Category: Personal Growth

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How’s Your Morale?

I was talking to some colleagues the other day and the subject of morale came up. There is a general consensus that morale in our agency is bad. But it’s not just our agency, I find that is true in other agencies too. Why is that? Any ideas?

In a recent survey of EMS employees, 60% of the participants said their personal morale was good. The interesting twist was the same respondents said that only 40% of the department’s morale was good. How is it possible that the majority of individuals in an agency have a good morale, but the agency as a whole does not?

Bad is Stronger than Good

Baumeister et al (2001) said that people are more likely to remember bad things than good things. It has a stronger psychological effect. We spend more brain power processing bad news than we do good news. Therefore, we remember negative experiences with more clarity.

Remembering bad things longer than the good is actually adaptive (Baumeister et al, 2001). In other words, we need to remember bad things so we can survive. It signals a need to change, a need to adjust our behavior or avoid situations that caused the bad emotion or outcome. That is why the mind takes more time to process bad experiences. It wants us to be safer the next time we encounter a similar situation. If we only remember the good, we are more likely to repeat the things that put us at risk.

So it is not unusual when we go around talking with each other that the conversation morale-bustercenters around the negative experiences we have. The problem is this becomes our perception of the whole rather than simply an interpretation of singular events. Have you ever tuned into the daily news expecting to hear only good things? It just doesn’t happen. There may be a few human interest stories, but overall the news is bad. And the job contributes to our overall negative perception because we see the bad things that happen to people up close and personal. Bad becomes normal.

Change the Focus

I encourage you to conduct a personal experiment. Deliberately look for the good things about the job. Focus on the ways you have helped your patients; how your coworkers work well together. Look for the positive supports from your supervisors and administration. (Yes, it is there!) Make a list so you can remember.

Then, when you talk about the bad experiences, counter it with something good you havemorale-free-chocolate noticed. When a coworker relates something bad, listen and then add a positive note. Not in a judgmental way, but just as a “by-the-way” statement.

If we take a positive focus instead of being led down the negative path, I wonder if the agency-wide morale will improve. At least the perception of it. Based on the statistics I have seen, it is probably pretty good already. We just cannot see it past the bad news that hides it.

 

What is your perception of morale? Add to the conversation by leaving a comment below.

 

Follow this blog and I will let you know when the next post comes out.

Thanks for reading!

Reference

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of General Psychology, 5(4), 323-370. doi:10.1037//1089-2680.5.4.323

January 7, 2017 © 2017 Resilient Medic

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Values

As I start a new year, I have been thinking a lot about values. This is the time of year when we set goals. New Year’s resolutions, if you will. Most of us will have good intentions, but never see through all of the plans we make.

So what determines whether or not you go through with your goals? How do you push through all of the challenges you will face? What motivates you to keep going?

Values.

Values are the things that set your path. They are the things that are the most important to you. Things you find useful, that have worth. Values keep you moving.

The first of the year is a time for new beginnings. It is a good time to look at your values. To look at the things that make you want to get up in the morning.

 

Values generally fall into one or more of several categories and sub-categories:circle-of-values

  • Personal goals (Emotional, Physical, Intellectual)
  • Financial goals (Budget, Savings)
  • Family (Marriage, Children, Parents, Other kin)
  • Relationships (Friends, Community)
  • Work (Career, Volunteer, Hobbies)
  • Spiritual (God, Church, Meditation/Prayer)

Some of these have higher priority than others. Sometimes priorities change as things happen to you or around you. You may not even be aware of all the values that shape you and direct your decisions.

 

But now is a good time to decide if what you do every day aligns with what you feel is important. Are there times when you feel uncomfortable or out of sync? That may be a sign that what you are doing is conflicting with your values.

The thing is, if you are having trouble getting motivated you are probably trying to do something that does not mesh with your values. You are going against the grain, so to speak. Even if it is something you used to enjoy. Remember, as you grow older, you change. That means values change too.

 

So think about your life right now. Are you happy? Are you doing what you want to do?

Or are you hanging onto something that no longer, or maybe never did, make you feel you are doing something important? Holding on to something just because you think you should is a sure-fire way to make yourself miserable. It might be a good idea to rethink this.

 

faith-integrityWhat are your values? How do you figure that out?

Start by making a list of each of the categories listed above. The sub-categories are suggestions. You can add your own.

For each category, write down at least one thing that is important to you. For example, under “Family”, you may write “Spending quality time with my wife/husband and children.” For “Finances” it could be regularly putting money in savings. It does not have to be complicated, but it does have to be what you find useful and worthy of your time.

 

Does your life reflect the things that are important to you? If not, what can you do this year to change?

 

Leave a comment below. Follow me and I will let you know when the next blog comes out.

Thanks for reading!

 

December 30, 2016 © 2016 Resilient Medic

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