Think about your own work experiences. Imagine a boss standing over you (literally or figuratively), tapping their foot impatiently (again, literally or figuratively), almost daring you to make a mistake with whatever you are doing or delivering. Or, a cranky customer complaining about “service” - when clearly the issue is beyond the control of the “server.” How effective/productive have you been in those situations? Pressure affects different people in different ways - it motivates some, but intimidates most others.
I recently encountered an infusion nurse who was caught in an uncomfortable situation. She was doing her mandatory weekend shift (covering a rotation in our clinic), on loan from the solid tumor infusion center across the street. It was her first time in this facility, so though she knew full well all of the steps of the procedure, she wasn’t familiar with where some of the basic items were located that she needed to perform my prescribed regimen; which clearly rattled her. Rather than being overtly concerned, I gave her the latitude (and attitude) to compose herself and ultimately do her best work. I know enough about the nuts and bolts of my treatment process to be confident that my health or safety were never in danger. As a result of my “chill,” she was able to find the tools (and help) that were needed to accomplish the administration of my treatment prescription for the day.
Many times, over the course of this journey, I have been struck by the irony of being a patient, and taken that moniker to heart when a certain challenging moment required me to be patient. On these occasions, I have never felt that my care was being compromised, or that I was being too passive. Nor that being pushy was going to do anything to speed the process or improve the outcome.
Some may feel that in these situations I was being too passive about the problems - - - allowing myself to be a pushover and not complaining about the circumstances. I opted to apply the tact of being just patient enough to let her do her best work and achieve the results that were intended. That’s all any of us wanted, and I did what I could to help reach that goal. Just as I would have hoped for if I were standing in her Hokas.
