I was talking to my nephew over the weekend. He is a general manager at a restaurant in Philadelphia. As part of his role, he is responsible for hiring staff and overseeing the restaurant’s day-to-day operations. We were talking about how hard it is to hire and retain staff. As we talked, I asked him what trait he looks for in a person that lets him know the person would be a good hire. His response was Kindness. He said that as he interviews a person, he looks for examples of Kindness as that is the one thing, he can’t teach someone.
I think this holds for all roles but rings true to me, especially in the world of healthcare. Kindness is a fundamental trait that each of us needs to possess to do our jobs well.
People come to us when they are most vulnerable. Having a caring person who is kind, empathetic, and takes the time to listen is a basic expectation that we all have when we move through the healthcare system.
Today all of us in healthcare are feeling the stress of living and working with COVID. I know most are stressed to the max. As you go through your day – keep this message in mind and – Be Kind to each other as well as the people who come to us for care.
Best, Anne
Wow…this comment resonates with me. I would like to share one of my daily kindnesses.
I make many calls throughout my workday most often to strangers all over the country and in various time zones. Many of these calls involve inquiries and negotiation.. My kindness (and good manners) is to always identify myself and then ask, “How are you today, how is your day going?” Often the initial response is momentary stunned silence followed by ..” I am well thank you for asking” . I find this kindness is a door opener and a great temperature changer no matter how challenging or easy the inquiry. Asking a person how they are makes them feel care for. It also smoothes the way for future interactions.
So true Dana, thank you for commenting! Have a good week.
A simple basic courtesy that we all need to be reminded of.
Thanks Anne!
Thanks Lauri for commenting. It is basic…..to all of our lives. Have a good week!
Yep! I agree, totally. Kindness matters. I’ve begun to make it a point to remind my clients to perform random acts of kindness as part of their healing journey. Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, “Thank you. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me today.” And in other cases, it’s going out of their way to do something nice for someone else who is part of their care team. Sometimes the smallest of things can make the biggest difference.
Thanks Bonnie. Good points!
I believe as a Grandmother, my role is to teach. My favorite “lesson” is to try & instill in my 2 grandchildren the utmost importance of being kind to others. I truly pray that someday they will judge me as good teacher.
So true Annie…I know they will…..
Very true observation about kindness. As it is rightfully said, health care needs a kind and empathetic somebody who the clients can associate with freely and trust. Most of the times clients need to trust for them to divulge deep information which can help in the management of the client’s condition. sometimes as health workers we call clients uncooperative only because our approach to them was not okay and they feel unwelcome and difficult to deal with.
So true Keoagetse Kgwabi. Thanks for commenting.
An underlying theme in the 10 commandments.
So true Barbara. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Very true statement indeed. I feel that Kindness is an ingredient that is needed to sustain and understand humanity. That being said, I feel as though kindness has drifted away. We all need to be kind to one another to ensure that we function as a society.