Why Nursing Recognition Matters - Emerging Nurse Leader

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

This week is national nurse recognition week. Leaders throughout the US have arranged activities to celebrate their nursing staff. It is an important reminder about the need for recognition. When leaders fail to say thank you or take the recognition for themselves, staff feel devalued. All staff want to be valued for their contributions to the work of the team. Leadership experts Kouzes and Posner have called this Encouraging the Heart. It is one of the five exemplary practices of the world’s best leaders.

Leaders who encourage the heart bring others to life by recognizing their unique contributions, and who they are as individuals. All of us want to know that what we do matters and that our leaders will notice good work and are encouraging. Saying thank you may sound obvious but is often overlooked. You almost can’t do it enough. A key part of encouraging the heart is to recognize contributions in a way that is valued by the person and celebrated by the team. Creating a sense of community on teams through celebrations is an important step in building commitment and social support. That is why nurse week is so important in our profession. If gives leaders an opportunity to be present at these events to communicate their own gratitude and send a strong message about the value of the contribution of their staff.

In this time of turmoil in healthcare, recognition is an important antidote to burnout. While nurses week is important, our efforts toward giving recognition should not be confined to this week. Nurse leaders should look for opportunities to express gratitude on an ongoing basis. The interesting thing about this practice is that it will not only make the recipient of the praise feel good but so will you. It will help to build your resiliency and remember why we do the work we do.

When you consider whether you as a leader do in fact encourage the heart, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I look for opportunities to celebrate achievements or I do I convey an attitude that the individual is just doing their job?
Do I provide staff with regular feedback about their work?
Am I personally present when celebrations occur?
How often do I say thank you or send a message that recognizes great performance?
Do I look to create a spirt of community and social support in my work unit?
How well do I really know my staff?
How often do I say thank you?
Do I celebrate staff who leave my work unit for other professional development opportunities?

So celebrate this week but remember that encouraging the heart is a year round practice for nurse leaders. We all need recognition and to feel valued in our work.

Read to Lead

Kouzes, J. & Posner, B. (2017). The Leadership Challenge 6^th Edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.