Leadership of Mind, Body, & Spirit

I’ve been an avid Friends fan since I was a kid and would watch it with my mother every Thursday night. In 1998, season 5 episode 4 aired titled, The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS. The episode surrounds Phoebe trying to find a good deed that is not a selfish good deed and brings her nothing in return. Phoebe decides to donate money to PBS, a television program that she hates in order to prove to Joey that there are unselfish good deeds because she’s donating to a program she hates but will bring joy to others. As soon as Phoebe makes the donation, her best friend Joey who is answering phones, is brought on live television for accepting their milestone donation. Phoebe then feels immense happiness that her donation got Joey recognition and realizes that now her good deed is giving her something in return, happiness. I think of this as I think of my vocation of advocacy and is it okay to feel so passionate about something that brings me so much joy. I know that sounds weird, but social work is a very selfless job, and with a burnout rate so high, it’s hard to find the joy in the work. So, is it fair that I have a vocation that seems like doing a good deed for others, but also reaping the good from it? I’m brought back to a quote in Start with Why. Sinek writes, “passion comes from feeling like you are a part of something that you believe in, something bigger than yourself” (Sinek, 2019, p. 111). And this brings me back to the earth in that it’s okay that I’ve found a vocation and a passion and it’s even better that it does bring me so much joy. It just so happens that advocacy is my vocation, my passion, my strength and one of my core values. ​

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Equity and inclusion is another one of my core values as it ties to my why of raising awareness of inequities and inequalities. Not only raising awareness but working towards systemic change within the homeless service system. We have funding, we have staff, but why are the numbers of individuals experiencing homelessness increasing? Why is the length of homelessness getting longer? Why are the exits to permanent housing decreasing? We are failing somewhere and I am determined and driven to find a better way. The number of black people experiencing homeless is alarming. 27% of individuals in Cedar Rapids experiencing homelessness last year were black, but only 6% of the population are black. Why? I mean, we know why, the systems in place put black people at higher risk of poverty than white people, which can and will typically lead to homelessness. How do we change our systems to ensure the safety of our black neighbors? I am determined to find solutions in my community and use my voice to advocate for those solutions to make lasting change.

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I also believe that awareness is a core value of mine. Awareness in all aspects, self-awareness, awareness of my staff, awareness of culture, awareness of systems, awareness of those I serve. Showry and Manasa write on page 16 in their 2014 article Self Awareness, Key to Effective Leadership, “self-awareness in general denotes subjective and accurate knowledge of one’s inner self for example, mental state, emotions, sensations, beliefs, desires, and personality.” Although this article is obviously targeted to self-awareness, I think that also describes my awareness of my surroundings and in the areas mentioned prior. It is key to have knowledge of mental state, beliefs and personality of the staff, systems, and clients I am working with daily. I am hopeful to continue learning throughout this cohort and being able to develop who I am and what true purpose I serve through my why and vocation.​

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References:

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Showry, M., & Manasa, K. V. L. (2014). Self-awareness - key to effective leadership. IUP Journal of Soft Skills, 8(1), 15-26.​

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Sinek, S. (2019). Start with why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action. Penguin Business.​