evidence that others are naturally attracted to this candidate. She/He exhibits humility not superiority or arrogance. This can’t be learned – it is a God given gift. Can’t be faked. Authenticity and humility at an extraordinary level.
IMPECCABLE GROOMING	Evidence that this candidate is hyper aware of impeccable grooming and being fit. Represents your flight program with attire and physical presence that is of the highest standard. Always.
TEAM / SYSTEM-CENTRIC	Evidence that this candidate pulls individuals together, unites and forms cohesive energized teams. They naturally possess a positive gravitational force. Not a splitter or agitator but an aggregator.
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE	Peers want to engage with peers. HUGE FACTOR HERE. Evidence that the candidate has high levels of Air Medical Transport experience in one (or more) of the key functions; clinical, aviation/safety, telecommunication or maintenance. Must be a peer to earn the enduring trust of those that decide on or influence flight requests.
CONTACTS OF INFLUENCE	Be careful here. It is helpful if the candidate has authentic appropriate relationships with contacts of influence. Especially if these can manifest growth of medically necessary and appropriate flight requests. BUT DO NOT OVER VALUE THIS. Do not hire based on this single factor just because the individual has many “contacts.”
ENGAGED IN COMMUNITY	Evidence that this candidate has commitments and engagement with her/his local community and/or with communities where the flight program is based. This is a compelling attribute and signals this individual invests time and resources beyond their work schedule.
UNIQUE SKILL SETS	Evidence of both work-related and non-work-related talents and skill sets. Proof of broad-spectrum capabilities.
FULLY COMMITTED TIME	Evidence to commit full-time as a dedicated Outreach Operator. Like any other effective business operation, Outreach Operators should be full-time.
HIGH POTENTIAL IN ORG	Evidence that this individual has potential beyond the role of Outreach Operator once proven to be highly effective in this role.
KEEPER VS. JUMPER	Evidence that the candidate has loyalty to the flight program and does not have a history of very short-term employment commitments. One you desire to keep, develop and elevate in the future.
CREDENTIALS OF NOTE	Evidence that the candidate has made the effort to earn credentials – especially if they are related to Air Medical Transport.
YEARS OF FIELD EXPERIENCE	This is noted when there is competition with other candidates for the position. Sometimes, not always, many years’ experience correlates with deeper knowledge, understanding and learning. Be mindful, however some individuals do not elevate their know-how and understanding over time. Seniority does not equal mastery, merit or competency. Beware.
COACHABLE	Evidence the candidate can be coached as compared to being rigid and a lone wolf. Is this candidate reflexively receptive to criticism or defensive? Run tests.
MILITARY EXPERIENCE	HUGE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTE HERE. In general, candidates that have been successful at serving our nation in a military capacity bring to the Outreach Operator function; discipline, order, understanding of process and protocols, esprit de corps, accountability and a spirit of patriotism. Although not universal, the high majority of those that have served in our nation’s military prove to be ideal Outreach Operators.
RN	Ranking 3
EMT-P (or) NREMT-P	Ranking 3
COMM SPEC / Telecommunicator	Ranking 5 they are the first point of contact and can have very high impact on converting flight requests to completed mission
PILOT	Ranking 5 It’s well known, “Everybody wants to talk to the pilot.” Most are ideal in Outreach functions. Rare to acquire a pilot as a full-time Outreach Operator. Worth it to try. Retirees too.
MBA/ MASTER / Ph.D. DEGREE	Ranking 2 just helpful to have additional education to some extent.

Bottom ECG – be mindful and be careful who you hire or assign as Outreach Operators. Integrity, dependability, humility and flight-line experience. They must understand and astonish the right customers consistently.

In the forthcoming THE BOOK OF OUTREACH for HEALTHCARE; How to Grow Revenue by Astonishing the Right Customers Consistently,  there will be a more generalist section of guidance to help you with your selection of Outreach Operators. Please be in touch to learn more or for help with your Outreach endeavors.

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