Eat THAT Cookie!: Make Workplace Positivity Pay Off...For Individuals, Teams, and Organizations

by Liz Jazwiec

For Bulk order inquiries, please contact huronpublishing@hcg.com American Journal of Nursing 2010 Book of the Year Award Winner! Make Workplace Positivity Pay Off ... For Individuals, Teams and Organizations Is it possible to create a positive workforce in negative times? Yes, it is, says speaker, strategist and consultant Liz Jazwiec, RN. But first you have to get real about how tough a job in healthcare really is. About the negative things you and your staff members do to make it even tougher. In her book, Eat THAT Cookie! How Workplace Positivity Pays Off...For Individuals, Teams and Organizations, Liz gets real about all that and more. In her darkly humorous, ever-so-slightly sarcastic style -after all she was an ER nurse - she builds a case for the powerful benefits of a positive workplace. ( better patient service, improved efficiencies and lower employee turnover all make the list.) Funny, inspiring and relatable, Eat THAT Cookie! is packed with realistic, down-to-earth tactics leaders can use right now to infuse positivity into their culture. Why hokeyness - in the form of giant smiley face cookies and no-negativity days - actually works. Readers will How to decree and enforce mandatory fun so that it s really, well, fun
Guidelines for doing celebrations the right way
Strategies for dealing with queens, poisoners, complainers and other problem people
How not to succumb to process paralysis
Why victim thinking is so destructive, and how to eliminate it from the organization
How to stop judging shoe-heel smashers, pants unzippers, and other irritating patients For the first 18 years of my career I used to say that if we could just get some decent patients I would love my work! says Liz. But the perfect clientele doesn t exist. And guess what? I can have a good day anyway. I ve found that happiness is a decision anywhere, any time, in any economy. Put the tips in Eat THAT Cookie! into practice, you ll be amazed by the rapid improvements you see in your organization - in terms of energy, focus, productivity and yes, happiness.

Genres: Nonfiction, Medical, Self Help

105 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Liz Jazwiec, R.N. is a nationally renowned speaker, strategist and author who has shared her passion for leadership, engagement and service with audiences across the country. Many describe Liz’s presentations as uplifting, motivational and fun. Her combination of content and anecdotes make her thoughts and ideas memorable, while her humor and enthusiasm hold the attention of your audience.

Reviews

[Dionne · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Being kind is not difficult. It doesn't require any money, any training, any real effort. You can start right away. The beauty of kindness is that it doesn't take the whole team. One person can truly make a difference."

I read this book for work and it was a delight. The author doesn't give you any earth shattering advice that you didn't already know, but it was exactly the kick in the pants I needed to change my attitude about work in general. It also helped me to see the "why" behind why companies and workplaces choose to do certain things. And as with most things, your life will be better by not only applying what she says to the workplace but also to your life as a whole.

[Nikki Forster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly thought this was going to be a very dry subject. The author put her sense of humor spin on this book and I even laughed out loud a few times. Great book to create a positive attitude!

[Crystal Reed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about staying positive in a negative environment.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after seeing Liz speak at a conference. Truly brilliant.

[Lauren Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Liz’s voice shine through with a (slightly twisted) sense of humor, and her stories display a big heart that shows that she, despite her begrudging beginning foray into workplace positivity, truly wants to impart her hard-earned lessons onto the reader the benefits of it.

[Cori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liz is a hilarious person. I've heard her speak through a virtual Studer conference. Given the hilarity that was her presentation, I had pretty high hopes for this book- I wasn't disappointed. There certainly wasn't anything new and life shattering in terms of material, but repetition and affirmation are always super helpful for leadership. This was a short book, entertaining and funny read, and the type of positivity we need in healthcare. I'd recommend.

I'd rate this book a PG.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic principles we could all easily follow to implement change and create a culture of positivity in the workplace....not just for leaders and the nursing population.

Relatable scenarios and honest storytelling from the author. I would highly recommend to my peers.

[Adrienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read this for work and it's not something I would normally read but there were some good tips in there. Even if you don't work in the medical field (like me) you can still pull some good things from it.

[Jheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sure it’s hokey but what leadership book isn’t? Definitely enjoyed it!

[Bray · Rating 2 out of 5]

sorry but i’m not buying this cookie, granted this book was written pre-covid, but now it’s utterly tone deaf. when a unit has appropriate staffing and resources, this book may be resourceful for boosting overall staff morale. however when you spend the majority of your shifts in critical staffing with high acuity patients, this only reinforces tone deaf administrators trying to bleed their staff dry. this is a bandaid on a cut to the femoral artery, just waiting to saturated and forced off. again, me leaving a negative review is counterintuitive to this book, but this book prohibits nurses advocating for their patients safety, their personal safety, and the safety of their license. i said what i said.

[Mark Jestel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jazwiec talks about how she was able to take her ER ward at a hospital from an 8% customer satisfaction rating to 96% within a year. I'll admit I was interested to see what she had to say. Maybe it was her sense of humor that set me off, but it just didn't come off as very genuine to me. There was some good advice here and there, but some of the advice came off sarcastic and wasn't as positive as I would have liked. It felt like she was advertising to put on a fake mask for her patients instead of caring and it just didn't sit well with me.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. "Change doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be better." Perfectionism can be a barrier to progress, focus on making things better than they currently are rather than the 'perfect' outcome.

2. Purpose over process: You can't be held back by a process that is in place if there is a better solution for a patient (or client).

3. Eliminate the victim mentality: The victim mentality was highlighted through its destructive nature and negative impact in the workplace. Instead, take accountability and identify where change can be made to improve the overall situation.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for people in organizations to use! It is aimed at health professionals, but it seemed applicable to other fields I've been in (education, social services, and the like.) The author gives lots of suggestions for ways in which leaders can improve the morale and happiness of employees everywhere! Recommended for everyone who works in an organization!

[Claire Floyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

She tells a good story and it’s very relatable. Ultimately it comes down to choosing to be happy, don’t feed negativity, and sometimes look for to the results and not always process, which is still a hard concept for me.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super easy read with lots of stories on how to promote a positive work environment.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, easy advice. Read for work while in a Mentorship program she is funny too and relatable!

[Aaron McKinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook for work. Got a good amount of helpful takeaways from this one, but the style of writing of trying way too hard to be quirky and funny and relatable makes it hard for me to get engaged or take it seriously. To be fair, this isn’t my kind of book in the first place and the audiobook voice is really annoying, so that’s working against it. Overall, it’s alright but nothing life-changing.

[Terrance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short read. If you have read any Studer, there is not a lot new here. Her stories make it interesting, but not a must read

[Halie Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her writing style. She takes a serious topic and makes it fun and interesting!

[Cori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because of the hype it received during a trauma conference I recently attended. People who read it told me it was REALLY a good book. A great deal of it was just common sense and decency. The principles taught are Biblical, so it isn't shocking that they actually "work". I was disappointed overall.

The only benefit in this book is the friendly reminder to stay positive when dealing with the "same old patient" scenarios. By that I mean staying positive when you have a drunk-driver trauma patient demanding things as if he is entitled, when you have a women come in to give birth to a crack baby when she had a stillbirth the year prior for the same thing, or when you have a patient come in for diabetic ketoacidosis for the third time in two and one-half months. Nurses' jobs can be frustrating because they deal with people and people are imperfect, just like nurses are imperfect. If nurses would read the Bible and apply the principles therein, they wouldn't need this book. 'Don't be judgmental to your coworkers or your patients AND be kind-hearted to all' is really the summary of the book and it could have been stated more clearly.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a light read with lots of good points about affecting change in your office.

[N. Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book basically boils down to "make sure you have a good attitude in the workplace". Had I not been required to read it for my job, I would not have finished it.

The main thing that bothers me is the author's choice of words, which is extremely casual, and her overuse of exclamation points! (And parentheses.) Perhaps it would have worked as a speech--the author even mentions that she's a public speaker--but it does not work as a book. The humor often falls flat. The example stories range from tedious to mildly interesting. Most importantly, the advice she gives is only backed up with anecdotes from her own job, not with any kind of studies. Yes, I know that most of the advice is common sense... but a little bit of concrete evidence to support it would be nice.

On the bright side, it's a very fast read at 100 pages. And I did find one or two pieces of useful advice scattered throughout, which means the hour I spent reading this wasn't a complete waste.

[Robin Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was given to me at work a few months back, so I thought I should go ahead and read it. I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it is a short book, so what the heck. I actually enjoyed it. A few quotes from the book: "Being kind is not difficult. It doesn't require any money, any training, any real effort. You can start right away. The beauty of kindness is that it doesn't take the whole team. One person can truly make a difference." and "We can all make the decision to be happy - to like our work, appreciate our coworkers, and relish the day. When we do so,we are also doing our part to make our workplaces as positive as possible." The author makes it sound easy. And the little things really do count.

[Darlene Jepsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off, I did not finish reading this book. Why is mostly because I got the part talking about how women enjoy process while men enjoy results. Which in my short life, I have learned is not entirely true. But, the beginning was good and it was great about how she discuss how healthcare in America is treated. Anyways,
I'm going to read a book I have been wanting to for a while.

[Destiny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this as part of our annual workplace training. It's a good reminder that workplace positivity doesn't have to be rocket science. simple things make quite a difference when everyone is on board with the philosophy.

The authors is known for being a great speaker, and I'd believe it. Reading her thoughts in this EXTREMELY narrative was a bit off-putting to me, however.

[Janell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just another of those books that try to make the work place positive. Not anything new at all same theory just another writer.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has a lot of good ideas and would apply to one's job.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as books for work go this one actually wasn't bad. The stories were entertaining. And of course it has great motivational messages.

[Becky Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the "get-over-yourself" attitude.

[WPeggs]

meh