“Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” – Proverbs 11:14
Being the director of several children’s centers in my life, I have had the pleasure of meeting, working with, and leading some incredible people.
When I was first promoted to director I was young, about 30. Hard to believe that was almost 28 years ago. I had been a teacher, and helped in the office, but this was my chance for management, and to help people learn and grow in their profession. All the staff had been my friends, and now I had to change roles, and be their supervisor. This is a hard transition, but luckily for me I had a great mentor and teacher.
It is very easy to look the other way, when you see a person slip up, or do something you know is not right. From day one in this position I vowed that I would treat people fairly, and always make sure that I responded to their needs.
As the weeks went past, I found being in a different role with my peers created a heightened amount of tension. I had to do something to resolve this and be able to still keep my new position. I had to take a good look at myself, and ask God to guide me in the right direction, as I knew it would not get better without his help and lots of prayer. I knew I had to confront the brutal facts and the reality, that I was now in a supervisory job and had to fulfill my responsibilities.
As a leader, I have learned that in order to keep a peaceful and uplifting work environment I must always confront and resolve any kind of unsettling conflicts, as they will only grow in magnitude, and involve more people and then it becomes twice the work to de-escalate. I do this with love, kindness and grace, even though sometimes it is extremely hard. I feel that if my staff succeeds then I too have succeeded, and together we have created the kind of environment where children will have fun, grow and learn and parents will always know that their prized possessions are taken care of by the best people in the best environment possible.
Change in life is never easy. My transition from teacher to director was difficult, but the wise counsel I received helped my transition and now I work to offer the same counsel. We cannot be successful alone. We need good voices around us to help us in this journey of life. Who do you go to for wise counsel? The more voices in our life to help us navigate our journey, the better chance we have at success.
Gabrielle Moon, Executive Director, St. Luke’s Children’s Centers
