Journal of Sacred Work

    Teams where members care for each other and look after each other are more productive than teams where each person is an island.  – Erie Chapman

   The well-known painting (left) by Norman Rockwell of a family gathering at
Thanksgiving is called, "Freedom from Want." It was painted in
1944 as part of an effort to communicate to
Americans some of what we were fighting for in World War II. The message suggests that we want more from life than food. We want the fellowship and warmth symbolized by sharing in companionship with others.
   A recent news item reports results of a study suggesting that children living in homes where the family does not sit down to have dinner are twice as likely to smoke and get involved with alcohol and drugs as families who gather around the dinner table on most evenings. How could the old family ritual of eating together have an impact on the drug use habits of children? Could it be that children missing the companionship of family seek to fill the hole in their hearts with substances that will help them feel better for a few moments? Could it be they are seeking the attention they missed at the dinner table?…

   Arthur Stainback wrote that "No greater burden can be borne by an individual than to know no one cares or understands." This human need must be recognized in the workplace as well. Care givers asked to give love are more likely to engage this gift if they are receiving love from their team and its leader.
   Some healthcare leaders wonder why caregiving doesn’t flow automatically from the policies and procedures that call for it. They wonder why it’s not enough to tell employees they should act in a caring way. Some of these same leaders have not yet figured out that the most important rule of health care management is to take care of the people who take care of people. We respond more to the example we see than to the words we hear.
   The same is true of teams. The principle that makes eating together important to our sense of well-being is what guides successful teams to take care of each other.
   At SAVE, a charity that cares for victims of abuse and neglect, the ten staff members gather in a circle every Friday to check in with each other. The goal is not only to share information about clients but to find out how each member is doing. SAVE understands the risks of compassion fatigue. Their leadership appreciates that looking after victims of abuse is heartbreaking work. They know that each care giver’s burden is eased a bit if they have the chance to share their pain with their colleagues.
   The process of sharing in Community Circles is a practice essential to the continuous delivery of radical loving care. As we sit in circles, share, and listen to each other, we are setting examples of love. We are also living what many victims are missing. There isn’t much love living in the homes of families rife with abuse and neglect. The failure of love at home can be a big reason human beings suffer wounds that can damage physical health as well as emotional well-being.
   Care Circles are one of the least appreciated secrets of Radical Loving Care. If your work place does not engage in this practice, see if you can initiate it. If formality is a problem and procedures are blocking such circles, set one up on your own. Invite your fellow workers. Maybe you can do this around the lunch table and share food as you share love – in thanksgiving for the gift of each other.

-Erie Chapman