Putting People First: Building Stronger Communities and Workplaces

by Dimitrios Papalexis, Soulgen

In my life experience and leadership journey offering consultancy work across various sectors—schools, government, public sector, non-profits, and even the corporate world—I have frequently encountered a universal issue: people not feeling valued, appreciated, or validated. Despite working with some of the most resilient, hardworking, passionate, and caring individuals, many still struggle with this fundamental issue.

Recognizing the Invisible Struggles

These people often have a strong sense of purpose, handling large portfolios and striving for impactful change. Their work varies from children who have complex trauma and behavioral issues to residents of social housing estates, to homeless youth, to individuals from refugee backgrounds. Their motivation extends beyond monetary gain or career progression; they are driven by a commitment to service and a deep sense of purpose. They try to practice self-care, maintain boundaries, and strive for work-life balance. However, they still face challenges when their efforts go unrecognized.

The Systemic Issue of Recognition

This lack of recognition is a systemic, top-down issue. There are entrenched systems and cultural norms, which we refer to in psychodrama as cultural conserves, that perpetuate this problem. These norms are based on invisible beliefs such as, "This is part of the job," "It's not about you," "Do what you're told," "Don't be difficult or question things," and similar ones. These can be detrimental even to the most resilient and dedicated individuals. While individuals may possess resilience, the reality is that the absence of acknowledgment and trust in passionate or dedicated workers can be profoundly damaging. It fuels burnout, undermines morale, increases turnover rates, and can even precipitate mass walkouts (exodus) from organisations and schools.

The Human Need for Validation

Why is lack of recognition so challenging? Because we are human. It is a basic human need to be heard, seen, acknowledged, and validated. Small, genuine gestures of kindness, empathy, and acknowledgment can have a profound impact. And such leadership requires emotional intelligence which takes personal development to cultivate.

A Case Study in Youth Volunteering

I once created an eLearning module, podcasts, and a video about youth volunteering for volunteer managers (leaders) and organizations for the peak body, The Centre for Volunteering. With the help of a talented team, including young consultants who were compensated for their work (at Soulgen we believe in paying our youth consultants well, as one young person pointed out, "vouchers are nice, but they don't pay the bills"), we interviewed young volunteers from various backgrounds and organizations.

During these interviews, the issue of valuing and acknowledging contributions emerged prominently. The young volunteers shared their experiences in volunteering, what they gain from it, why they do it, and what motivates them to continue their efforts. They emphasized the importance of being valued for what they bring—such as creativity, diverse skills, innovation, lived experience, and a fresh perspective—rather than being there to tick boxes or fit into outdated volunteer roles. They highlighted the importance of feeling valued, particularly when organizations participate in consultations and communicate the results back, showing them the report, or calling them to share the outcomes. This makes them feel that their time, expertise, and knowledge are valued. This case study highlights the significance of valuing and acknowledging contributions across all ages and diverse work settings or circumstances, whether in paid or voluntary roles. See the video here.

Foundations of Effective Leadership

Acknowledgment and validation form the foundation of my practice. Whether I am engaged in critical incident consultancy, strategy development, facilitation, consultations with young people and communities, collective impact projects, or training and development (capacity building), I have come to appreciate and value the small things. Truly listening, showing empathy, and valuing others are crucial. While it is also important to educate, guide, train, and even challenge people, it must be done with care and rapport. This ensures that program objectives and outcomes such as key performance indicators (KPIs) are met without compromising the well-being and morale of people.

The Role of Psychodrama in Leadership

Psychodrama and the psychodrama community have had a profound impact on me both personally and professionally, significantly contributing to my leadership development even though that wasn't the original objective.

How often do you feel seen and understood by others? In psychodrama, we call this being "doubled." How often are your positive qualities and work mirrored back to you? In psychodrama, we call this mirroring. How often are they acknowledged, valued, and validated? As a leader, how often do you do this with the people you work with in your organization, community, or practice?

We need to treat people as humans first and take the time to celebrate them. Look for their unique gifts, positive qualities, and strengths, and focus on these attributes. Trust in the process, trust in yourself, and trust in people and their capacity to generate solutions for their own issues. Even when someone struggles the most, try to find what keeps them going, what they have survived, and what you can learn from their resilience, strength, and wisdom from their experiences. In psychodrama, we call this finding the health in the system.

Embracing the ABCD Principle

This aligns with the ABCD principle of finding out what people care enough about to act on. This is a vastly different approach than focusing solely on issues, viewing people as means to a goal, or pushing our agenda to them. It requires taking the time to get to know them, listening to their stories, and understanding their issues, fears, and dreams—essentially understanding life through their eyes. In psychodrama, we call this reversing roles.

Change Begins with Us

Although it is often hard to do when others don't do it with us and when there is top-down pressure and expectations, the truth is that change starts with us. These are the qualities of a great leader. Do you agree? What has been your experience?

This article emphasizes the importance of acknowledging and validating efforts and contributions, highlighting it as a key aspect of effective leadership, crucial for building stronger communities and workplaces alike.

If your organization is looking for assistance with codesign, engagement strategies, capacity building, clinical supervision, collaborative initiatives, youth forums, or keynote speakers, we'd love to connect and explore how we can help. Please don't hesitate to reach out at [email protected]