​​“We are ‘those people.’ The truth is… we are the others.  Most of us are only one paycheck, one divorce, one drug-addicted kid, one mental health diagnosis, one serious illness, one sexual assault, one drinking binge, one night of unprotected sex, or one affair away from being ‘those people’...” - Brene Brown

 

A casual conversation and a desire to be “part of the solution” inspired Kirk McCrimmon of N.Able, Inc. to reach out to StepDenver, a residential recovery program that helps 'those people,' men with no resources and nowhere else to turn, take the first step toward recovery.  Kirk is certified to facilitate FranklinCovey workshops, which are based on Stephen Covey’s still best-selling book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”  For almost a year, Kirk has been training residents of StepDenver to live the 7 Habits, principles, skills and tools that Stephen Covey first wrote about in 1990. The program has met with such success it is expanding to the new center, StepSprings in Colorado Springs.

 

Stephen Covey wrote that true success could only be realized through a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, and the habits he espoused included proactive behavior, life management and self-renewal.  Kirk has been facilitating FranklinCovey workshops for almost 20 years and has been offering them to colleagues and other interested parties. One summer, however, one of 'those people,' an acquaintance – a recovering addict -- told Kirk that he was having difficulties making choices, getting everything done and staying focused. The issues the man needed help with dovetailed with what Kirk had been training, so Kirk stepped in to help.  “Replacing bad habits with highly effective habits, I went through the seven habits with him, particularly focusing on putting first things first and using a planner,” Kirk said. “I worked with him to help plan his weeks and days so that he was focusing on what was most important.”  For a recovering addict, the list-toppers are actions that aid recovery. Over a few months’ time, said Kirk, as old habits were replaced by new ones, planning became a habit. “He began focusing on doing things that pertained to recovery first, not putting them off until the next day.”

 

Kirk came to realize that 'those people' who could benefit most from the training often were the ones who had the least opportunity and could least afford it. Organizations that value their workers offer them training and the resources to teach them to be more effective, he said. But the homeless, the recovering addicts and those with criminal records who want to work toward change “are not valued as much by most people,” he said, and therefore do not have the same resources.  He learned that The 7 Habits principles have been taught to inmates at, amongst other prisons, the Fremont Correctional Facility in Canon City. “Instead of wandering the yard seeking first to shiv before getting shoved, Inmates there wander the yard discussing  the principles they’ve been taught like– seek first to understand, then to be understood,” he said. “And the recidivism rate for program graduates is vastly lower compared to those in the general facility population.”

 

Kirk thought if the program could work for inmates, it would also work for 'those people,' homeless, former offenders and recovering substance abusers.  “The quote, ‘You are either part of the solution or part of the problem’ ricocheted around my head for a while,” said Kirk. He decided to be part of the solution.  He formed the non-profit, N,Able then connected with StepDenver, who agreed to give the workshops, synergized to become one of their most popular elective programs.

 

N.Able, which is facilitating the workshops for free, is seeking funding for the costs of program materials. There are several ways for organizations or individuals to donate to the cause, including hosting their own discounted workshops, which will generate funding for the program; sponsoring a participant; purchasing program kits; or giving cash.

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Kirk hopes future programs can be expanded to include more participants and other nonprofit organizations.