18 Feb 2008 04:38:22 | Ed Sykes
I invested some time with Mother recently and drove her to the
hospital to visit with her sick sister-in-law, my aunt. While I
was standing in the doorway, a nurse came by and introduced
herself as Ruth and said “hello” to us and said “hello” to my
aunt. This put a smile on my aunt’s face. The nurse then
introduced me to the other nurses working at the nurses’
station. She let me know that these nurses are hard working and
good at their jobs.
I couldn’t agree with her more. Theirs is a very difficult job
with no margin for error. In many situations they know and
understand the patients better than the doctors.
Realizing this, and noticing that some of the nurses looked a
little tired, I asked Ruth to bring out all the nurses she had
introduced me to at the nurses’ station. I reintroduced myself
and explained that my aunt was the patient in room 518. Then I
said the following:
“I would like to thank you for taking care of my aunt. I
personally appreciate the way you make her comfortable during
this difficult time, and I know that my aunt is in good hands.
My family, and especially my uncle, appreciates the hard work
and care you put into making her better. Thank you again and
keep doing what you are doing to make a difference with not only
my family, but other families.”
Well, you should have seen the looks on the nurses’ faces.
First, they had a look of surprise. Then they were all smiling
from ear to ear. Several faces turned red. But all of them had a
look of appreciation as they said, “Thank you.”
Why did they have a surprised look on their faces? Was this the
first time someone other than another nurse had acknowledged
them? When was the last time someone showed appreciation to them?
It only took fifteen seconds to put a smile on their faces and
have them feel good about themselves. Take the time every day to
appreciate your employees, your family, and other people that
are doing a good job. It might be the only appreciation they
receive and will make a difference in their day.
Read my article, Appreciate to Motivate, to find out how to make
your appreciation count every time. You will also feel good
doing it.
About Author :
Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and leading expert
in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management,
customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at
mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032.
Goto his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for
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"Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."
