Do you like donuts? I do! A chocolate glazed, Bavarian cream donut (with sprinkles, of course!) hits my favorite list. What about you?
Before you salivate on the screen at the thought, I’d like to introduce a different sort of donut to your plate. This one adds—not calories…just perspective and a bit of uplift—to your life as a healthcare clinician. Sometimes patient care gets hard and we need a renewed reflection of the good we bring.
A cherished colleague of mine, Erin Smital, had us do this activity a couple of years ago at one of our Leadership Residency sessions and I’ve kept my donut handy ever since. I’d like to share the exercise with you. What you’ll need is a piece of paper and a writing utensil.
First, draw the classic shape of a large cake donut on your paper. This represents our life and work as a clinician.
Next draw in at least 5-6 large sprinkles that add decoration to your donut. Consider 5-6 rewards you’ve experienced in healthcare and write them in or near each sprinkle.
- Perhaps it’s that time you helped to mentor a new colleague and they’re continuing to do well.
- It could be the role you played in bringing an expanded service to your community through your department.
- How about the patient who was initially upset, but after talking through their concern with you, left feeling happy?
- What about the time you helped your team to achieve a tough goal? Maybe together you increased patient satisfaction.
- It could be the skill you gained through advanced certification.
Shamelessly take credit for the greatness that your contributions have helped patients, your team, or the organization achieve. You don’t have to show this to anyone, so it’s not bragging. It’s acknowledging and appreciating the results of your hard work.
Now on to the frosting. Challenge yourself to think of 3-4 more rewards that have come from the efforts you’ve put into your work—things you hadn’t initially thought about. Things like every day, small affirmations, such as smiles from patients or knowing their lives have improved as a result of your dedication. Add those in the space between the sprinkles.
Lastly, the hole. Go ahead and call out those things that are missing from your work. Capture concerns that gnaw at you. Maybe it’s the knowledge that you missed an opportunity to say goodbye to that special, long-term patient before they were discharged. Or the time you intended to help one of your peers but got too busy and forgot to offer the assistance. There’s no space here for judgment. Just reflection.
How’s your donut looking?
Here’s the final step, the digestion of your donut:
- Don’t spend time beating yourself up about the things in the hole. Reflect and commit to improve, but don’t perseverate on missed actions. You’ll miss out on all the sweet parts of your healthcare career if you do.
- When you’re having a tough day, grab your donut. Revel in the sprinkles, the highlights of your influence. Savor the frosting that holds it all together, completing the value of the care you provide. Be reminded of the good you do and the difference you make.
Keep your donut nearby. Let it sweeten your day when you most need it. Remember to focus on the goodness that’s there, not the stuff that’s not. Perhaps even consider having your colleagues each create their own donut!
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“Goodness is the only investment that never fails.” – Henry David Thoreau
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Corrie Searles, MPT, Leadership Development Educator
In Corrie’s role as Leadership Development Educator at the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (RWHC), her aim is to empower leaders—formal and informal—to create positive influence that enables others to serve well.