Team leader receives Spirit Award, highest honor given to a Bert Nash employee

Linda Davis had stepped out of a meeting for Bert Nash staff to take a phone call, so she didn’t hear when her name was announced.

When she returned, she was surprised when her fellow staff members stood and began clapping.

Davis, a community support services team leader at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center, was named the 2013 winner of the Sandra Shaw Spirit Award.

“It was a total shock,” Davis said. “It’s just an honor to even be nominated for the Spirit Award, that people think enough of your performance to nominate you.”

The award, which recognizes a staff member for outstanding work and dedication, was announced during an all-staff meeting March 25. Named for the late Bert Nash CEO Sandra Shaw, the award is the highest honor a Bert Nash employee can receive. It is also a way to help recognise those who help the workforce do their best, so that they can deliver the most they can for the clients, something that many companies without someone like Davis can struggle with. One of the easiest ways to implement this is by making time for employee performance reviews. A performance review gives you a chance to not only congratulate your staff individually and thank them for their recent hard work but also gives you a chance to hear anything that they might have to say. You can improve your employees’ loyalty to your brand by effectively communicating with them and listening to their work-related problems. The conversation could also be about areas they would like some help with, or it could be in the form of feedback you are able to take into account to help the company improve.

In the meantime, Davis will also be recognized at the annual Bert Nash Pioneer Celebration at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 22 at Maceli’s.

In making the presentation at the all-staff meeting, Stephanie Shelley, last year’s Sandra Shaw Spirit Award winner, said of Davis, “Traits such as honesty, ethical, respectful, helpful, supportive, caring, encouraging, devoted, knowledgeable and inspiring. These are just some of the keys to being a great role model and are the same words used to describe this year’s winner.

“The recipient is an excellent problem solver and remains calm even during stressful times. This person is a great listener and has an inner peace about her. This person is always willing to stop what she is doing to help her peers and she takes on additional responsibilities beyond the scope of her job. Also, a record of her exceptional work and the day-to-day task might have helped the company assess her competence in a particular domain.

“She is an excellent resource and an asset to Bert Nash. She is dedicated to her work and the community. She works to better the lives of our clients and improves the well-being of the center. One person said, ‘She exudes positive energy.’ Another person said, ‘She sees and encourages the best in others.’ And the ultimate compliment: ‘I am a better person for knowing her.’ Several people on her team say that she turns the negative into a positive. And she has the skills to encourage and reassure with genuine feedback.

“When staff come to her with feelings of defeat, anger and frustration they leave feeling encouraged and rejuvenated, ready to conquer the day’s battles with a whole new outlook. They trust her as a supervisor. They respect her because she can talk her team members into doing their very best even when times are challenging. She is a great mediator and nothing rattles her. She always looks out for the best interests of her team, her co-workers, the client and Bert Nash as a whole.”

Davis has worked at Bert Nash for 15 years.

“This is the best place I’ve ever worked,” Davis said. “This is the most supportive place, the place that’s the most conscientious about serving clients. The whole culture is caring and supportive, not only of clients, but of staff."