4830+Gung+Ho!

West //Gung Ho! Turn on the people in any organization//  The information within this book is important to nurses because nurses must be able to motivate co-workers to work toward common goals regardless of what level their job is in their given organization. The emphasis is taken off being task oriented and placed upon becoming goal oriented but doing so in a healthy and satisfying environment. The //spirit of the squirrel// is (in a nutshell) having worthwhile work. This metaphor encompasses workers realizing that their contributions benefit the world, that goals are to be accomplished through teamwork, and that values must be the basis of any plan, decision or action. Co-worker must realize what they do for patients, their families, co-workers and the company is of great importance in order to take pride in their work. How could the nurse leader/manager motivate someone who feels there is little meaning in what they do? Also, the nurse leader/manager must exhibit his/her own values in his/her interactions. He/she must be truthful when speaking. The //way of the beaver// expresses that the individual is in control of achieving the goal. It includes knowing your territory, valuing people and disseminating information and allowing able workers to reach higher. It is important to know your co-workers’ abilities and to be able to delegate efficiently. Equally important for the nurse leader/manager is to allow employees to set goals which they will be responsible for. The //gift of the goose// relays the importance of uplifting one another. TRUE (timely, responsive, unconditional, enthusiastic) congratulations, supporting others throughout the process of achievement and being an enthusiastic team player all are part of //the gift of the goose//. The nurse leader/manager must be active in and allow others to enthusiastically uplift one another. When team members are given praise for efforts well done it only gives them courage to continue on. If one member in a nurse leader/manager’s department is feeling low or unmotivated it can effect the morale and achievement of others on the team. By involving everyone on the team and using these three concepts nurse leader/managers just might soften the blow of our current nursing shortage. The team could collaborate on goals for better time management, eliminating redundancy, reassigning work according to abilities and looking forward to new and innovative ideas in patient care.  The writer fortunately already knew some about “the power of a team”. Teamwork is drilled into military personnel from the time of enlistment until the time of discharge. One concept this writer needs to make use of are opening the eyes of her co-workers to the fact their work is important in so many ways. In our monthly team meetings we always talk about the progress or decline of patients and the interventions to be used with patients. We have not, in the past, spoken of each member setting goals for the group and each person being in control of his or her achievements. We have for years cheered each other on. The restorative department for which I work is more like a family than co-workers. This writer has been very blessed to work with the same team of individuals for over three years now. The writer hopes to instill the concepts in this book into our department but not just in our department because there truly are too many co-workers whose //spirits die at the office door//. Gung Ho!