Wrapped up in the Job

One pitfall facing TLC managers is that sometimes they think they’re indispensable. For the first time in their lives they find responsibility.  They’re wrapped up in a new identity. They love helping people. They see people change and they feel euphoria.  They’ve found a mission.

And this is not a bad thing. It's good to help others.

But the danger is that some start thinking the program can’t do without them. They forge relationships with clients who depend on them for advice and counsel. They do a good job of shopping for groceries, keeping the house clean, running orderly house meetings. Their numbers are great.

But then sometimes they forget themselves. They stop going to meetings. They quit sponsoring. They stop talking to their sponsor.  They develop their own little universe and it's working pretty well. They overwork.  They don't get enough sleep. They don’t exercise and maybe smoke a lot. Then something quits working and they wonder what's going on.

On more than one occasion TLC has replaced a manager over a stress breakdown or health issue. Yet we continue to function – even when we lose the best manager.

 

I used to be like these managers. I thought the program wouldn't run without my input. The first time I took a vacation from TLC about 18 years ago I’d stop at every phone booth to call back to the office. I wanted to make sure everything was functioning. It took a few vacations to realize that I have a good staff  - that everything was being cared for.

One time a key manager went to prison for about six weeks. Some were wondering if the program would collapse without his input. However, when he returned everything was functioning smoothly.

We just need to do our best without getting our ego wrapped up in our job. Because someone’s going to be doing it when we move on…