By: Kriss Barlow, RN, MBA
The holidays are behind us, pent up “to do lists” dominate each day and the pace is back to a fast hum. Before I lose the spirit of the new year, a little introspection is in order. Are you feeling the same? For people who make a living in service to others it is healthy to consider what’s working in the job.
- Start big picture. Reflect on your personal contribution to the strategic goal of the team and organization. And sometimes it is helpful to say, “In hindsight, I had a missed opportunity to help. In the future I will look for signs and jump in sooner.”
- Reflect on struggles and your ability to navigate around adversity. Call out times when you were faced with a challenge and recognize your resourcefulness in finding a solution.
- Consider the people side of your professional work. What would co-workers say about your energy, compassion, team spirit, knowledge and helpfulness? How about the practices, doctors or other people that you serve? The relationship side may be overlooked or assumed and yet it is a huge contributor to work-life satisfaction.
- Little things grow. Perhaps your contributions are not in that “major impact” category, however many small benefits were the result of your contributions. We all recognize that wholesale program changes are not that common in our world of healthcare. Small changes in process, efficiency, tracking and reporting and message management can have a significant impact.
Once you reflect, assess, and detail last year then just reflect and enjoy it. Soon you will begin creating goals, setting metrics and defining the action plans to get there this year. For today and maybe tomorrow too, play these reflections in your mind. Consider how it was received, how you reacted, how you felt when you contributed to a challenge, how people expressed their gratefulness, and how you contributed to the team. The pace is crazy; quiet reflection is your chance time to soak in on all that is right with you.
“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.”
― Bill Watterson