I wonder why when we hire folks we forget to ask ...really ask: Do you have the heart for this work? We struggle daily at TPC with the daily lives of those we support being wasted.
We wonder why the staff, at times, do not seem to care if the folks they support sit and wait, wait and sit, do nothing and then more of nothing. We wonder why eight people go to the beach despite the fact that four of them have no interest in the beach. We wonder why five to seven people, who care about someone, can sit around a table once a year and make goals for that person that are feeble.
I believe it is because the work is hard, the days blend quickly and it gets easy to slush through them. I know that in the end the only thing that makes you really work hard at this is HEART. Do you carry an other's life with the respect and dignity it deserves. It is a gift and a burden that can bring great joy to you both, but the holding of life should never be taken lightly and if often heavy. There are a hundred things that can go wrong in a single day and one hundred more that can be right...focus on the right takes love and hope and a deep belief that this work is a calling to something better. Do we ask the right questions of those we hire?
I had this conversation with my staff last week at staff meeting. I didnt' plan on it, but I looked around the room and saw all these unsmiling, some scowling, some complaining amongst themselves people. They listened intently as I spoke of how much this job means to me, and that if you don't have the heart for it, if you don't feel the joy that this occupation brings, if you don't find it meaningful and fulfilling, then you are in the wrong place. Some thanked me afterwards for the "reminder." Some seemed upset about my words, but I am not 100% postivie about that. My opinion is, we don't ask the right questions when we hire. We need to examine that....
ReplyDeleteProbably THE most important question of all is asking why a person has chosen this field when doing an interview.Hiring right the first time is important to best serve those we support!
ReplyDeleteKathy it is great that you put it out there. Well done, if we do not share our passion then who will. Terry I could not agree more. thanks
ReplyDeleteDeb, why are you up at 3:28 AM? Kathy, 4:21 AM for you and Terry was typing at 5:11 AM. I guess I'm not the only early-bird.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100% about asking the right questions when hiring. The one question we always ask first is do they have a CRMA...maybe we should be asking a LOT more. No, we should be asking a lot more. I've heard that some folks don't even last beyond the orientation....that's sad. Sad for us that we've wasted all that time and effort on someone who really didn't want to be here in the first place.