A520.5.3.RB_WolfordElvira
Yukl, Gary (2012) described recognizing as encompassing giving compliments whenever necessary and showing gratitudes to others or your followers for excellent performance and significant contributions to the organization. The primary focus of recognizing is to strengthen behaviors that are desirable and a commitment to excellence in the attainment of task objectives (Yukl, 2012, p. 72). Recognizing our employees for excellent performance is one way of demonstrating respect to our workforce. Whenever our workforce feels valued and respected, it provides them the motivation to perform at the highest level with greater attention to protocol and etiquette in the workplace.
For me, when someone recognizes the full force effort that I put into anything I do, that recognition is an excellent motivational force. At work, I feel valued when my direct supervisor or colleagues give me praise for a job well done. At school, I am motivated to study harder when my instructor assesses my work as well written and meaningful. Lastly, at home, I felt loved and accomplished when my husband does not let me sleep nor leave home without expressing his appreciation and love for the things that I have accomplished and for the things that I want to achieve. They are all letting me know, indirectly, that I am embodying a beautiful, meaningful work.
According to Pink, Dan (2009), science knows that there are three building blocks in the new business operation systems of today. They are a) Autonomy - the urge to direct their lives, b) Mastery – the desire to get better at something that matters, and c) Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service that is larger than ourselves. In my line of work as a Human Resources Professional in the Health Care Industry, I have been given the autonomy to make decision(s) on strategic ways to accomplish my task(s) and resolve employee relation issues while performing my responsibilities at work, in my community, and at home. I am given the flexibility to come in late in able to attend to my duties for the Volusia/Flagler Society for Human Resources Management as the Vice President for Finance, as well as, attend to personal commitments such as medical appointment(s).
When I joined a University here in Daytona Beach, Florida back in 2007, I woke up every day excited to start my day assisting our students, faculty, and staff finding answers to their questions and resolutions to their needs. My position as Office Manager for Student Resource Center and Female Residential Life Ombudsperson gave me opportunities to assist our students in such things as finding tutors and resource lab schedules, as well as coordinate their residential housing needs, and resolve any housing issues and conflicts. I was reporting directly to the Vice President of Student Affairs, and we had a shared a purpose of assisting our students to graduate through their matriculation. Attending to the needs of the University students was our number one focus.
In 2010, the position of Benefits Manager in Human Resources Management at the University opened. My background in Human Resources Management gave me the confidence to approach our Chief Finance Officer to ask for a chance to join the team. The Directory of HR reported directly to him and was a former Assistant VP for Student Affairs, and she was very familiar with my dedication, work ethic, and passion for assisting anyone in need who comes into my office. To make a long story short, when the Director of HR was released from her position due to reasons that only the University President and Cabinet members knew, I was promoted to the Assistant Director of Human Resources Management and lead the team, reporting to the VP of HRM/University Legal Counsel. It was during this time, our CFO passed away, and an era of upheaval at the University had begun as the VP of Student Affairs, my former supervisor, was also on his way out.
I was very open with the VP about my aspirations to lead the HRM department of the University. I was astounded with his last words to me before he left. He said that the Executive Team would never give me the position of Director of HRM due to the color of my skin. The months had passed, and I was very passionate and determined to prove him wrong. I worked harder, always being the first person to come to work and the last person to leave the office. I assessed and negotiated the University’s benefits program to make it more affordable and fit our employees’ needs.
In the last quarter of 2013, I realized that the VP’s last words to me were embedded in my mind and heart. I was beginning to observe that the VP of HRM never had my back. I was performing her work i.e. creating reports, attending Cabinet meetings, representing the University in Court proceedings, etc. While she would retract the decision(s), I made, making the rest of the staff confused and conflicted about who to follow. My morale and values were at all-time low, and I started to detest going to work. At that moment, I made the decision that it was time to go. Giving the University my heart and soul were not worth it because the relationship was supposed to be a two-way street. My passion for working for the University to assist students, faculty, staff, and stakeholders was gone, and the financial reward for being employed with the organization seemed insignificance.
Three weeks after leaving the University, I received a call informing me of an open position in the human resources department at one of the hospitals in Daytona Beach, Florida. Emotionally, I was not ready to re-join the workforce, but I have always had this longing to join the hospital’s workforce one day. The position being offered was temporary and would be filled quickly, so I decided to accept the offer immediately. I can leave anytime I want when the culture, mission, and the team’s goal do not align with my own.
Joining the Human Resources Management team of Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center restored my passion for my chosen profession and my sense of self-value. My decision to leave the University opened the door for me to find the organization whose mission and vision aligns with my own. Two years have passed, and I am still with the team as the Senior HR Manager for FH HealtCare Partners. I go to work driven by the pride and passion that accompanies knowing that I am one of the essential elements in retaining health care providers that provide excellent services to our patients and the community. My colleagues tell me that I bring in a ray of sunshine every day at work and this sort of recognition is very motivational.
Reflecting on my passion for extending the healing ministries of Christ reminded me of Stipe Miocic, the reigning UFC Heavyweight Champion of the World. Miocic is a world champion, who is financially stable but he has never stopped volunteering as a firefighter in his hometown, Cleveland, Ohio. It is his passion to serve and volunteer as a firefighter that I believe makes him an excellent person and the real world champion. Finding the true meaning of my work is what motivates and empowers me to perform with excellence and gain personal fulfillment.
References:
Ariely, Dan (2013). What makes us feel good about our work? Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aH2Ppjpcho
Pink, Dan (2009). The Puzzle of Motivation. Retrieved from:
Yukl, Gary (2012), Leadership in the Organization (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice
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