My People, My Tribe: A Reflection on Mission-Driven Work

I'm an organizational psychologist, and I study how people behave at work. Yep, that's how I spend my brain power!!!

For me, that means looking at why employees feel motivated or burned out, why some teams work well and others don't, and how leadership and culture affect performance, then helping create healthier environments.

I've spoken on burnout, impostor syndrome, depression, and self-fulfilling prophecies for a while now. Honestly, I haven't always been able to convey why these topics matter so much to me, other than that I've dealt with each at some point in my career.

A couple of months ago, I spoke to Kentucky MGMA about Healthcare Leadership. Attrition and burnout reared their ugly heads, and the questions asked have stuck with me since. So, I did what I do: researched and wrote, mostly for no one but myself.

We already know mental health issues are on the rise in healthcare. No new news there. However, when I pulled data comparing healthcare worker numbers to the general population, I did a double-take, ran the math again, and looked at more studies. Depression, anxiety, and PTSD are all significantly higher regardless of healthcare role and are often layered on top of each other.

I've spent nearly my entire career serving people who need someone to advocate for them, whether employee, leader, patient, provider, or caregiver. Looking at what I'd gathered on my dining room table, I had a moment of clarity: my experience in healthcare (and volunteering a lot) is why burnout, impostor syndrome, depression, and self-fulfilling prophecies are so important to me. We face them daily as we try to make a difference, and they wear on us.

Mission-driven organizations and being surrounded by the specialness of the people who dedicate their lives to helping others are the lens that I looked through for so long that I forgot that I was wearing glasses.