7 Habits of Highly Effective Patient Advocates

When Stephen Covey published, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” in 1989, he changed the way many people thought about personal and professional development. His principles were originally tailored for business and self-help, but we can apply them to patient advocacy, especially in maternal health. 

At MoMMAs Voices, we understand the challenges you’ve faced during pregnancy or childbirth. Our mission is to amplify your voice, empowering you as a partner in improving maternal health outcomes. We know that doing this means stepping out of our comfort zones and the role of a patient advocate can also be challenging. Yet, by embracing Covey’s 7 Habits, we can navigate this complex landscape more effectively, ensuring that our efforts make a meaningful impact. 

Here’s how you can apply Covey’s 7 Habits to become a highly effective patient advocate:

1. Be Proactive

In patient advocacy, being proactive is essential. It means taking initiative rather than waiting for change to come to you. Many women in maternal health crises wish they had known more or advocated for themselves earlier. By sharing your experiences and encouraging others to speak up, you can help prevent these situations for others. When you share your lived experience with providers and partner organizations we can improve maternal health outcomes together. 

Tip: Look for opportunities to share your birth story. Your experiences can be powerful tools for education and empowerment. One way to enhance your skills as a maternal health advocate is to become a certified Patient Family Partner (PFP). MoMMAs Voices also offers virtual networking, in-person events, and other ways to connect with certified PFPs to practice storytelling and find ways to get involved in advocacy efforts. 

2. Begin with the End in Mind

Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve is crucial. For MoMMAs Voices, the ultimate goal is to ensure that no woman or baby suffers from preventable health crisis. Whether you’re working on a hospital quality improvement board, serving on a patient and family advisory council (PFAC), assisting with a Lived Experience Integration® or engaging in community advocacy, knowing your end goal helps you stay focused and effective. Ask those working with you on quality improvement initiatives – what is our end goal? What does success in this project look like?

Tip: Discuss with organizational leadership about their key messages and what tools they need. Understand the scope of the project and what success looks like. Align your advocacy efforts to support these goals. 

3. Put First Things First

In advocacy, everything can feel urgent. Effective advocates learn to prioritize effectively to avoid burnout. Determine what truly matters and focus your energy on those activities that align with your core mission. Remember, you can’t do it all alone; leverage the support of your advocacy community. 

Tip: It’s important to recognize that maternal health advocacy can be challenging – make sure that you are honoring, recognizing, and appropriately caring for your own birth trauma before jumping into this important work. (Read more at the Foundation’s Birth Trauma Resources page.) Be honest with yourself. Before committing to new opportunities, use these questions to assess whether they align with your priorities:

• How effective am I at this task?
• Can others handle this work?
• Does this task or event benefit other patients and families? 

4. Think "Win-Win"

Effective advocacy involves working toward solutions that benefit all parties involved. While your goals are important, it’s essential to understand and respect the objectives of others you’re working with. By seeking mutually satisfying outcomes, you can foster better collaboration and drive meaningful improvements. 

Tip: When engaging with organizations or partners, ask what a “win” looks like for them. Understanding their goals and your own can help in crafting collaborative solutions.

5. Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

Active listening is one of the most important skills an advocate can develop. It’s not just about sharing your own story, but also about understanding the perspectives of others. By listening deeply and empathetically, you can better address the needs and concerns of those you are working with and advocate more effectively.  

It is important to lead with curiosity not an agenda and remember we are often a bridge between patients and providers. While you may sometimes have the opportunity to share your personal experience, you may often serve as the representative patient voice for multiple women who cannot speak for themselves. 

Tip: Stay curious. Assume positive intent. Develop a list of questions to help others share their perspectives. Count to three before responding to prevent interrupting or jumping to conclusions too quickly. This can enhance mutual understanding and collaboration. 

6. Synergize

Synergy involves collaborating creatively to achieve results greater than what could be accomplished alone. MoMMAs Voices exemplifies this principle by uniting individuals and organizations with a shared passion for maternal health. We center lived experiences with medical and community experts to lead to practical solutions. By working together and being open to each other’s ideas, you can achieve greater impact. 

Tip: Identify opportunities for collaboration. Look for organizations that share your advocacy goals and explore ways to combine efforts for a more significant impact. Within these organizations, look to bring people together who hold different positions and perspectives. This is key to establishing c-suite buy in when implementing change. 

7. Sharpen the Saw

The final habit focuses on self-renewal. Stephen Covey describes habit seven as renewing yourself physically, mentally, emotionally/socially, and spiritually. Advocacy work is rewarding but can be draining. To sustain your effectiveness, it’s vital to restore yourself so you can maintain capacity. Regularly renewing your resources ensures you can continue your advocacy work with vigor and clarity. 

Tip: Build a self-care routine that addresses your physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Take regular breaks and schedule personal time to prevent burnout. Build your advocacy skills like completing PFP training and continuing education modules. Stay updated on new research, maternal mortality data, policy changes, and health disparities. Practice active listening, strengthen relationships with other advocates and healthcare providers, and process any compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. Reflect on your values, journal, take time for quiet reflection, and reconnect with your “why” to renew your mind and spirit. 

A Note on Advocacy

Effective patient advocates are driven by purpose, patience, and persistence. They treat advocacy as a long-term commitment, build constructive relationships, and balance advocacy with self-care. By integrating these 7 habits into your advocacy efforts, you’ll be better equipped to make a lasting impact and support the health and well-being of mothers and babies. Many of our training events (which you can rewatch here) extend the above principles further.

Acknowledgements

MoMMA's Voices acknowledges the use of materials adapted from Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 

Special thanks to the review committee for their thoughtful contributions and valuable edits of this content: Danielle Babcock Sapienza of the Preeclampsia Foundation, Alexis Carena of the National Accreta Foundation, Diana Masulli of Amniotic Fluid Embolism Foundation, Jacqueline McLeeland of The Push Partners, and Laney Poye communications consultant.