Have you ever thought about the word grit? When I think about grit, I realize that it can have a negative impression as well as a positive one. I don’t like the feel of grit underneath my shoes if there’s sand on the garage floor. I don’t like the texture of grittiness when I eat something that isn’t supposed to be gritty. When I think about the term grit as a personality trait, though, it is a positive. When I think about the great men and women working in healthcare today, grit is one of the best words I know to describe them. They are the people who have done their best and survived some of the worst healthcare has to offer. They are the living example of real grit.
Grit in Healthcare
When I say grit, I’m defining it as the courage and passion to keep going when things get tough, and to know that things will be better when you persevere.
In the past few weeks, I’ve done several focus groups with employees on the front lines. Some were and still are at the epicenter of COVID, and grit in healthcare that I saw is nothing short of miraculous. It’s important that we not forget the sacrifices that people made during the worst of COVID, though. These gritty people are the ones that kept the entire healthcare industry afloat. So, even though the worst of the pandemic seems to be behind us, please keep in mind that there may be trauma that your people endured during the worst of COVID. Take time to recognize them for the grit they showed (and continue to show) in persevering through one of the worst catastrophes in our modern history. It’s never to late to say thank you.
So, here’s a toast to all the gritty people who have done so much to bring our healthcare systems to where they are today.
If you’d like support in conducting employee focus groups to learn how to improve your culture, contact Baird today.
Tags: COVID-19, grit, perseverance
