JD Cassidy, Managing Director, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, and representative of the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Healthcare Communication
This is the time of the year when many of us are putting kids on school buses or paying college tuition. It is also a great time to remember that we need to be investing in ourselves and our fellow employees. Ample studies demonstrate that an investment in training promotes retention, so let’s take advantage of what is at our fingertips.
As a member of Publicis Health, I’m fortunate enough to have a wealth of development and training materials available, but do I use them enough? No, and I’m not alone. Many of our peer agencies have similar “Academies” and “U”s; our challenge is to use them to promote talent development. My agency uses this time of year to refresh individual development plans and set aside learning days for the agency at large.
As my wife says, there’s a reason you’re told to put your oxygen mask on first … you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others. Some of the key areas of healthcare marketing — experience design, behavior change and technology informing wellness decisions — are all great opportunities to further develop ourselves. Let’s not miss this “Back to School” moment; it isn’t just for the kids!
(Previously published as “Coalition Speaks in the Sept. 15 edition of SmartBrief for Health Care Marketers)