I have been thinking a great deal about the issues surrounding a “refused” case. You all know the drill: We reach out to someone who has been referred to us as a potential client and, once we make contact, the person “refuses” our offer of case management services. Given that the resources available for client recovery are more bureaucratic than ever, it would seem that every person that a case manager contacts would jump at the chance to be assisted by folks who have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to assist him/her in the efforts toward recovery. I know that many potential clients have chosen to “go it alone” and that they have no interest in receiving our assistance, and I know that there are many who may not “want” to work toward recovery for a variety of reasons. What I have trouble understanding is what we might do differently in our outreach efforts that might compel even one resistant client to accept our offer of a “hand up.” Maybe there is nothing more that you can do as a case manager to connect with that resistant individual, but I want to take the opportunity to at least try to arm you with some helpful words as you undertake this critical task within your overall case management mission.

John Maxwell writes in his book The Irrefutable Laws of Leadership that the “Law of Connection” is paramount to the success of a leader of any organization, group, family, team, or whatever else is in need of leadership. He states that “The tougher the challenge, the greater the connection must be.” His point is that the level of connection that leaders need to have with their people is dependent upon the severity of the situation. He tells stories of great military leaders who did not look at the forces assembled before them as a giant group, but as individuals who made up the overall combined force. The best leaders invest time in those with whom they work to genuinely get to know them as individuals. In other words, they lead themselves with their heads; while they lead others with their hearts. They invest emotionally in the people that they are charged with leading so as to initiate the individual connection that will be needed to ensure “buy in” on the part of the follower. Your clients are being led by you each and every day, and as case managers we must invest in individual connection before we can ever hope to attain any reasonable progress with the client on recovery plans. Mother Theresa said this: “Speak tenderly to them. Let there be kindness in your face, in your eyes, in your smile, in the warmth of your greeting. Always have a cheerful smile. Don't only give your care, but give your heart as well.” Do you attempt to model these characteristics each and every time you talk to or meet with the clients on your caseload, even the “difficult” ones? It is not an easy thing to do, but I do know that this approach is certainly worth the effort.

Finally, I have heard a lot of people talk recently about job security and their concern over their own future. There are no easy answers to this concern, as we are all working toward the day when we are not needed. Wouldn’t it be great to get to the point where none of us are needed to tackle any tough issues? Another point from Maxwell’s book says: “The only way to make yourself indispensable is to make yourself dispensable.” By empowering others to find their own solutions to problems, we become less of a crutch and more of an instrument of healing. If we genuinely continue to “work ourselves out of a job,” we will never be out of work because there will always be tough problems that need solutions. I got a message from a dear friend just this morning that told me he was at a refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border where 140,000 people had been living for about twenty years! My hope is that we are all equally convinced that actually TRYING to solve tough problems is a guarantee that others will want our services to work on NEW problems. This has been the story of my work life for a long time, and while there may be “dips in the action” from time to time, there has yet to be a complete stoppage in my productivity. This mindset requires a certain level of Faith, but that too is worth the effort to obtain. If we uplift, empower, and assist others, there will always be a line waiting for you what you have to offer.

Have a Blessed week and know that you are doing work that is greater than yourself.

Peace…..

Stephen P Carr II, MA, MFT
Program Director
Mississippi Case Management Consortium