*edited to add
Oops. Seems the essay needs to remain unpublished until the national awards. So I have removed the link. Apologies. HOWEVER, please do reach out to me to discuss mental well being in strata, and with any thoughts you have on how we can work towards better outcomes.
Thank you to all the people who have taken the time to reach out and congratulate me on the success of my essay submission at the SCA (NSW) 2018 CHU Strata Community Awards (I think I got that title right). As promised a link to the essay is in this blog. But I wanted to add some commentary.
When I wrote the essay for submission to the awards, I didn’t do it with the intention that it would be published. At least not widely. While I stand by every word, the essay does not necessarily reflect well on the sector, although that’s not its intention. I certainly wrote it with the goal of finding a platform for discussions on mental health in strata. I suppose I always envisaged a large edit before making it public.
However, it now feels a little dishonest to edit the essay that was judged to be worthy of the accolade. Because I did write it so we could have the difficult conversations. So I won’t edit it. Or I will, but I will publish that lengthier version some later time. I will say, although hopefully, it is obvious, the essay is a generalisation. I seek not to point fingers but to open dialogue. To accept my own role to do better at creating a supportive culture as a business leader. There is no laying blame in my words, (well maybe a little there is), but only to prompt important conversations.
Hopefully, I can help bring a focus on this issue, that I KNOW has touched so many of you. Better yet, maybe we can go as far to undertake some actual research on stress, depression, and anxiety in strata. If we had real data on those who leave under circumstances of stress or burn out, we can start to paint a clearer picture and look to effect real change.
My thanks again to CHU who sponsor these awards nationally (perhaps even across the ditch?) and to RECON Jobs, as category sponsors. And of course to SCA (NSW).
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