When a sense of scarcity takes over
Times of uncertainty aren’t unusual in healthcare, there are always unexpected emergencies that require a response. After I realised I could cope (admittedly to greater or lesser extents) with whatever the day presented, I started to enjoy the uncertainty of working in a complex health system. Not knowing what was going to happen on my shift and my ability to respond appropriately was something my clinical expertise enjoyed.
As with all things, when taken to extreme or overexposure, uncertainty can have negative effects, and right now there is so much up in the air. Whether it be the influence of politics, constant restructures, change programmes and the subsequent coming together of different teams, people and leaders there is a lot of uncertainty around.
One of the impacts that level of uncertainty can have is the feeling that there won’t be enough. When departments, services and whole systems are being re-designed there is the very real fear of whether you’ll have a job when the music stops.
When the budget and finances are the driving voice within a system, and resources are limited - the sense of ‘not enough’ translates into an understocked supply cupboard, no access to training or development or a focus on doing more with less (or that great phrase - working smarter).
Before you know it you are slap bang in the middle of a scarcity mindset taking hold.
“Scarcity is the voice of never enough time, money, love and attention…… ”
About 6 months into working for myself I found myself in that exact situation. I was worried about making the rent, worried if I’d ever have enough money to pay for the necessities. It was teaching me a lot about finance, budgeting, privilege and the pitfalls of a scarcity mindset. Would there be enough, very quickly became, am I enough? Then I started chasing the money. That approach had no alignment with my values or purpose, so a spiral of disconnected decisions, thinking and actions followed.
Finding myself in a dark pit, I pulled on what I needed and the actions to take when I was in a dark place. (This is the impact of doing that work before you are in the pit but that’s a story for another day). I slowly saw the light and my thinking, actions and anxiety-driven decisions eased away.
Then about 8 months later, I was also facing a ‘will there be enough’ moment. I really didn’t know where the next pay-check was coming from. Yet, this time, my thinking was different. The way I handled the situation called on the lessons I’d learnt and the conversation I’d had a few months earlier. I had learnt the lesson of leaning into an abundance mindset.
The dangers of a scarcity mindset in healthcare impact us as individuals and also influence how teams work. It means that we look inward, not outward. We become hyper-protective of what we do have and are unwilling to share. We compete for resources rather than working collaboratively, making the best use for everyone.
Rather than different professional groups working together, silos get stronger, cooperation and patient focus decreases. You hear phrases like ‘their patients’ rather than ‘our patients’.
The phrase and ideas around an abundance mindset were originally shared by Steven Covey in his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The 4th Habit - Think Win-Win, talks about the character attributes required and an abundant mindset is one of those.
I love (and frequently quote) the pie analogy that he uses when describing an abundant mindset. With a pie, there are a limited number of pieces to go around. You better grab your piece of the pie, or you’ll miss out (that’s the scarcity mindset in action). In contrast, the abundant mindset knows that it’s not a pie at all, that there is enough. This mindset flows from a confidence and security that comes from within. This is personal development work to do.
It’s easy enough at times of change, uncertainty, and disruption to find yourself in a scarcity mindset way of thinking. We know that our survival instincts kick in at times of fear and we look inward, not asking for help or thinking about others.
So what do we do?
The way out of the pit for me was two-fold. Gratitude and connection. Sharing how I was feeling with those who understood, being vulnerable in how I was thinking and how the business was going. I made new and strong connections in that time along with building on existing relationships. Calling on the wise tribe in my life.
As for gratitude, I think it gets a rough ride. Labelled as ‘fluffy’ in the ‘soft skills’ bucket and a ‘nice to have’. A practice of gratitude is a leadership habit that sustains you and builds a positive mindset, leaving you equipped to deal with the challenges, context and uncertainty swirling around you.
