Good Humans Doing Good Things in our Industry: Donna Check 

Speaking with: Donna Check, Founder and Managing Partner at Donna Check Consulting, LLC 

How do we become the way we are in this life? 

In this industry? 

What shapes you? 

We speak so much about being good humans – do you ever wonder how you got there or what shapes you to be that way? 

Can we learn how to be that way or was it already in us? 

“We change the world a little each day with our kindness.” -- Tom Giaquinto 

We have so many people in our life that we surround ourselves with and experiences we have been through that are contributing factors to the person we are. Do you ever wonder how you got to be empathetic, compassionate, kind and loving? 

This week I had the opportunity to speak with one of our industry’s most amazing, good humans, Donna Check, Donna Check Consulting. She is a good human who has always done good things in the industry.  

Donna has been doing work in our industry for over 30 years, spending the majority of her career working with patients with brain injuries, and opening a rehabilitation center. She’s always been an advocate for the patient and always being a good human by putting herself in positions to learn more – so she can do good for the person it matters the most – the person who is injured.   

Every time I think about good humans, it’s about the goodness they bring to all aspects of the industry. We can learn from each other. We can evolve and grow. We are good humans that are evolving.  

Donna shared what shaped her into being a good human, what she learned in the industry on taking care of people, seeing the vulnerability of injured employees, how empathy plays a role in what we do and having compassion for others.  

“Any good human is constantly evolving, right? We would hope.” -- Ego Nwodim 
 

What Shapes You? 

Everything we have been through in our lives and who we have been surrounded by makes a huge difference. Growing up, Donna didn’t have much – two outfits to wear all year, repurposed clothes her mother would iron and make look like new – but what she did have was love – surrounded by parents that loved her so much and two grandmas who gave her tough and tender love. And what it built was resilience and adversity at such a young age.  

Years later, not knowing she would be in the industry, she carried that love with her to the people she worked with and people she helped. Innately, she had a pull to take care of people.  

Surrounded by support and love, which made all the difference in her adult life. Even the experiences – the good ones and the challenging ones – all of that shaped her.  

Think about who you surround yourself with and the impact that has on you. Who we surround ourselves with at every stage of our lives is important and can help shape who you are.  

What did you have growing up that made an impact on you? Tapping back into that place, may help us resonate with the good human we all have in us.  

Small Improvements make a Big Impact – Be willing to help others and have patience 

“Great acts are made up of small deeds.” -- Lao Tzu 

Donna spent years working with brain injury patients and so often the doctors and families were quick to dismiss the small improvements the patient would make. Donna saw the improvements by giving them time. Think about a doctor coming in and out of a patients room but not staying long enough to see them make a small move. Donna always showed kindness, empathy and patience. Doing little things to make a difference. Donna did everything she could for her patients.  

Small improvements make a big impact for someone that’s injured that way.  

Additionally, think about the small improvements we can make in this industry that will make the big impact. Having the patience around people that are injured and giving them that grace they need to make the small steps will soften us up.  

It’s in all us to help people. Donna thought back to her childhood when she took care of family members, like it was second nature to her. Caring for the people that cared so much about her.   

Think about the injured employee – needing the patience. Getting a first call from an adjuster wanting a kind voice to speak to them and have the patience during a hard time.  

See the Vulnerability in People with Injuries 

We are in an industry that each day a human being is getting hurt. Multiple humans a day. Triple… it keeps going. How many injuries do we have each day? 

On average, over 12,000 workers are injured on the job each day in the U.S. This translates to an estimated injury occurring every 7 seconds. Bureau of Labor Statistics 

Imagine. 12,000 people each day have an event that will change their life in some way. Each one of them becomes vulnerable. Do we choose to see it?  

As Donna and I spoke, she stressed to “see the vulnerability” – this is a perspective we need to adopt in our industry. It’s not easy for any human to be vulnerable or in that situation. If we are kind and soften up when we take care of people, we help them to be vulnerable about themselves and helps us to help them even better.  

Think about this when you first get a workers’ comp claim in – who is the person who got hurt. What are they losing and hear the vulnerability in their voice. Be able to see the vulnerability. 

Be a good human and see how they respond.  

“Kindness trumps everything. Kind people are magnets for all of the good things in life.” -- Tom Giaquinto 

Honor the Compassionate and Integrity in You 

As we ended our conversation, it was a good reminder of the compassion we have in ourselves. Tapping back into the integrity we have - being true to your values.  

Honor the compassion and integrity in you. Remember we are dealing with human beings in a difficult time. We are the ones who can help shape another human with our actions. We are the ones who have the ability to see the vulnerability. We are the ones who can do small things to make a big impact.  

“The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others.” -- Albert Schweitzer 

To all the good humans out there – keep doing what you do. Staying true to you and making a difference for our injured employees.   

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