Last week we were doing a shared values exercise and our intern, Tasia, said something so insightful that I immediately had to write it down.
The way the exercise works, we went around in a circle and everyone said a single word that represents our values. The circle keeps going until there aren’t any words left. There were a lot of good ones: community, forgiveness, hope, respect, friendship—many more. It was an amazing experience to see that our staff shares such a deep understanding of our values and our mission.
But the word Tasia contributed made me think: Honesty.
As she explained, the Upper Room is such an honest environment because the staff is always ready to listen and to forgive, and to help figure out what to do next. She was absolutely right. Our residents make mistakes; everyone does. When they do, they almost always come to Deborah or Lisa or Linda to come clean. They trust our staff to forgive them, to listen to them, and to help them. That kind of trust makes people more honest.
It goes to show the power of trust and forgiveness. The power of a listening ear and a helping hand. I couldn’t be more proud of our residents, and of our staff.
