Behavioral Blend by Qunerd Alexander

Week 8 Discussion Board

HSER500-D05-LUO

"Prominent Characteristics"

Qunerd Alexander

August 31, 2012

Liberty University Online

August 31, 2012

In this discussion, we will focus solely on prominent characteristics that a human service professional should possess and compare them to the desirables of a Christian. When you think about the responsibilities of a human service professional, so many different characteristics can come to mind; but after watching the video the three prominent characteristics that I believe they should possess are: flexibility, empathy, and patience. Being patience is the most important characteristic because when an individual is dealing with the public and all their problems it's very vital and important; so the human service professional can get a full understanding of the situation and knows exactly how to handle it. Being patient is a necessity to a life of achievement because it is the nature of things and the law of time that you cannot immediately reap where you have sown. In Romans 8:24-25, we were given this hope when we were saved. (If we already have something, we don't need to hope for it. But if we look forward to something we don't yet have, we must wait patiently and confidently.)

Being flexible as a human service professional should always be required because you are dealing with the public and all their baggage; so it's vital to the organization as well as the individual to make sure they get to core of the situation and being flexible is one way of meeting that goal. In fact, flexibility can be a powerful and often underutilized tool for leaders. Requests for flexibility can actually spark other ideas on how to better meet the needs of the organization and increase teamwork and employee effectiveness. A flexible work environment can be the difference between employees that feel energized and ready to go to bat for you and those that feel burned out, unsupported, and ready to walk out the door at the first chance they get. In Proverbs 8:34, it states "Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors".

The last and final most prominent characteristic of a human service professional is known as empathy. Empathy is the understanding of one's feeling instead of feeling sorry for someone. Having empathy enables the human service professional to truly get to know and understand the adversities of an individual and be able to put themselves in their shoes without being judgmental. At the societal level an overall increase in empathy seems likely to be beneficial, but still it is important to understand that too much or misplaced empathy can be