It is a sad time indeed.
Pre-pandemic there were long hospital waiting lists and everywhere there were whispers of hard times. During the pandemic, face to face medical appointments were almost none existent, police attendance for matters relating to harm, alarm and distress were severely delayed and in some cases nigh on impossible to achieve. Charities were struggling to stay open, high street businesses were closing everywhere. Public services were stretched to breaking point!
What has happened now that we are no longer in lockdown and communities are trying to regain balance? The situation is worse! In my humble opinion , public services are in crisis, the world is in a state of flux.
I am a glass half full person, believing that gratitude is the door to positivity and goodness. So, as I look inwards at what our business is doing, then outward at the operating landscape, I have to think ‘priority & sustainability’. This for me means essentialism. There are no two ways, our strategy must be revisited. Most importantly too, our People, the ones who work so hard to support our Vision and Mission to remain Purposeful and Values driven, need to be looked after. Without them, we cannot fulfil our basic and wider functions.
Importantly, we cannot be siloed in approach, because we are not alone. Countless other charities must face the same challenges. So I intend to network hard, I intend to rewire my modus operandi in Stakeholder engagement. In my line of business, as a supported housing provider, we are seeing more challenging presentations from the groups of people we serve, more complex cases, more psychological distress related to those living with us, worrying about those close to them, impermanence in these groups, lack of landlords wanting to rent to providers like us and those on DWP benefits. Then too, I am waiting for our new tranche of utility bills; I need to have a plan for this. As an Employer, our responsibilities are huge; we not only have responsibility for the wellbeing of those coming to us for support, but that of the people who work for our business.
Providing a place for psychological safety, ensuring that we search far and wide for benefits and remuneration to keep our staff engaged, motivated and loyal, supporting in any way we can to ease their concerns and personal challenges in their own lives, is our priority. I know that in order for them to look after our business, as an employer I have to look after them. I have been working with my HR department around ‘what else, how else, something else’ needs to be done for those at the heart of our service delivery.
Turning to the turmoil we continue to experience in society these past two years where there seems to be no respite, I have come to the conclusion that each of us has an inner energy base. How we nurture this to develop resilience amidst the changing fortunes of a turbulent time, is important. Now more than ever, we need to build a network of trust with those who are aligned to our values, the closest to ours, our moral compass needs to be on high alert and our antennae to sense those in more need than ourselves needs to be supercharged. Then we must act and in doing so, do the right thing at the right time for the right reason and in the right way.
Self-love must be prioritised too. We need to be intentional in what we do and in striving for holistic wellbeing, whether that is in the food that we eat or the habits we form, to ensure our physical and emotional wellbeing. Being gentle with the place in us that has yet to arrive at acceptance, is a good start to finding peace and staying well.
I have decided to increase my focus on nurturing positivity and gratitude, and to strengthen this practice so that it is my instilled second nature. I have increased my practice in repeating often “ I must not complain, I must not lament,”. When I am frustrated, I must pull myself back quickly and recognise where my train of thoughts are catapulting me to. In changing my frequency to embrace positivity through saying ‘thank you’, instead, I will consciously allow the space for a shift in how I approach challenges.
What we are facing politically, environmentally, and all around us in global events is likely to continue and possibly worsen. But change and hope starts with the individual. My role as a third sector Leader is to be asset approach minded. Instead of looking at limitations within and around me, my intention is to continue with an asset-based mindset about people, places and things. I intend that positivity will be my guide and when negativity comes in I will reach out to another, for surely I am not alone.
By Ingrid Tennessee, CEO Quo Vadis Trust