The Housekeeper

The housekeeper came into my office every day. Initially, it was to ensure that my trash was being emptied and my soiled laundry was getting picked up. She checked that my bathroom had been cleaned. (My office was a repurposed patient room, and I was grateful for the space). I treated her as an equal, and eventually she opened up to me. She told me what it was like, being a 22-year-old single mom and working full time. She told me about her dreams, and how she wanted a better life for herself and her daughter. She was putting herself through college in a small town with few opportunities. She told me about her family, and how they would sabotage her efforts to get ahead. They said that her efforts to get ahead were her way of saying she was better than them.

From then on, I coached her every chance I got. I guided her as she overcame her issues of abandonment and betrayal. She began setting boundaries with her family and identifying allies. She changed her #selftalk. Over the next 2 years, she moved out and got a place for herself and her daughter. She dressed differently, as she began wearing business casual clothes to work. At the end of that 2 years, she had her college degree, and got a job at our hospital as a case manager. She is a kick-ass case manager. Why? Because she treats her patients as an extension of her community. She sees every one of them as a warrior who needs guidance overcoming their current situation. She fights hard for each of them. Imagine where those patients would be if this housekeeper had given up on our dreams?

We all experience poor #selfesteem, and a lack of confidence at some point in our lives. Poor #selfconfidence can paralyze you. When one person allows poor self-esteem to paralyze them, we all lose the benefit of their gifts. We all know this, yet we may not know that help is readily available.

My observation, from decades in healthcare, is that we all know someone who is struggling with self-confidence and self-esteem. The reason we know is that it is affecting their job performance, their work relationships, or causing problems at home that bleed over into work. We may turn a blind eye to helping them, as that’s difficult. Or we may feel we’re overstepping boundaries into private information. Or we may just not know where to guide them for help.

I get it. I’ve been there. I’ve been the observer. I’ve also been the person with imposter syndrome and low self-esteem. I want you to know that help is available. Issues of self-confidence are one of the most common things we overcome in coaching. DM me if you’d like to know how to refer a colleague.