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Random Acts of Kindness
by ANNA President JoAnne Gilmore
This
is my last President’s message. It has been an honor serving you
this year. I look forward to passing the gavel and traditional
Vision Crystal to President-elect Sandra Bodin during Nephrology
Nurses’ Recognition luncheon in Dallas and being able to return home to
a slower pace and to give my family more attention.
While
contemplating a slower pace, I have looked back over the last year and
all the accomplishments made by our ANNA volunteer members. I am amazed
at the work our association has completed. Elected and appointed
volunteers at every level within the association have contributed
thousands of hours to further the mission and goals of the ANNA to
advance nephrology nursing practice.
Kindness In the Corporate Culture
The
time is upon me to reflect on my nephrology career. Being part of this
association has brought me both personal and professional growth.
There are some wonderful books that discuss corporate cultures.
Linda Kalen Thaler and Robin Koval authors of The Power of Nice: How to
Conquer the Business World With Kindness, cite studies that show
cheerfulness spreads more easily than irritability, and note that body
language and facial expressions convey more relevant information than a
10-minute speech. They state that executives should make a
practice of being nice to everyone they encounter because the young
woman clearing the table today might own the restaurant 5 years from
now.
In the ongoing debate about nature versus nurture, Koval and Thaler
come down squarely on the side of nurture. They believe that some
people are just born nice and so they urge people to exercise
their “nice” muscles every day for a week, by doing five nice things
that yield no personal gain.
Ed Horrell, author of The Kindness Revolution: The Company-Wide Culture
Shift That Inspires Phenomenal Customer Service, approaches the “nice
dilemma” from a different angle. In researching this book,
Horrell found the answer lies not in supply chains or computer systems,
but in a simpler common denominator: Each firm he researched, known for
excellent customer service, also understands and practices the value of
kindness in their dealings with employees as well as customers.
In Horrell’s view, executives see customer service as one of many
business functions that can be outsourced or treated as an annoyance.
But we as nurses know good customer service is essential. The key to
excellent customer service lies in being nice to your customers, our
patients, and to our employees.
Horrell places less emphasis on the nurture and more on the
nature. Horrell believes companies should adopt a policy of “hire
the smile, teach the skill.” He believes and offers plenty of
practical ways to do so, from remembering names to keeping a clean work
environment. Businesses should also focus on creating an environment
that encourages employees’ innate kindness to emerge. He believes
companies should state their commitment to kindness by incorporating a
statement of principles as well as by talking about their values.秎
It’s Always Time for Kindness in the Nursing Arena!
Most
of what has been stated above occurs within the nursing arena. Nurses
know the value of random acts of kindness. Nurses know the value of the
human touch. We know the value of our smiles. We perform random acts of
kindness every day. We should be proud of ourselves and applaud each
other every day.
While reading these books, one message became apparent: there is
untapped potential in even the smallest good deed and it can have a
multiplier effect strong enough to change the world. Random acts of
kindness can help you become wealthier, healthier, and wiser. Most of
all, random acts of kindness can make you happier.
As I leave the ANNA Presidency, I hope you will try to spread random acts of kindness. I know I will!
JoAnne Gilmore, BSN, RN, CNN
ANNA President
Member Desert Vista Chapter
References
Thaler,
L. and Koval, R. (2006). The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business
World with Kindness. New York: Doubleday, Random House Inc.
Horrell, E. (2006). The Kindness Revolution: The Company-Wide Culture
Shift that Inspires Phenomenal Customer Service. New York: Amacom
Publishing.
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