05/28/2026
In skilled nursing, it is easy to measure success by discharge dates and functional scores. But anyone who has worked a shift in this field knows that the real wins often look different.
It is the resident who takes three steps when yesterday they could not take one. The patient who swallows safely for the first time in weeks. The moment someone says their own name clearly after days of struggling to find words. The wound that is finally turning a corner.
Research supports what we already know intuitively. Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer found that even seemingly minor steps forward can reveal what they called the Progress Principle — that of all the events that occur at work, the one having the most prominent positive effect on emotions, perceptions, and motivation is simply making progress in meaningful work.
In skilled nursing, we live this every single day.
To every therapist charting late, every nurse adjusting a care plan at midnight, every CNA holding a hand through a hard moment — the small wins you are creating are not small to the person receiving them. And they are not small to the team around you either.
Keep going. It matters more than the data will ever fully capture.
📖 Read more: https://progressprinciple.com/progress-principle/
Filled with honest, real-life stories, compelling insights, and practical advice, The Progress Principle equips aspiring and seasoned leaders alike with the guidance they need to optimize people’s performance and well-being at work.
