Accompaniment
Kristen E.M. Gay, Ph.D., President and CEO, Gemma Services
As we all know, a positive culture is so important when it comes to the success of an organization. At Gemma Services, we have spent a lot of time deeply considering our mission and values, and how those inform our day-to-day decisions. This has led to many long conversations about our corporate culture and how we can optimize it.
At Gemma, the concept of “accompaniment” is a central one and is included in our mission statement: Gemma accompanies people of all ages through life’s challenges using individualized, data-informed support. What does it mean to accompany someone? As I think about the different components that make up accompaniment, I believe this concept captures the essence of who Gemma is and how we interact with the children, youth, and families who come to us, as well as how we interact with our fellow employees.
When people think about the word “accompaniment,” many likely think about a singer who is accompanied by someone playing the guitar or piano. That is a good analogy because neither participant is louder or more prominent than the other. They work as a team, each supporting and responding to the other through their unique role. This captures a lot of what accompaniment means at Gemma. We work alongside the people who come to us for support, and they help guide how the work proceeds. We strive to accompany them in a way that feels like help and is help. And we likewise strive to accompany our fellow colleagues in this life-changing work.
One important component of accompaniment is that we do not view ourselves as experts. The people who come to us for accompaniment know more about their strengths and challenges than we do. They know what they need to be successful. Our job is to stay with them through their journey, walking side by side with them as long as they seek our help. Of course, we offer guidance regarding interventions that might help. We also engage in an array of evidence-based practices. But when we engage in treatment or education, we involve people as partners. Clear communication, respect, and support are critical components of accompaniment.
When I think about accompanying our fellow colleagues, an important component is that we aim to not have a “gotcha” culture. Instead, we lean into a culture of learning. We are transparent and seek the truth so we can improve. Consequently, when a colleague makes a mistake, our first reaction is to ask a lot of questions. Of course, there are times when an act is so egregious, especially when it may create a safety risk, that we must take other actions too. But most times, mistakes provide a tremendous opportunity for people to learn and do better going forward. And often, people are eager to do the challenging work of learning and improving. This happens at all levels of the organization and it is as important for our leaders to be open to learning as it is for everyone else. As we do with our clients, we within Gemma walk alongside our colleagues, always striving to learn together and improve our work.
At Gemma, our vision is of a world where everyone knows they matter. Our hope is that by living into true accompaniment, we are leaning into this vision in a profound and meaningful way. And we are creating a culture where this vision can become reality.
I want to end by giving a big shout out to Motus9. They have been fantastic partners in helping us determine our why, how, and what. I credit them with helping us find the language that expresses who we are and how we operate. With their incredible support, we came up with our mission, vision, and values statements, including this amazing concept of accompaniment.
