Play, productivity, and satisfaction - Editorial

AORN Journal,  March, 2002  by Brenda S. Gregory Dawes

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At times we all need a proverbial shot in the arm, a boost of energy that increases our professional or personal motivation. Sometimes, it is difficult to draw on feelings of happiness or pride in our work or find the motivation to be effective. That lack of motivation can translate to others in confusing or negative ways. When faced with such a dilemma, it is important to make the right choices for the right reasons and find ways to improve the situation so it does not continue in a vicious, downward spiral.

WHAT MAKES A LEADER?

Leaders in workplace settings are those who demonstrate characteristics that help others face adversity and dilemmas. Effective leadership results in individuals who feel valued for their opinions and satisfied with outcomes, even when the outcomes are unexpected. Leaders allow others to be accountable for setting and achieving their personal goals. They are not always identified by a title (eg, manager, head nurse). Often they are identified by their actions. Influential leaders are recognizable because they create a productive workplace environment with satisfied employees.

Leaders who are experiencing adversity and can make sense of events or circumstances causing difficulties are to be commended and encouraged. Our turbulent times have provided many examples of leadership and lessons to be learned. Former New York mayor Rudolph Guiliani was on the streets with those who were suffering during the Sept 11, 2001, disaster. He demonstrated the effectiveness of reaching out and living the moment with those who needed guidance and direction. That is what leaders must do. They communicate and learn so they can use their skills to benefit the situation.

LESSONS FROM THE FISH MARKET

A powerful lesson is described in Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results. (1) The book describes a work setting on the third floor of the First Guarantee Financial building in Seattle that is despised by others. It actually is labeled a "toxic energy dump" by the head of the organization. The people who work on that floor demonstrate their unhappiness by challenging others and making simple processes confusing. When the main character, Mary Jane, accepts a promotion to the third floor, she is able to meet the challenge of moving to this toxic work setting after an unexpected encounter in the world famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle.

Generally fish markets have a reputation for being smelly and cold, but the Pike Place Fish Market is filled with noise, action, and energy. Employees at Pike Place Fish Market are enthusiastic, engaged, productive, attentive, and extremely satisfied with their jobs. Following their example, Mary Jane's coworkers learn lessons about incorporating play into their work, engaging their customers, and being attentive to and aware of others.

In the book, Mary Jane uses discernment to effectively expose the right problems. Discernment is described as "the ability to find the root of the matter" while relying on intuition and rational thought processes. (2) When times are difficult, it is easy to overlook the root cause of problems or look elsewhere for excuses. Employees on the third floor rationalize that their work is boring; therefore, their behaviors reflect those feelings. When they realize that the work will not change but that they can assume an attitude that is unrelated to their jobs, they improve their enthusiasm and productivity. Looking at the root cause rather than rationalizing negative behaviors results in workplace improvements.

Mary Jane's story evolves as she learns and shares lessons from the fish market. As a good leader, she sets the stage for the employees in her work setting to choose their attitude. The lessons that they learn from the fish market employees help team members learn to love the work they do, even if they cannot always do the work they love. Mary Jane's ability as a leader to help with the transformation not only benefits the company, but she also is able to recognize the personal value of risk taking and having faith in herself.

CHOOSING ATTITUDES AND ACTIONS

Maybe you love the work you do, but you feel like everyone and everything around you is creating unhappiness. Maybe outside pressures are preventing you from concentrating on the outcomes that are important at work. Possibly your setting is one in which you feel there are few people actually doing the work and many who are taking home paychecks. Circumstances are based on perceptions, and each of us perceives differently. As the third floor employees at First Guarantee Financial learned, it is all about choices. There always is a choice about attitudes and actions, but it is up to individuals to choose positive attitudes and actions.

Perioperative patient care is more intense than working in a fish market, but in either setting, hard times can seem overwhelming when a good day turns bad. In perioperative settings, problems can include those that are patient care related (eg, implants requested for a procedure are incorrect, a patient's condition is worsening with limited options remaining to improve the situation) or personnel related (eg, the person on call is ill, staffing is limited for types of procedures).