Biblical and philosophical narratives throughout time would have a culture buying into the notion that leadership and prestige is the only pathway to success. We have taught our children that our worth is defined by positions of power and financial gain. Somewhere along the way, we have lost sight of defining our worth and put trust in others to define it for us.
The common theme of mental health, human services providers and educators has become, for many, plan B or at least a perceived notion that one could be doing something else, if they only applied themselves. I take great offense to this as I move towards an age of reason and reflect on the themes of self-disparagement and regret that paints our fields.
Mental health and self-care take a sidestep for many people and the importance of accepting help is low; and for many is an admission of vulnerability-and who could blame them when you yourself think of your career as a backup plan.
How many times have you heard a colleague talk about how they could have been a lawyer or a doctor? Leaving little room to explore the idea that, while it is possible that this could be true, is it possible for everyone to bring insight, explore resources and care for people when they need support the most? Who are the people in the trenches of crisis? Who are the first people at a disaster triaging? Who are your children’s first impressions and inspirations? Who is it you call when you’re at the crossroads of life and can’t seem to find an open door? It wouldn’t be a leap to say, it most likely isn’t a lawyer or doctor- and with confidence, I can say you may have been a wonderful dentist, but I have yet to meet a dentist or surgeon alike who could do our job.
In a time when self-disparagement is the new humble, we have accepted the idea of being secondary; but like all societal constructs, we do not function in a silo. We all need, and we all need care.
Agency work can be grueling, it can seem to be uninspiring and ironic in that our jobs are to do just that. That spark that brought us to where we are leaves just as quick as our bubble is burst by antiquated ideas of who we are told to be. We all started out our journey wanting to help someone and somewhere along the way, we became inferior and incapable. We’ve all seen images of the disorganized overworked case worker at the childcare agency and the buffoon like school principal fumbling and spilling coffee on themselves. It’s hard to imagine we would respect and value these character tropes when we are depicted as fools, not worthy of sufficient pay or equal treatment in a professional milieu.
Leadership is defined by guidance, the very sentiment of our roles. Guiding where a person is to find their own solutions and promote critical thinking. It implies that though our work is not concrete, it is more likely that characters like us, set the path for many of our best lawyers and doctors; and maybe the next generation of helpers who set the bar way higher than ever before.