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IInterviewer: I think that one of the concerns that I see is that
you have staff that have never been exposed to some of those issues
so it is interesting that you would use that. I worked for four years
in a state institution for my first job, and I have that as a reference
point myself. I know that is not where we want to be. It is interesting
that you would use that as a piece of your values based training,
because many people have never really been exposed to some of those
issues or things that have happened historically.
Nancy Brooks-Lane: We very much follow a sociological aspect in terms
of keeping all that in a broader picture. Including, writings of Civil
Rights leaders. That is one of those things you have got to continue.
I have just ordered for the staff, How I Became
a Human Being by Mark O'Brian. We are going to be doing a book
study on that. I think that is one piece of it. You kind of change
people's view of what it means to be a part of a work environment
by challenging who we are and what we are doing. The other piece is
that I think there has to be flexibility in what the work day means
for folks. It can not be that eight to five kind of model. Again,
staff have to know that they are integral to that process, that what
they have to offer is valued and that there is some freedom to them
in terms of being able to offer what they bring to being a part of
an organization. And with that of course has got to be trust.
People are fearful that there is a right or wrong answer or that
what they say may be taken in a way that can harm them as an employee;
you know you can not get that freedom. I think that is why humor is
really important. That is why I think role modeling and those meetings
as a leader get bizarre because nothing is too extreme to think through
in a brainstorming kind of way. You humble yourself, because there
is not a power differential between the staff who are providing direct
support to the folks and people who are supporting the staff as well
as the customers. Another key piece to that though, is you have got
to hold people accountable. We really judged our success in the change
process by the outcomes that staff obtained. That was critical. If
we are not seeing through what they are doing, that this is making
a difference, then we have failed in our efforts. We need to regroup
and rethink how we are approaching that.
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