Last Week Reflection

On my last day of work I walked off the elevator and in the 9th floor a smile on my face. The space was familiar and I greeted receptionists and administrators with smiles and waves. There is something so amazing about how different this morning felt from my first morning at the hospital. My level of comfort and the relationships I formed with co-workers changed the way I worked. Feeling more comfortable and confident made me a better worker. That is when it dawned on me that there was a leadership lesson to be taken from all of this.

It had taken me around 8 weeks to feel this level of comfort. This level of comfort made me a far better worker for the organization. I realized that if that can be developed early in staff and interns than an organization can get faster results. My boss while kind did not take the time to make us feel comfortable or settled in the hospital. As interns we were constantly on edge with little direction or understanding but a lot of work to do nonetheless. I loved my time working and the lack of direction was sometimes great because it helped me to learn and develop. It did not however foster comfort in me and left me working with less productivity and confidence.

Perhaps when it comes to Leader/Follower relationships leaders should be tasked with establishing a level of comfort with their followers. That is not to say that there should be too much comfort in a workspace to the point where employees slack. I only mean that it would have been helpful had our boss introduced us to other administrators on the floor and showed us where things were. Having a base level of comfort might have helped me be a better intern.