We’ve all been asked at a cocktail party or family reunion what we do for a living. Have you ever thought about how you respond? Do you focus on the tasks of the job or the value of the work that you do? Understanding the difference between the two and how you perceive your work can impact your on-the-job satisfaction. I...
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Have you ever said something you immediately regret? It’s a terrible feeling—the moment when you want to crawl in a hole and never come out, asking yourself, “Did I just say THAT?!” Words and actions are powerful—more than most people understand. Each of us have the capacity to make or break a person’s day, just by how we...
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When I’m working with leaders in organizations, I often hear them say that they need to innovate or that they have some sort of innovation initiative in progress. When I ask them why they want to innovate, the response is sometimes bewildered or I hear, “We just need to be innovating.” At some point, all organizations need...
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In the 1950s, Humorist Victor Borge said, “Laughter is an instant vacation.” At the time, he had no idea that modern medical science would prove him right. He just instinctively knew that humor helped people feel better. Laughing has a positive influence on your mental and physical well-being. Your pattern of thinking...
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I’m not a linguist, but I find it very telling that “patient,” a person receiving medical treatment, is spelled and pronounced the same as “patient,” the ability to accept or tolerate delay or suffering without becoming annoyed. We expect a great deal of patience from our patients, especially in the emergency room. Minor...
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We all like to think that each patient encounter will be a great service experience. But let’s face it; things can and do go wrong. When my mom was first diagnosed with lung cancer, she had been hospitalized for tests including a biopsy, which collapsed her lung. She needed a CT scan during her inpatient stay and no one...
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