Why are some people in this industry so mean?
Can't we all just get along? In an industry that is supposed to be the most caring and seen to be so passionate about helping others, can actually be the most suppressing, political, and greedy. Oh, yes, I went there and I know a lot of you would agree.
Of Course, not everyone falls into this boat and I know A LOT of people and companies who I highly respect, but there are people and organizations that pollute our industries reputation and create barriers for growth which leads me to wonder, why we are turning an eye upon this unproductive behavior.
People in need may not be getting access to or quality of care they need, workers in the industry can become stagnate and negative, and tax dollar money can and has been wasted. If this article triggers you in any way, then you may need to do some soul searching and ask yourself why me making awareness about ending suppression in our industry is bothering you and let's talk about it because my inquiring mind wants to know.
It's fair to point out, there are indeed people and companies who get involved for the wrong reasons and those people should be weeded out, but what I am referring to are those people who are trying their best to make an honest effort to help others because they truly care and it doesn't take rocket science to figure out the difference.
Whether you realize it or not, people in this industry already know who the suppressors are. It is no secret unless you are new, but can quickly be identified as time goes on from their behaviors. They react upon desperation, fear, and their energy seems grey. Yes, if you are a suppressor, you have visible characteristics that are identifiable to others, you are not hiding anything and sometimes we know, you do not care. A non-suppressor shows positive caring energy and has obvious signs of compassion, mentorship, and a history of being an ethical person. I truly believe most people started in the industry because of their passions, but somehow evolved into corruption out of fear from their own insecurities.
I came into this industry 4 years ago and entered in from an outside perspective and there is indeed a long journey ahead to weed out the suppressors. Our culture needs to make a shift to be an industry that promotes workers to flourish with their creativity and passions and not continue to be suppressed by a suppressor’s fear of competition or lack of their own skill sets. Kumbaya.
So, if you are a suppressor, you may have already judged me in the last paragraph about me being in the industry for 4 years. “Who am I to talk? She hasn’t been around so long, let's criticize her and her ideas, she just has an MBA, whom does she know?” I find this so funny because I have heard it all and seen many many others experience this same exact thing, the only difference is I am publicly writing about it now. I find this behavior so ridiculous and would never fly in other industries who are seeking high productivity, why is it flying in this one?
My response and everyone else’s response should be, “Who are you to judge, belittle, and suppress?” Just like many others in the industry, you do not know where their life has been to get them where they are or how much better they are than what they were before. You do not know their lived experience they overcame to survive. Who are you to judge? People do not owe you an explanation and they do not need your negativity. If they do not want to tell you their struggles, then that should be okay. The point is, they are present and willing to put their time and money into helping better lives for those people in need. To fix issues, you must be aware and acknowledge the issues first. I want this issue fixed for our workers and our people in need who depend on us.
Suppression negatively impacts the motivation of the true hard workers, who in all fairness, have their case’s and patient’s best interests in mind. My heart goes out to ya’ll! They are the ones who are taking calls at night, putting their safety in danger, and they are the ones who are traumatized from cases that are so horrible it’s hard for the regular person to even imagine. Who are you to judge them……
It’s fair to state, not every worker has the skill set to do certain things, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be mentored and it certainly doesn’t mean they need to be suppressed. Also, there are workers who are unethical, but I know more who are ethical than not and those are the ones we need to create an environment they can flourish in.
When someone has a new approach or idea, there is a way to communicate in a flourishing type manner instead of a negative judgmental, suppressing manner. We have so many passionate people wanting to help, the last thing we need to do it bully them, suppress their ideas or do unethical approaches out of insecurity. It leads me to wonder if our industry has been conditioned negatively with suppression, loss of hope, and has created a conscious and subconscious virus of bitterness and anger in some people.
No one should feel like he or she has the power to validate someone else’s desire to help others. Suppressing people’s passions and creativity is the wrong approach. We all need to begin a culture shift to guide, mentor, help, and work together to rise together.
In this industry, we have the most responsibility to help people in need, the more suppression and politics are present, the more those people who need us can be negatively affected. Instead of putting people’s needs at the top of the priority list, people are putting their own insecurity as a priority. This is a backward approach. We have our own stigma seen in our social service industry with suppressing others, bullying others, and it needs to stop.
Change is good, people are different. Let’s start being kind to others. You don’t know their life background or experience that brought them into the industry, don’t judge them, encourage them, and help guide them. Help them flourish and be positive.
If you are too concerned about someone being a competition to you or taking your market share, learn how to make yourself or your program better by being more efficient and creative inside your own organization. Don’t suppress people, don’t crush their morals, work on your own outcomes and skill set. That is how it should be. Instead of suppressing out of fear, produce a great product and service to gain your security. I promise, anyone working for or with me will be able to flourish and never be suppressed, I hope you can say the same for yourself and your own organization.
Till Next Time,
Mel K TennTalk.org