Leading in Healthcare: The Importance of Recognition

In her monthly leadership series, Dr. Barbara Schmidtman—vice president of cancer health operations at Corewell Health West—offers her perspective on addressing workforce-related issues through effective leadership practices. Find all her posts in this blog series on the ACCC website.

I was recently contacted by someone who was part of my team and who I led years ago. They contacted me to express their deep appreciation for my leadership and support of them while we worked together. This team member used to be in a patient facing role, and, through the time I led them, they had gone back to school and expanded their scope of responsibilities. This is someone who I believed possessed and still has extraordinary talent and a commitment to continued growth.

When people contact me out of the blue like this, not only does it feel like a breath of fresh air to hear from them, but it’s refreshing to hear how they’ve been since moving on in their career. This individual reached out to share how things were going in their life and to thank me for my leadership and guidance when we worked together. They went on to describe how after they had transitioned to a new job, they realized the value of having a good leader. They then described their career journey, having leaders who were micromanagers, who lacked compassion, who weren’t empathetic to things that were affecting their team both inside and outside of work, and, overall, who just didn’t measure up to being a good leader.
While we were talking, they shared many other details about their life, and this reconnection got me thinking about recognition. Recognizing and thanking others for their leadership and impact on us, while also recognizing in ourselves the differences we can make in others.

Boosting Team Morale

We all know that recognition is an important aspect of our work and personal lives. When someone does something good for us or goes above and beyond to help someone else, thanking them and recognizing their contribution is vital, especially for employee engagement and satisfaction in their work. Harrison identifies recognition as the act of seeing and then recognizing someone for their work. Furthermore, meaningful recognition contributes to achieving organizational goals and objectives.
There are different ways that my teams at Spectrum Health West Michigan in Grand Rapids recognize each other, including how I try to recognize them. Some are simple—a quick thank you card or email to recognize a job well done or something more extraordinary like a surprise meeting that ends up opening the recognition in front of their peers. Other teams open every meeting with some sort of appreciation or story of gratitude for others. I also know teams that have fun recognition jars that they decorate with funny eyes or glitter and use to recognize their team members. Regardless of your big or small recognition practices, showing your gratitude for and acknowledging the unique talents that each one of us brings to the table is so important to drive engagement, job satisfaction, and, ultimately, foster the best environment for our patients.

The Importance of Self-Recognition

But recognition is so much more than acknowledging what others do and the work they contribute to their team or organization. Recognition should also be internal—a part of our own self-recognition. When I say self-recognition, I don’t mean patting ourselves on the back all the time and telling ourselves things like, “Wow, I am amazing.” Rather, this idea is all about recognizing what our strengths and weaknesses are.
When I heard from my old team member about how terrible their experiences have been under the management at their job, it made me sad to know that a leader out there is managing their team as if they are not people. Those of us who have the privilege of leading should always be able to reflect on and/or recognize the contribution each member of our team brings to the table.
For those who are in leadership positions and can’t see these talents in others, while intentionally trying to bring staff morale down, you should reflect on your role and why you want to be a leader. I believe that leadership should not be a self-fulfilling role; it should always be about making the world and lives of those we lead better.
Barbara Schmidtman, PhD, has worked in healthcare for more than 20 years in a variety of professional and clinical roles. Currently, she is the executive director of cancer health at Spectrum Health West Michigan in Grand Rapids. Dr. Schmidtman is the ACCC Workforce Subcommittee Chair, a subgroup of the association's Governmental Affairs Committee. Dr. Schmidtman earned her Doctor of Philosophy in business administration from Northcentral University, where she specialized in industrial organizational psychology. Dr. Schmidtman’s doctoral studies focused on physician behaviors and how demonstrated physician leadership affects individuals and teams—either positively or negatively. Dr. Schmidtman has a passion for speaking locally and nationally on leadership styles and approaches.