A Call to Direct Care Leaders: Let’s bring our best selves to the cause

Bridget Siljander

It is a critical time to become a leader…

We’re starting to coagulate as a direct care worker movement, and it’s more important than ever that we unite to get things done. This is an exciting time, but it calls for more strategic thinking.

Over the past year or two, I’ve been in many situations when direct care workers were connecting with each other. This can be incredibly inspiring.  Many of us are compassionate people who are drawn to this kind of service work because we want to put our hearts into nurturing and supporting others. At direct care worker gatherings, I have watched us uplift, encourage and comfort one another, creating a spirit of loyalty and kindness and mutual respect.  This is when we’re at our finest.  But like anything, there are two sides. There are times when we’re at our best, and times when we’re at our worst.  And because we’re at such a critical point in time, I wanted to offer some reflection and advice on focusing on our best selves.

There’s so much to do. As the national advocate for direct care workers, the Direct Care Alliance is aggressively pursuing ways to help increase direct care worker wages, secure access to affordable health care, improve training and advancement opportunities, and gain respect for our valuable work. With the support of DCA, direct care worker associations around the country are being built person by person, raising awareness that our work ought to be regarded as a profession, promoting leadership from within the ranks, hosting conferences and other events, and building effective partnerships with other stakeholders who care about direct care work.

…but don’t let leadership go to your head

With all of this promise and hope, there are also risks.  Many of us have been in the shadows for so long that when we start to emerge and grow as leaders, we need a little practice in how to handle ourselves. It may be tempting to go on an ego trip, but that’s not going to help anyone – and it could drive away some of the people we need most. Besides, there is more than enough work – and recognition – to go around. Anyone who is motivated and passionate and willing to promote our cause can find a place on the front lines.

There are already plenty of roadblocks in our way, so we can’t afford to waste much energy fighting or undermining each other.  We direct care workers are a tribe, a family. That means we’ll have some family fights, sure, and we won’t agree on everything, but ultimately we’ll always have each other’s backs.

No one person can single-handedly represent or advocate for our profession — it’s not humanly possible. And besides, who’d want to try? It’s admirable to do as much as we can when there’s so much urgent work to be done, and there is nothing wrong with getting the credit we deserve.  But a real leader isn’t just out to get credit for his or her own work. A real leader also grows other leaders, bringing in potential new leaders and supporting their development.

Things that can undermine advocacy work often get between direct care workers in the workplace too. It’s easier and a lot more comfortable to fight with the person who’s working beside you than to confront the boss you’re really mad at. Resentments build up, particularly when people aren’t getting paid or respected enough. Some people have a tendency to whine and feel sorry for themselves, demoralizing everyone around them, or to get caught up in a no-win game of Who’s the Biggest Victim or Who’s More Deserving. That’s a cycle with no way out but down.

Read the rest of this post on leadership when it continues next week here on the DCA blog.