SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020 - 16

FEATURE ARTICLES

we also have additional resources
and help at our disposal for
things that may be making your
experience not so positive. Help us
help you and loop us into what's
going on. We're ultimately all in
this together and if staff members
are not ok, we want to know that.
More often than not, your senior
staff were in similar positions
to those in which you may find
yourself. And though our day-today functions are different, it's not
hard to remember the late-night
duty calls or the need for just a
mental health day.
NP: As an entry-level housing
professional and a human being,
there is so much that can happen
in your life, professionally and
personally. It is important to assess
what your current needs are and
advocate for yourself because
no one else understands what
those needs are as well as you do.
While your supervisor and CHO do
not need all the details to every
situation, sharing some and asking
for what you need can be beneficial.
In order to get the support you
need, you must communicate that.
Some examples of times when you
might need to advocate for yourself
include: flexing your hours so you
can go to a doctor's appointment,
spending a day away from campus
so you can refresh, and sleeping in
because of a long late-night duty
call you responded to.

SELF-REFLECTION IS
CRITICAL.

NP: As a new professional it
can be hard to see how well you
are performing and handling
everything that is coming your way.
You are being pulled in different
directions because that is often the
nature of housing. It is important to
take time to reflect on what is going
well and what is not. By engaging
in self-reflection, you are able to
see what you have done well and
what your areas of improvement
are. It can be easy to focus on your
never-ending to-do list or what

16

did not go as expected. While this
is important, you have probably
accomplished a lot in your day that
you might not even realize. You can
then become a better professional
in understanding where you might
need assistance, finding new ways
to do things, discussing with
your supervisor where you are at,
and understanding where your
strengths are.
CHO: Even now, with more days
working behind me than are likely
ahead of me, there are still times
when realistic evaluation of what's
going on is going to make the days
that follow better. Whether it's
realizing that not every bad day
was all bad or that not every good
day was all blueberries and paper
airplanes, sometimes you just have
to take a breath and reflect. Too
often, it's easy to be so focused on
the next brass ring that we forget
to take a beat and celebrate the
ring we've made it to. Ultimately,
no matter where you are in the
organizational hierarchy, you are
going to have losses and wins each
and every day, it's just the learning
from both that helps get that scale
more in your favor.

RELATIONSHIPS MAKE THE
DIFFERENCE.

NP: It is important to know how to
navigate personal and professional
relationships. Maintaining positive
professional relationships and not
burning bridges aid in your ability
to become a better practitioner.
You should work to develop
relationships professionally in
the department, within your new
institution, and with colleagues
across the nation. By doing so, you
are able to work and gain different
insights into various projects.
There are different approaches that
can be taken to best support our
residents that you might not know
about or have not thought about.
These relationships can help you
become a better professional and
even advance your career given
the interconnectedness of this

profession.
On the personal side, it is important
to have those friends who share
interests in different areas of your
life. They can help you relax and
not get burned out by focusing
solely on your new professional
role. These personal relationships
can pull you away from being
in a work mindset and aid in
establishing your work-life balance.
It is also incredibly relieving to
have someone you can vent to that
does not necessary understand
all the innerworkings of your
occupation. These people can listen
to your frustrations and be on your
side as you continue to navigate
this position.
CHO: Throughout my career, I can
count on one hand the number of
work projects I remember with
significant clarity years after
the fact. Ask me instead about
meaningful personal relationships
and I run out of fingers and toes
quickly with many people still
unaccounted for. This business is
personal. People are why we're all
here, and are why we all stay here.
No one, and I mean no one, gets
into this business for the money
or fame or late-night phone calls.
I'm in this, and I stay in this,
because of the people I work with
and the students I serve. There
isn't a day that goes by that we
don't get something accomplished
or a new initiative passed easier
than it could be solely because
of the relationships we've built.
That organizational connection is
absolutely mission-critical to every
level of our work.
Outside of the institution, and
like Anastasia said, it's vital to
have your tribe to celebrate your
wins and losses with. They may
not know about the intricacies
of your work or your day-to-day
responsibilities, but they know you.
My circle has kept me grounded,
balanced, and resilient, and I
hope yours fills your bucket with
SEAHO Report - Holiday 2020

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