Values as Verbs
Para visualizar o pôster desta semana em português, clique aqui: Semana 7: Valores Não São Cartazes — São Escolhas
This week is about the transition from inspiration to action.
We often see "values" displayed on the walls of our workplaces—words like Dignity, Compassion, Respect, and Safety. However, values that remain on a poster are just decorations. To have real meaning, values must be treated as verbs rather than nouns. They are the active choices we make, especially when those choices create "friction" or require us to go against the grain of convenience.
In healthcare and leadership, we are often tested not when things are going well, but when the system is under pressure. It is easy to value "Compassion" when we have plenty of time; it is a true value only when we choose it while we are running late. As the experiment suggests, if a value never creates friction, it’s likely just a preference. True values have a cost, but they also serve as a shield—preventing burnout, moral injury, and the erosion of our professional identity.
Sustainable practice requires us to bridge the gap between what we say we care about and what we actually do. By choosing one value and making it visible through a single act, we reclaim our agency within the system.
One Value, One Visible Act, One Reflection
- To begin turning your values into lived choices, try this practice:
- Choose a Value: At the start of your shift or day, pick one core principle (e.g., Respect).
- Make it Visible: Find one small, concrete way to demonstrate that value in under 3 minutes. It might be a kind word to a colleague or a private moment of reassurance for a patient.
- End of Day Reflection: Ask yourself two questions: What did it cost me? and What did it prevent?
- The Check-in: Look at what you protect when protecting it is inconvenient. That is where your true values live.
Resumo em Português
Para os colegas que utilizam a versão em português, o cartaz intitulado "Valores Não São Cartazes — São Escolhas" foca na transformação da teoria em prática através de um experimento diário simples.
A mensagem principal é que os valores são "verbos disfarçados de substantivos". Se um valor nunca cria atrito ou exige um esforço extra, ele é apenas uma preferência. Este experimento faz parte da iniciativa "52 Experimentos para se Tornar um Ser Humano Melhor na Saúde", incentivando uma cultura de cuidado onde nossas escolhas diárias refletem nossa humanidade, mesmo quando o sistema torna isso difícil.
The audio of this segement of Dr Sarah On Call.