It seems that depending on which way the wind is blowing, days at work can either be good or bad. Sometimes I walk in to smiles, sometimes even flowers (yes!). Everyone is laughing and joking. People stop as they walk past to tell me a funny story, they might even ask me something about my weekend.

Then the next day…

I walk in. Everyone’s looking at the floor. I get a nod if I’m lucky. No offers of a cup of coffee, that’s for sure. It feels like everything has turned to ice. I accept it and say to myself, “Oh… it’s just one of those days. I must have done ‘something’. They obviously don’t like me today.”

That’s how my job goes. If I provide a free buffet one day, I get a score of 10/10. If I send an email regarding a complaint or ask everyone to “please be nice to patients”, I get a 0.

So, with the pressure of knowing that ‘employees leave managers, not companies’, how do we cope with this stress and the weight on us as individuals?

It’s hard! We’re that well-known swan that glides along serenely on the lake while fiercely paddling below the surface – but it seems the wind’s against us too! We need to manage our practices without anyone recognising the huge effort we’re making, with a smile on our faces, not daring to complain because we’re the person who has to keep everyone else happy.

Exhausted just reading this, huh?!

Well, here’s something – we aren’t swans, we’re humans! It can’t be solely our responsibility to ensure that people don’t leave the practice; it’s a whole-team effort! We simply have to stop thinking that we’re responsible for everyone and everything.

We’re a team! Sometimes we really do need to remind ourselves of this. Even in my younger days, when I wasn’t a manager, I knew at the tender age of 18 that I was also partly responsible for the atmosphere at work. As a secretary, a purchase-ledger clerk, a receptionist, I knew that I could affect the atmosphere in my workplace. I knew that what I contributed to the team helped to make that team. After all, everyone plays a part in making a practice a pleasant place to be.

I know we all work with a ‘moaning Mary’ or a ‘groaning Greg’ and no matter what we do, nothing will ever be good enough for them. But, ultimately, we’re not responsible for how they behave. They are!

So, when you’re trying to run your ship, remember you’re only one person. Yes, you are the manager, and I believe we should lead by example, but none of us are miracle workers.

What’s more, don’t tell anyone, but if certain employees of mine left because they didn’t like me, I’d take it as a compliment and throw a party!

PM Polly