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“Never Leave that ‘til Tomorrow Which You Can Do Today”. Benjamin Franklin was right!. Integrated employment is not the “right thing to do” instead it is a bonafide right for all people. Mary Beth Popchock…no claim to fame. So… What Have I Learned Along the Way????.
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“Never Leave that ‘til Tomorrow Which You Can Do Today” Benjamin Franklin was right!
Integrated employment is not the “right thing to do” instead it is a bonafide right for all people Mary Beth Popchock…no claim to fame
So… What Have I Learned Along the Way???? • The journey that I have engaged in over the last year has been exciting, invigorating, frustrating, enlightening, I guess you could say it’s been the “whole enchilada.” • What I do know is that I am not an expert..rather I am just someone who passionately believes in the right of everyone to work in the community and earn at least a living wage. • My journey continues and as yours begins or continues, as well, I suggest the following…
We need to think like “next generation organizations” Compass Point Nonprofit Series Article Like the nonprofit sector the human service industry is experiencing a unique moment of transition stemming from a variety of demands. This is requiring us to think and act profoundly differently than we have done in the past. In my opinion this is a good thing! There is a transformation underway that I am proud to be a part of….
We have gone from expectations like… • We’ve been delivering this service forever… to… the wants of our stakeholders have changed and they rely on us to be relevant • Our staff would never go for it… to….we want to offer stimulating opportunities and interesting challenges to attract and retain the most talented support staff • Donors might not understand our new direction… to…donors want to trust that we understand best practice; if we are afraid of change we will become irrelevant.
More…. • Change is scary; our board is too conservative or stuck in its way… to ..our board wants to blaze trails and support individuals to have equal employment.
Make It Happen: Impact is Action Driven • Talk about it less and just do it! Make integrated employment happen. Realize that certain service models need to be discarded and new ones developed. • Discussions and focus groups are important but when all of the discussions and research turns into years and years worth (and it does) …this is a dis-service to the people we support. Pretty soon another year has past and we are still stuck doing what has always been done. • Summon up the courage to chart new waters and do it now! Talk can be cheap and it often is…. • Be sure to get your Board on track with moving in a new direction. Have those crucial conversations with them and seek a member to champion the change with you.
Invite a state and/or federal decision maker to… • Your next board meeting and have them talk about national trends and how the laws are changing or may be changing and how those factors support a prompt move to integrated employment. • Better yet..have one or two of those folks be a part of your strategic planning where they can plant the seed and help it grow into a strategic objective
Look at the core values and mission of your organization Chances are that they talk about helping people achieve independence and lead full lives etc., etc., etc.! If this is the case we need to go back to that mission and ask ourselves…where does it say that in order to meet this objective we offer segregated services as we’ve done for the last 20, 30 or more years…
Where does it say that or… • Rather than taking action we “just” settle? The time is now to ask those difficult questions and stop settling for the ordinary. Get out of the comfort zone and just do it!
A Lesson from Starbucks • In his book, Howard Schultz talks about how Starbucks “fought for its life without losing its soul”….the book goes on talk about how Schultz went back to revisit his initial goals and then made the necessary and sometimes difficult changes to stay true to his companies original mission. It was simply that important! Was it easy no, did he face obstacles and road blocks, yes! But never - the - less he persevered and moved “Onward.”
Moving onward is exactly what we need to do Whether you are a self advocate or a board or staff member or an executive director…we must be prepared to move onward and let go of the past. Expectations for the future need to be clearly articulated to all stakeholders and a consistent message of integrated employment first must be spread.
Surround yourself with the right people In order for change to occur I’ve learned that I have to have the right staff members on board. Without them change will never happen and an organization will remain stuck in the past. Sometimes this might mean even having to let a tenured staff member go..if the organizations new direction does not match the employees skills or beliefs and you cannot convince them to the contrary.
Change is tough… • It is important to tell staff the where for the change, the how for the change, how the change will affect them and have them involved in some part of the change. It is important to realize that change is like the “grieving process” and it takes time… but remember people with disabilities have already waited a long time for equal employment….
And so… After a certain amount of time, if an employee cannot embrace the change it is eventually time to cut the tie.
Surround your organization with the best experts in the field of Integrated Employment Train, train, train! Educate, educate, educate! Communicate, communicate , communicate! With…program participants, parents, staff, the community…… Employ the talents of Dr. Laura Owens, Don Lavin and others to ignite the fire and share success stories to help move the vision for integrated employment along in the right direction.
Books are your friend Now is the time to inspire your self as a leader to learn new skills and habits that will make the change from a facility based work focus to one of integrated employment a success. “Onward” by Howard Schultz “What to Ask The Person in the Mirror” by Robert Steven Kaplan “Influencer” by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, et al “Managing Transitions” by William Bridges
Always remember Benjamin Franklins maximum about time The time is now to think and act like a “next generation organization.” Inclusion is reality, today’s young leaders embrace workplace diversity. Individuals with disablities want gainful and inclusive employment. This is our time as self advocates, leaders, providers to set the example and be creative.
