Have You Appreciated Someone Today?

By 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 the 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 the newsletter,
OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and
Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."


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