Training Report:Working with Families & Co-Workers
Sharon Borden, Director of Human Resources

The title of this quarter's inservice training was Working with Families and Co-Workers, led by Director of Education & Research Shannon Hill.

Each year, the Education & Research Department asks for feedback from employees about which training topics for the coming year. Working with co-workers and getting along with others are always among the topics chosen. Oh, The Places You'll Go!, a children's book written by Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Suess), was the basis of the third quarter in-service presented by Education and Research. Dr. Shannon Hill used the beloved book to spur discussion on working together with family and co-workers. Commonly used by parents to encourage children who are embarking on new and possibly frightful adventures, Dr. Hill used twelve concepts from the book to encourage employees and instill self awareness in how we hold within ourselves the ability to make the work place one of harmony.

Seussian Concept #1, "You're off to great places!" is what brings staff and residents together. Baddour Center is a great place to live and work for the residents as well as rewarding employment for staff. It is the basis of why we do what we do, why parents and guardians entrust us with the care of their loved ones and why we all remain.

Seussian Concept #2, "You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes." is the asking of oneself, "Will the action I'm about to take improve things or worsen them?"

Seussian Concept #3, "You are the guy who'll decide where to go." is the realization that although we may not be able to make every decision about what will happen next, we can always control some part of it, even if it is simply the choice between engaging in negativity or overcoming it.

Seussian Concept #4, "You're too smart to go down any not-so-good street." speaks to ploys that we may use to gain control of any particular situation. Some examples of not-so-good streets are non-communication, subtle sabotage, manipulation, ostracizing and double speak.

Seussian Concept #5, "You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights." is a "feel good, pass it on theory." Find the positive, emphasize it, and enhance it; then pass it on through interactions with others.

Seussian Concept #6, "Wherever you fly you'll be best of the best." as individuals and as an organization as a whole. Positive staff will make a positive organization which makes for happy clients (residents and families). This is an example of synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Seussian Concept #7, "You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch, and your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch." Positive people do not get caught up in the nuances of status quo, but remain up-beat when faced with new and different opportunities to explore and master. Getting hung up in the details of "distress upon distress" will see us being left behind by those getting on with life.

Seussian Concept #8, "Headed, I fear toward a most useless place. The waiting place.." is one of ownership. Not waiting for others to solve issues, problems and concerns but the permitting of oneself to solve them.

Seussian Concept #9, "sometimes you'll play lonely games, too. Games you can't win ‘cause you'll play against you." Games that we play with ourselves can be disastrous. Second guessing ourselves, our decisions and feeling that we can never do anything right are all examples of games that we play with ourselves that we can never win.

Seussian Concept #10, "and when you're alone there's a very good chance you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants." As individuals, we might be frightened of things we don't understand, individual behavior that we see as negatively directed toward us, or things with which we don't necessarily agree. How we respond to these matters not only defines us, but can define the moment as well as the outcome.

Seussian Concept #11, "Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act." This is a concept of remembering who you are and how what you do, what you say and how you say it will be perceived by others, and how that reflects upon the organization and us as individuals. Sometimes, a little forethought can bring about a completely different effect than blurting out something off the top of our heads.

Seussian Concept #12, "And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)" This is the encouragement; the positive change that will take place with individual positive attitudes accumulating to form a positive work atmosphere.

In conclusion, this quarter's inservice was a time to sit back and reflect on things we've all known since kindergarten. To work well with others, we should follow the same advice we were given for playground behavior (follow the Golden Rule, believe in yourself, listen to your heart, do good things, help those who need help, turn the other cheek, etc.) Our challenge is to take these basic concepts that we've all known since childhood and apply them to our everyday work situations. After all, our ability to do this is what makes The Baddour Center special; it is why we choose to work here, and why our families choose us as a new home for their loved ones.