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Circle of Improvement

In the land of workforce development, we constantly called upon to assist others on the journey to improvement. I often wonder why some people are better at assisting people than others. Why are some people so motivating? What is it about some people that makes people hear and understand advice and council?
 
In looking at these people in my personal and professional life, I notice they all have one thing in common. It is their journey. Workforce development like many other social services has people that are relatable to the customer base. Many people that work in the industry have experience being unemployed. This is the relatable factor. It means that the person someone is working with is credible in the eyes of the person receiving the service.
 
Diving deeper at these relatable individuals, it makes you wonder if an individual can truly be successful with others until they are successful with themselves. For example, a single mother working two jobs struggling to find balance and support her family is a success story to a mother struggling to do those exact same things. The case worker working to place former offenders in employment as he had once been in the same situation. It is like unconsciously saying to another, “I know where you have been, you don’t need to explain.”
 
The power of the people that work to improve others in workforce development or in any social service is this relatable quality we often cannot get from the standard interview questions or from pre-employment screening. It appears like magic, but it is not. It is a circle. Help yourself and ultimately you will help others.
 
 For those of us looking to #improve2019 or for those of us working to assist others with the journey, keeping this in perspective is best. My journey may not be relevant to every person I meet, but it is important to someone.  We are just about halfway through the year. If you a have not found your mentor on the journey, now is the time. If you have not been a mentor to someone on the journey, the time is here. Welcome to the circle, the circle of improvement.

~Karen J. Cirincione
Email: kcirincione@gmail.com
Linked In: www.linkedin.com/in/karenjcirincione
Twitter: @kcirincione

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