Author Archives: Pyxiscare Management

The Power of Team

When you’re taking care of someone’s health and wellbeing, teamwork is EVERYTHING. You want the people on your side to understand what teamwork means. At PyxisCare, we work together toward a common vision of improving health, wellness and quality of life.

I’m still glowing from the best time I’ve spent all year, which was our team’s Gratitude Day a few weeks ago. In this most challenging year, we took a day to count our blessings and celebrated our accomplishments. Our team motto has been “mask up, glove up, show up” and this mighty team has met that goal with shining resilience.

We took the time to discuss the many events that transpired this year; there was personal growth, loss and lots of joy. It was marvelous to hear the laughter of our hardworking group, and witness true bonding. It was a day of reflection and relaxation, which is precisely what we needed.

Like any business owner, I’ve done everything I can to make my business successful. And the first priority is making the people who work at PyxisCare a high performing and valued team. I start by choosing the right people. Intelligence, empathy, critical thinking and a creative mind with a great attitude aligns with our goal of caring for others.

Like others, we have had challenges with remote work and the isolation of 2020. Now more than ever, fostering collaboration and communication between team members is crucial to maintaining all that PyxisCare stands for with our clients.

I took the opportunity to capture our day, so I can look back on the moments that build culture and make us a team. Our clients look to these faces for empathy, confidence and expertise.

I look at these faces, and I’m inspired.

When Help Arrives: A Love(s) Letter to Customer Service

One of my favorite things to talk about is self-care. I mean, I talk about it a lot. At leadership events, as a mentor, and with my team. Because, at PyxisCare we have a busy team of women and men who balance their personal lives with the lives of those we serve as care managers. This can be emotional and draining, so our philosophy has always been about “whole person care.”

I love talking about whole-person care so much, that sometimes I forget to do it. And recently, I paid the price for neglecting the basics.

A few weeks ago I decided (at the last minute…because….planning) to take my two young kids on a road trip to surprise my family in Indiana, whom we don’t see nearly enough. The kids and I love a road trip and I can prepare for them in my sleep. Healthy snacks, a YETI full of waters, all devices charged, podcasts downloaded, and all the things that get us comfortable on our 10-hour trip.

That week was a very high energy week with onboarding new clients and nurse client advocates; a business pitch and integrating a new training system. I was ready to get on the road, but I was also exhausted from working night and day to get everything done.

Fast forward a few hours and it’s midnight in rural Tennessee. Quiet, dark, remote. The kids are asleep and I’m at peace. I have time to think big thoughts, with the long, lonely road ahead of me. And then I ran out of gas. Just like that.

I know the gaslight must have been on for 30 miles, but I didn’t see it. Or it didn’t register. Maybe because I was so anxious for a moment alone–a moment of quiet with no one needing anything from me. Unfortunately, my car DID need something from me, and without it, it couldn’t go on.

The closest gas station was a Love’s Travel Stop –several miles down the road. I called them in a panic, hoping someone would answer the phone (because who does

these days?) hoping they were open, and hoping they were closer than Google Maps said so the kids and I could walk there.

Thank goodness they answered the phone. Store manager Greg Chandler, who had just clocked out for the evening, listened to my story. I was apologetic and embarrassed. He was kind and concerned. And then, he came to my rescue. He brought gas and made sure three people he had never met before, got home safely.

Greg was off the clock. I don’t know the truck stop industry. But I’m guessing by midnight on a Friday night he had seen and dealt with a lot of things I’ll never know about. I’m eternally grateful and humbled by his human kindness. Also called customer service.

@LovesTravelStops made good old-fashioned customer service come to life for me in a way I never expected. Good culture breeds kindness and caring. As a customer and as the owner of a service company, I learn over and over that customer service isn’t a joke. It’s a practice and something that you work for every day. And something that you reward team members for modeling.

You might think this story is about me and how I got bailed out of a stupid situation. But it’s not. In fact, I’m a little sheepish about telling this story. I wasn’t following my own rules about preparation and self-care. I found myself in a vulnerable position, and I needed someone to step up. Luckily, this story is about what can happen when you raise your hand and ask for help.

This story is about Greg, the value of kindness and the generosity of customer service. It’s about the amazing people of Love’s Travel Stops that came to my rescue. It’s about a culture that fosters a sense of responsibility for people. That night, I knew my family MATTERED to them. I knew we were being CARED FOR; and I knew we were SAFE.

I hope that my clients feel that same way after each and every interaction with PyxisCare and our people. That’s our purpose and that’s our aim.

 

We appreciate the extraordinary reminder, all in a day’s work @LovesTravelStops.

This Business is Personal

 

 

These days, every CEO and management expert says that “people” or “employees” are the key to success. It’s practically irresponsible to NOT say it in every leadership article or business speech that you find.

This is a business…but let’s be clear…care coordination and navigation is THE MOST PERSONAL of businesses. We work with people going through some of the lowest, most frightening and challenging points in their lives.

When I established PyxisCare, I didn’t want to just start “a business,” I wanted to help people.

So, we hire people who want to serve others. Our planning conversations at work are about how we can improve lives — how we can alleviate stress and confusion for families —how we can enable companies to support their teams—how we can save time and provide peace of mind—–and about how we can bring clients back to health or stability.

This is the first in a series that celebrates the team that works together at PyxisCare. The caring individuals who do everything from create strategic care plans and advocate at doctor appointments, to ensuring that your loved ones are in safe environments.

I’m proud of the PyxisCare Management team. At the beginning, it was just one registered nurse and myself, building trust with a handful of clients. Today, we have worked closely with hundreds of clients to bring peace of mind to families and improve outcomes for wonderful people.

Over the years, each nurse, each care coordinator, each team member is carefully recruited and trained to ensure that we are providing the most consistent and most experienced care coordination in the market.

So, look for my upcoming posts featuring our team. An experienced team that holds over 25 specialty certifications and accreditations. A kind team that supports clients as well as each other. A team that I treasure.

 

–Mindy