To Recognize

This week we are ready for Pillar 6 of our 8 Pillars of Culture: To Recognize

I absolutely love Culture Pillar 6 of our 8 pillars. We just finished discussing our desire to Inspire and Encourage others. I really believe that Pillar 6 is a natural extension of both of these. Pillar 6 is “To Recognize”. If you look up the definition of recognize you will likely find something like this, a transitive verb meaning to see a person, to hear a person, to greet a person and acknowledge that they are present “The receptionist recognized him at once”. This is not the definition of recognizing that our pillar represents. That’s not the type of recognition we are talking about at Mid South. I define recognition as mostly an intangible expression of acknowledgment and valuing of an individual or a team, for their positive behaviors, their personal efforts, or contributions they have made.

I think by in large, we do a good job of recognizing the significant achievements of our team members. My question is how well do we recognize our people, their accomplishments and their effort on a daily basis? So, what does “the right kind” of recognition look like? Before we jump into examples let’s take a look at 5 characteristics of effective recognition:

• Timely/Frequent

• Specific

• Visible

• Inclusive

• Values-based

It’s important to note that every type of recognition doesn’t need to embody all five elements.

1. Weekly Wins meetings Weekly Wins meetings are commonplace in a lot of work environments—and for good reason! They serve as an opportunity for your team to gather and publicly share accomplishments from the week.

2. Share praise from customers What if the next time you receive a glowing customer email you share it company-wide?

3. Company swag

Nothing groundbreaking here: people love swag! Celebrate a company milestone or team accomplishment with company-branded clothing, water bottles, or anything else you can dream up.

4. Treat your team to lunch Sharing a meal is an age-old demonstration of care but take it one step further and make sure to note who and what the meal is in honor of.

5. Send a thoughtful note Never underestimate the power of the written word! Verbal praise is wonderful, but there's something extra special about having a tangible record of recognition.

Regardless of how we do it, I hope we will make a commitment to recognize the special skills and efforts of our team members on a regular basis.

Be looking for a great podcast interview with JR Burnett that will post on Friday.

Yours in Christ

dan

National Physical Therapy Month

A letter from our President and CEO

Happy National Physical Therapy Month to all of our Mid South and Continuum Physical Therapists,

Today is a very special day, as today marks the beginning of National Physical Therapy Month. The entire leadership team and the Employee Support Center of Mid South and Continuum want to take this opportunity to recognize and extend our most sincere appreciation and gratitude to you and your profession.

This month is dedicated to you and our industry. Because your profession matters and you matter to your patients, they depend on your God-given skills, talents, and abilities. I pray that each of you continues to make a positive difference in the lives of your patients by improving their health, mobility, and independence.

Your skills provide hope, and you are genuinely making the world a better place daily. So, I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your unwavering dedication to rebuilding lives through providing comprehensive skilled care to your patients.

With the growing population of seniors and chronic conditions, you, as therapists, have one of the most essential roles in health care today. To show our gratitude and sincere appreciation for your dedication to our patients, mission, vision, and core values and recognize our Physical Therapists and your profession, you will receive two separate gift packages from us in the Month of October. In addition, we will host a Team meeting on October 13th Kayla will email you a team invite.

In closing, we want to celebrate our Physical Therapists for the amazing contributions you make and share our sincere gratitude. You are the best of the best, and may God continue to guide and bless your work each and every day.

God bless,

Steven L. Cole

President and Chief Executive Officer

Encourage

Hi all:

Pillars four and five of our eight pillars of culture may seem similar. Pillar four is To Inspire and Pillar 5 is To Encourage. While similar the two have some distinct differences. We may inspire people to begin a journey or achieve a goal, but they may still need some encouragement along the way. In doing my research this week, I found an awesome definition of the word encourage. It said to “hearten”. To me this means to lift up at a heart level. It is good to help someone up physically if they have fallen, but when we lift someone up by the heart, they find courage to continue, to keep fighting, to refuse to be defeated, despite the circumstances or situation they face.

Encouraging is scriptural. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." We all know someone who needs to be spurred on or heartened. Maybe they have all the skill or talent in the world, but life has just gotten them down a bit. Maybe they are just tired or feeling burnt out. We can be the solution to their problems.

I want us to look to the word as we devise a specific plan of how we can be an encourager to others. Who better to look to than “the son of encouragement,” Barnabas? Barnabas’s given name was Joseph. The name Barnabas was given to him by disciples. It was an Aramaic expression meaning, “son of encouragement.

I want to look at three aspects of Barnabas life that we can replicate daily making us encouragers:

1. Barnabas was a Giver – In Acts Ch 4., we learn that Barnabas was a landowner who sold some of his property and gave the money to the Apostles in Jerusalem. The church at Jerusalem was growing-rapidly and there were many needs. The money that Barnabas gave was an indication of his love for the Lord, and his faith in the people who made up the church.

We may not be landowners, but our gifts don’t have to be financial. Gifts can include time, attention, a kind word and a listening ear. Often, these are the most encouraging things we can give.

2. Barnabas was a faithful friend – In Acts 9:26-27, we see the impact Barnabas’ friendship had on the ministry of Paul. After the conversion of Saul to Paul, Paul initially had a very difficult time getting many people, including the apostles, to believe that he had truly converted. Most people were very afraid of Saul. It was goodhearted Barnabas that carried Paul to the apostles and testified of his conversion which allowed him to move about freely in Christian circles in Jerusalem.

Who can we be that kind of friend to? Who needs us to speak up for them, support them or maybe just hug them? Barnabas helped Paul spread the gospel to thousands upon thousands, by just being a good friend.

3. Barnabas the encourager – In Acts Ch 11 Christians had been scattered because of the persecution and many ended up in Antioch. They evangelized to many including the gentiles. Leaders of the church in Jerusalem were a bit concerned about this and they sent Barnabas to check it out. He was so delighted he began to strongly encourage Christians there to “keep pressing on in their faith”. Barnabas was so encouraged by what he saw he “exhorted” (encouraged) believers to stay true to the Lord.

From time to time, we all need someone in our lives who has a giving heart. We often need a faithful friend, and we all need words of encouragement. If we need these things, it stands to reason that those around us do as well. Let’s go out today and commit to being to others what we need ourselves. I think we will be amazed at how this impacts our workplace, our culture, and our lives.

Great podcast interview with a Mid South team member coming on Friday. I hope you will join on Apple Itunes, Spotify or Stitcher.

Have an awesome week!

Dan