What does it mean to be an Advocate?

I have heard and used this term for years, and understood it in part, but in recent months I have thought differently about what it means to be an Advocate. Familiar phrases in my experience have included, “be an advocate for them”, “you need an advocate”, or “you need to advocate for yourself“.

So what does it really mean to be an Advocate?

Here’s what a quick Google search tells me:

These definitions and those that I have heard over time tell me what an advocate does. I have thought of an advocate as a person who takes action on behalf of another, but I think it’s much more than that. I had to dig deeper on this.

Here’s something I found. When we look at the origins of Advocate, I think we uncover the first action an advocate must take. They must summon a voice.

Advocacy is about much more than doing something for another person. We should seek first to understand the cause of another, from their perspective. Only when we understand the cause from the perspective of others can we effectively serve them. Advocates do more than act on assumptions and personal opinion. They are compelled to plead the cause of another because of what they have heard and experienced and what they now understand.

We often think about advocating for those less fortunate than us, but advocacy is not tied to our status. Advocacy is the calling we have to speak and act on behalf of others where we are in a position to amplify or influence their cause. We could help a new person to the team influence change to an old outdated process. We could hear an employee or customer share about a hardship, and rally others around the cause of supporting them. We could make an injustice known, and compel others to pursue the cause with us.

I am asking myself a few questions at this point…  

• Am I truly an Advocate?
• Am I summoning the voice of others and creating opportunity for their voice to be heard?

I hope you are asking yourself some questions as well.