I was first introduced to Aretha Franklin while listening to the motion picture soundtrack for the 1980s hit, The Big Chill. That led me to explore more of her music and it was the powerful vocals in her signature song, Respect, that really seduced me.
Originally, a minor hit by Otis Reading, Aretha Franklin’s new arrangement of Respect brought the song to the top spot on Billboard’s Pop Charts for 2 weeks during the summer of 1967. The Queen of Soul revamped the song with not only her voice, but by slightly expanding upon the original lyrics with additions such as “TCB” (slang for “taking care of business”) and “all I’m askin’ in return, honey, is to give me my propers….”
As her popularity and influence grew, so did the clever use of one of those words she placed into her version of the song – propers. Propers was a term popularized in the 1960s meaning “due respect”, and over time has evolved into the more modern “props”. According to Grammarist, “to give someone props is to pay respect, with newfound appreciation, or with implicit acknowledgement that the respect is long overdue.”
For the past 5 years, Net Health has been hosting a monthly All-Team video conference as a way to stay connected with one another. We gather as a community to learn about our overall performance, the impact we’ve had on our clients and their patients, and an expanded section presented by a featured Net Health department. Although the topics change monthly, the one thing that remains constant is how we start every single session. We kickoff each call with something we’ve affectionately entitled “props and daps”. We intentionally set aside a few minutes each month to publicly share stories featuring teammates that have been observed demonstrating Net Health’s values (Life, Innovation, Experiences, and Professionalism), and ensure that they get their deserved “props and daps”. It’s an important opportunity to recognize these individuals putting in the extra work to help a customer, coworker, or neighbor. It’s a moment to share the large triumphs and small victories that employees may think go unnoticed each month, and it’s an honor of mine to make sure that they are recognized.
Inspired by the lines the Queen of Soul sang more than 50 years ago, we are taking care of business and doing our part to give our team their propers.
Patrick Colletti is Net Health’s President/COO and a board director. Read his other articles here.