Small Steps Big Change

I was contracted by a county-level education service agency to provide consultation to their administrative team around staff wellness. This organization conducted a survey of all their staff and found that student and STAFF wellness were two of the highest priorities across their county. So they hired me to help this team of leaders focus on their own health and self-care first and then we will shift their attention to their local teams and so on. I’m excited about this structure, starting with the small group of leaders first.

During our initial preparation conversation, the two team members who hired me shared about their own self-care practices. They talked about their efforts to establish work-life boundaries and to create a positive, supportive work environment. As committed as they are to health and wellness, they also shared their struggle as they work upstream in a broken system that is not committed to those same things, at least in practice. As we discussed their current circumstances, it became clear that it is even more draining and difficult to have the intention, desire, and drive to do what is right for yourself while working in an unsupportive environment. They feel like they are fighting an uphill battle every day to do good, prioritizing their own health and wellness while in a stifling system. That was an a-ha moment for me. I knew working in a broken system was challenging, but I hadn’t thought about how extra hard it was to be so devoted to wellness when you are surrounded by situations that are pulling in the complete opposite direction. You want to pace yourself, but work demands otherwise. You want to establish a healthy boundary or not take on more than you can manage, yet your professional circumstances don’t sync up. It’s truly like rowing upstream. Rowing on its own can be taxing but to row in the opposite direction of the current is even more exhausting. That realization stuck with me.

I often say that life is hard enough as it is. There are unexpected emergencies, sickness, distractions, bad news, and difficulties that arise regularly, so no one needs “extra”. No one needs things to be MORE difficult or distracting or sad. What we face on a consistent basis is plenty. So to think about the challenge of working against the grain, pushing away vs pulling in, it does feel tiring. It makes me wonder, how can we encourage and motivate learning environments and places where people work feel more supportive?

Are there ways we can help to influence change at “the top”? If the decision-maker(s) support prioritizing wellness that’s a great first step, especially if they practice what they preach and model desired healthy behaviors. They help to alter the system and environment, making it more conducive to self-care. But what about places where leadership isn’t invested in those practices? Can others still influence the climate and working environment? I think yes. Obviously, not as robustly but it can still happen in smaller ways that will hopefully permeate and expand. Like these two professionals I met with, find your cohort. Look for colleagues who share your values and team up. These women were lucky to find support, safety, encouragement with each other (and others who are like minded). They collaborate on ways to make a difference. They started in small ways first, as they gained momentum, they brought others along. They used data and facts to show their view was not isolated to just them. Others felt the same, so they could make their case to bring in more support in hopes of collectively shifting the tide. Fortunately, their top administrator knew not to argue with the numbers and agreed to make staff wellness a priority, seeing the bigger picture and understanding the benefits of making this a focus. While it initially felt draining being in the fight on their own, they leaned into each other, stayed the course and now feel more hopeful that things will improve from here.

The journey is still in its infancy in this community, but it’s begun. Things won’t change overnight, they rarely do but taking that first step, even a small one, is a great first step. Let this story inspire you to find your cohort, they are there and work together to make those small steps towards bigger changes.