Nurses: Fill Your Business Life With Like-Minded People!

Don't you love it when you get a strong feeling of validation from a book you are reading? It's that feeling you get when you read a book and every word seems to reverberate with you. You are connecting with the message of the book to such an extent that you have to keep checking who the author is because you seriously think that YOU could have written the book in your sleep or something!

Well, if I had to choose a book to recommend to anyone interested in business or career success, it would have to be, "The Go-Giver" by Bob Burg and John David Mann. I personally believe that most RN's have all the tools inside them to have brilliant careers in business. To coin a phrase from the book, "The Go-Giver," they are already pointed in the right direction. It comes naturally to them.

If you are the kind of person who doesn't have to think twice about providing excellent customer service to anyone you are serving, then you need to treat yourself to this book. If providing for your clients' needs has always been like second nature to you, then you have to read this book. If you get the fact that your giving nature, that for you feels like breathing, can some day be intertwined with your business and career success, then you have to study this book.

See if you can relate to this story:

The other day at work, I was listening to the distraught wife of my patient as she described the mental decline he's developed over the last couple of years. My patient, a 74-yr-old male, was a retired M.D. In recent years he had developed dementia, loss of hearing, glaucoma, and heart/valve problems. His wife, a former RN herself, was also in her 70's and at the end of her rope.

The night shift had tried to warn me about this woman. They said, "The wife is a real pain in the neck. She'll drive you crazy. Watch out. She was a nurse and she never lets you forget it."

After two phone calls to the floor, she finally came in to the hospital to check on her husband. After meeting her, I saw right through her within minutes. She wasn't there to "throw her weight around" to intimidate me, she was there to try to connect with me and the be HEARD.

The list of worries and concerns that she listed about this man went on and on. You could see the desperation in her eyes as she spoke about how they had been turned down by the insurance for caregiver assistance. In other words, all the burdens all fell on her.

It was an UNUSUALLY quiet day on my floor so I was able to take the time to listen to her, just the way I like it. I listened to her every word. I really listened. By the end of our conversation, she knew that she had been heard. She never said a gruff or demanding word to me the rest of the shift. Just a note: For whatever reason, it wasn't that busy that day. But even if it had been busier with more interruptions, I still would have made it a priority for her to feel heard...even though it may have taken several conversations to accomplish the same goal, it would have happened!

Later she sheepishly asked me to bring her husband an afternoon snack if it was convenient. Without hesitation, I brought HER and her husband a little ice cream cup and some Graham Crackers. This took no extra time and cost only pennies.

She was flabbergasted. I had brought her a treat too! She went on and on to her husband about how she got a treat too. And then the two of them sat in peace and ate their ice cream and cookies almost like two little kids.

She got more than she had asked for. I was more than happy to do that for her and him. That's how I conduct myself as a nurse and that's how I do business. Now, please understand, I'm NOT plugging myself, I'm plugging the concept of giving.

Can you relate to that story? Do you have to be told to go the extra mile...Or is that something that's already a part of you?

Do you you have any aspirations of going into business for yourself? Do you ever see yourself helping people in a different way other than bedside nursing? Perhaps you have an invention you've been thinking of that would benefit patients or nurses. I want to officially encourage you to follow your dreams and realize that you can intertwine your giving nature with business success.

According to the book, "The Go-Giver" to be successful in business you must understand that "Your true worth is determined by how much more you give in value than you take in payment."

Nurses have everything it takes to be successful in business. We're already givers!

As I said before, if you want success in business, read the book, "The Go-Giver". If there is something passionate inside you calling out to create or do something totally new and different in your life, follow it. You'll be amazed at the people you meet along the way. Surround yourself with these like-minded people. And then just be "YOU". YOU + Baby steps (towards any goal) = Success.

Question: Do you think channeling a "strong giving nature" into business success is possible? Post your answer as a "Comment" below.

Take Care of Yourselves Nurses!
Theresa Waller,RN
Call Anytime 714 293 5398