Social Services Burn Out

People within the social services and nonprofit community are indeed giving in nature. But that giving to others can come at a high price. Current cutbacks are high, leading to increased caseloads, which are generally already overburdened. A specific issue or project that formally would have been delegated amongst several persons is now placed upon one.

Our society depends upon these people, so what can we do for them?

Are we stereotyping ourselves?

Last week, I received a phone call from a girlfriend who holds the position of CEO at a relatively decent sized company. She had called to vent about woman-to-woman jealousies within her office and how she feels that she is perceived as having “Queen Bee Syndrome.” During our conversation, I took a very supportive stance. But our conversation really got me thinking about stereotypes of women in the workplace.

I sought out to find the male perspective and found that the majority of men, which I spoke with, believe the typical stereotypes that women are catty, less efficient and the worst, that women in positions of authority are generally bitchy. I’ve spent a good portion of my career in “male dominated” industries. If we are catty, less efficient and bitchy, I wonder what the terminology is for those same male behaviors.

As women we need to stop using stereotypical terminologies if we expect men to stop perceiving us this way!

Establishing and Maintaining Your Professional Reputation

As seasoned entrepreneurs, we realize that without a positive professional reputation we aren’t going to get very far. For any new entrepreneur, establishing an excellent reputation is not something that is achieved overnight. It is the product of consistently good behavior, over time, and it is earned. Whether you realize it or not, you started to lay the groundwork for your professional reputation the day you began your very first job. You began to build that reputation through your actions. A good reputation is important no matter what kind of business you have or are working toward. What people think about you is frequently based on what they have heard even before they have met you!

Opportunities can come as a result of establishing and maintaining a good reputation. Your good reputation can help you to receive a recommendation for new customers/clients, a job you want, or an introduction to other professionals who can help advance your career and bring you new business. The bottom line is that people want to help and be associated with those who have good reputations.

However, one major mistake can significantly damage your reputation, leading to missed opportunities and making it difficult to restore other people’s confidence in you. Why am I writing about something that seems so obvious? Because I have seen how basically decent people can suffer after making some poor, often uncharacteristic decisions. These mistakes are damaging. It takes a significant amount of time to rebuild relationships and repair a damaged reputation. Being cognizant of the potential mistakes and attempting to avoid them is well worth the effort, versus wasted time on damage control.

Each and every person that you interact with, online or IRL, is an opportunity to enhance your professional reputation. Ensure that your interactions with people online and IRL are professional and responsible. You’ll be remembered based upon those interactions. For those just starting out, the connections you make now, if they are positive, can go a long way towards building your business and last throughout your career.

To avoid reputation-damaging actions, here are a few pitfalls to pay attention to:

BE CONSCIENTIOUS ABOUT YOUR ONLINE ACTIVITIESYou need to be diligent about maintaining your Internet profiles and online presence. We all have diverse backgrounds, opinions and actions will differ, misunderstandings will happen, and debates will occur. I have seen discussions, particularly those in online forums; go awry when people are passionate about a topic. I’ve also seen actions online that would insure that I would never associate with certain people. As a businesswoman, your best bet is to steer clear of those situations; you never know who is lurking online. Even though they may never post a message, important contacts could be forming impressions about you as a result of your actions and posts.

Do your online profiles and actions convey what you want customers or clients to know about you? Search for information about yourself on Google. Take a look at what is posted and ask yourself, "Would I want a customer or client to see this?" Remember that every piece of information that you post or that someone posts about you on the Internet can last in cyber-space forever and customers/clients are checking up on you online! Invest in setting your social networking profiles to private!

HONOR YOUR OBLIGATIONS AND BALANCE THEM

Over-promising, overextending, overestimating and overdoing do not allow you to show your best to others. Live a balanced life, take care of yourself, and develop a positive professional identity. Carefully selecting your activities and opportunities is one of the most important skills to master. Saying "no" and respectfully declining enticing opportunities will serve you much better than taking on a project only to end up quitting and letting people down once you are involved.

BE GENUINE, TRUSTWORTHY AND LOYAL

Genuine people are credible. Credibility breeds trust. And trustworthy people are loyal. A credible person is an expert due to her experience, qualifications, intelligence and skill set. Someone who is trustworthy is honest, fair, unselfish and caring. Loyal people are valued because they are faithful to a cause, ideal, custom or institution. The possession of these characteristics will enhance your reputation, while exclusions of the same are observed and damaging.

GIVE CREDIT WHERE CREDIT IS DUE

Allowing others to shine when they’ve given you a helping-hand enhances your integrity. After all, nobody is successful without the assistance of others. It is important to acknowledge those who have had a part in your development and achievements. Reputable professionals understand that they never lose credit when they share the fame of their accomplishments with those who have helped them along the way.

In the end, a solid reputation cannot save you from your worst mistakes, but it can buy you understanding and time to respond so that others know that your mistake was out of the ordinary.

Taking Responsibility

Is it reasonable that a belief in yourself without responsibility leads to a sense of entitlement for which you end up bestowing upon your children?

Have you ever encountered the NMK Syndrome? Not My Kid, as in "My kid couldn't have done that." This is what happens when parents fail to take responsibility for their own actions. It's a humbling experience to have a child who wants to be like you but it is also a responsibility.

I've noticed more and more lately, that people are basing their life’s decisions upon feelings versus facts and realities. We all have “gut” instincts but this different. In this current environment, emotions are defiantly running high. But how is it beneficial to act upon our feelings versus the facts and realities that are smacking us in the face? This mindset is contagious; beware of people who use their own emotional pain as a tool to manipulate others instead of as a motivation to change themselves!

I live one day at a time but my lifestyle choice is not based upon my feelings. Each day’s decisions are based upon the facts and realties presented before me.

What are we teaching our kids if we ourselves are unwilling to take proper responsibility?

Change your mindset; change your future and the future of the next generation.