Nicki Rowland's ten top tips for seeing through your New Year resolutions. 2 Embrace the Change

@Nix41

I doubt a practice manager has ever told a receptionist that they rearranged the stationery cupboard really well and given them a £10 M&S voucher.

Let’s face it, unless you suddenly bring in twenty-five new patients a week, much of what you do will go unrecognised and unrewarded by others. Instead, you need to give yourself a metaphorical pat on the back. Be proud of what you achieve day-to-day.

Pride and progress

Although according to Proverbs 16:18 ‘Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall’, I disagree. I’m not alone. In her book Behold You 2 – Embrace Change, Dawgelene Sangster, M.A., EdDc (http://dawgelenesangster.com) a business psychology strategist, wrote: ‘You embrace each new day that you are living your change and be proud of each step you take in your action plan.’

So if your action plan is to simply be better, taking pride in even your most minor achievements or improvements will be like a tailwind.

Continuous improvement by whom?

In Reforming the NHS from within, authored by Chris Ham for The King’s Fund in 2014, it states: ‘…change in professional bureaucracies like hospitals depends much less on bold strokes and big gestures by politicians than on engaging doctors, nurses and other staff in continuous quality improvement over the longer term.’

I’m okay with this but what I’m less happy about is that the human personality trait of conscientiousness, as defined in the Big Five or five factor model (FFM), appears overlooked. Definitions of conscientiousness relate to showing self-discipline, acting dutifully and aiming for achievement against measures or outside expectations.

We all want to be better and do better to a greater or lesser extent. Since small improvements rarely elicit rewards from external sources, we must recognize them with self pride. Think of that next time you check that the pens in the waiting room actually work, tidy your nurse’s work area or lend your phone to a patient to ring for a taxi.

Posted by Gemma