A little help -- Please
Lisa Heft
lisaheft at openingspace.net
Mon Apr 25 14:41:39 PDT 2005
Hi, Harrison -
The CEO you are going to meet with wrote:
Basically I'm looking for techniques, methods, tools, and or simple ways to
create an open environment of trust within a growing organization.
My Dilemma: How to create a communication environment that's open, listens,
hears, understands, and is responsive? I am looking for practical
executable methods to model these value behaviors within a for profit
business enterprise.
As you know, I worked with the San Francisco AIDS Foundation for some years.
So I am thinking of some of the things we did and some things I imagine we
might have done.
Maybe s/he can think of using a facilitator-type-person as - instead of an
interventionist - an in-house (can be part-time with 'office hours') sort of
a 'nutritionist' / 'body worker' for the organization to keep it well. I
can think of a million things this person could do, from listening to people
and 'coaching' individually (management and front line), to offering,
facilitating and teaching processes for group work, to noting the
environment and how people communicate, to helping the organization
celebrate (and to mourn, as they are working with cancer and people they
know or individual employees themselves may have struggles).
How about holding department meetings every now and then with 2 departments
getting together (for no 'reason' - just to hear what's going on in each and
get to know and appreciate each other more).
How about staff socials where folks get to eat /bring foods of each others'
cultures? And other in-house appreciation meetings that...maybe employees
can give to each other, to teach each other things (from their cultures,
crafts, reading circles, poetry 'slams' [readings], quilting lunches) -
whatever fits into the day where employees can bring their lunch (or be
provided with lunch by the company) and do things together that mixes and
matches and mixes them according to different non-work interests and
passions?
Maybe s/he can think of using someone whose skill is in writing
understandable info as a conduit for sharing information on the latest
science and breaking news, for both employees and the community. Maybe that
person is also available to anyone in the company who would like help
writing more clearly, more carefully, more inclusively, whatever.
Maybe this organization hosts regular Open Space for full-staff meetings,
for Board and staff and volunteers all together, for community meetings.
Maybe s/he ensures that all staff get training in Open Space so they can
rotate facilitation duties.
It seems to me that it is also important to develop interview methods that
analyze which skills in an open position are teachable (so you don't have to
focus on those in an interview - just note whether someone has those skills
or will have to be taught them)...and then the qualities or skills in a
position that the interviewee absolutely has to have inside them...and
design a way to tease that out in the interview process (through role play,
use of graphics, writing or a combination of methods). And having an
interview team with representatives from a cross-section of departments with
a diverse palate of individual cultural experience and from a cross-section
of the organization.
How about quarterly dreaming sessions (where employees imagine what could be
if there were no budget issues?) - there might be great ideas that came out
of this that could influence the workplace and the work.
I also think that really good supervision meetings are helpful - where all
supervisors have been trained in and supported in how often to hold
individual meetings, what to cover, how to collaborate with the employee on
building a 3 month plan based on the job description, the requirements of
the job and the employee's need for growth, in how to document each meeting
in a way that is supportive of both the individual employee and the
company's needs, and so on.
Okay I could go on and on, because it's fun to think of this. But I'll
spare everyone and...stop.
I look forward to hearing what you add to this little list of ours as you
talk to your CEO - truly a wise person...for having found...YOU.
Take care,
Lisa
______________________
L i s a H e f t
Consultant, Facilitator, Educator
O p e n i n g S p a c e
2325 Oregon
Berkeley, California
94705-1106 USA
+01 510 548-8449
lisaheft at openingspace.net
www.openingspace.net
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>From Mon Apr 25 23:12:11 2005
Message-Id: <MON.25.APR.2005.231211.0400.>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 23:12:11 -0400
Reply-To: robyn at litglobal.com
To: OSLIST <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
From: Robyn S Berkessel <robyn at litglobal.com>
Organization: LIT Global
Subject: Re: [12] New York, I am coming :-)
In-Reply-To: <E1DQ9gU-0006xa-00 at smtp05.web.de>
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Hi Marei,
I moved to NYC from Australia to follow my heart - a wonderful German born
man, who is an American citizen living in NYC. I would be delighted to
connect with you to hear your dreams and share experiences, let's see what
comes up. Contact details are below.
Robyn
_____
Robyn Stratton-Berkessel
LIT Global ...connecting the dots
+1 732 291 0462
+1 917 816 5597 (cell)
http://www.litglobal.com <http://www.litglobal.com/>
<http://www.litglobal.com/>
-----Original Message-----
From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Marei
Kiele
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 3:59 PM
To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
Subject: [12] New York, I am coming :-)
And this one didn't make it, either.
_____
Dear friends in open space,
1. As I write this I am still in Bielefeld, Germany. But I am close to
making a big change in my life. To decide about this change I will go to New
York City in May. I will be there from May 1 - 16. And I would love to meet
all the open space people who care to see me. Please email to me now or
while I am there. I am looking forward to hearing from you!
2. Additionally I am asking for the help of everybody on this list: I am
planning to move to NYC. Don't want to go into details now but love is
involved... :-)
What I want to do during my next time in NYC in May is to meet and interview
people to gather information, something like doing market research for
myself. Whoever has heard about life/work-planning, based on the book "What
color is your parachute?" by Richard Bolles already knows what I am talking
about. I want to learn as much and as fast as possible about living and
working in the US. I have a set of questions, an interview guide. Basically
its 6 questions and if necessary these questions can be asked and answered
in 13 minutes.
What exactly is it I am asking for here and now?
If you don't live in NYC or you don't have time in May or you don't care to
meet me... but still care to help me making this big step: Please bring me
in contact with people you know in NYC.
I am interested to meet people who have made such a step themselves. I am
interested to meet people who work in the field of organizational or
personal transformation. I am interested to meet people who share the values
we share on this list (including all the differences among us). I am
interested to meet the people you think I should meet.
(Mmmh, reading this describtion again I chuckled. Only to make it clear:
People I am interested in don't have to meet all these attributes, one is
enough !!).
I know this list is a treasury and I am already very excited about what you
will be willing to share. Please don't hesitate to send me the email adress
or phone number of every person that comes to your mind. I am grateful for
all your answers - and sometimes an idea that first seems to be weird turns
out to be the best.
Thank you very much for your support.
Marei
mailto: mareikiele at web.de
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<TITLE>Message</TITLE>
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<DIV><SPAN class=762580403-26042005><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" size=2>Hi
Marei,</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=762580403-26042005><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif"
size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=762580403-26042005><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" size=2>I
moved to NYC from Australia to follow my heart - a wonderful German born
man, who is an American citizen living in NYC. I would be delighted
to connect with you to hear your dreams and share experiences, let's see what
comes up. Contact details are below.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"
color=#400040><STRONG><EM>Robyn</EM></STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left>
<HR color=#ff8000 SIZE=1>
</DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" color=#400040 size=2>Robyn
Stratton-Berkessel</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif"><FONT size=2><FONT
color=#400040><STRONG>LIT Global ...</STRONG><EM><FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>connecting the dots</FONT></EM></FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" color=#400040 size=2>+1 732
291 0462 </FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" color=#400040 size=2>+1 917
816 5597 (cell)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" color=#400040 size=2><A
href="http://www.litglobal.com/">http://www.litglobal.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Microsoft Sans Serif" color=#800080
size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><A href="http://www.litglobal.com/"><FONT face=Garamond
color=#800080 size=2></FONT></A> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Marei
Kiele<BR><B>Sent:</B> Monday, April 25, 2005 3:59 PM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> [12] New York, I am coming
:-)<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV background-color: #ffffff; background-repeat:repeat; margin-left:0cm;
margin-right:0cm?>
<DIV background-color: #ffffff; background-repeat:repeat; margin-left:0cm;
margin-right:0cm?> </DIV>
<DIV background-color: #ffffff; background-repeat:repeat; margin-left:0cm;
margin-right:0cm?><FONT face=Arial size=2>And this one didn't make it,
either.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV background-color: #ffffff; background-repeat:repeat; margin-left:0cm;
margin-right:0cm?>
<HR>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>Dear friends in open space,</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>1. As I write this I am still in Bielefeld,
Germany. But I am close to making a big change in my life. </FONT><FONT
face=Arial size=2>To decide about this change I will go to New York City in
May. I will be there from </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><STRONG>May
1 - 16</STRONG>. And I would love to meet all the open
space people who care to see me. Please email to me now or while I am
there. I am looking forward to hearing from you!<BR></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2><BR>2. Additionally I am asking for
the help of everybody on this list: I am planning to move
to NYC. Don't want to go into details now but love is involved...
:-) </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>What I want to do during my next time in NYC in
May is to meet and interview people to gather information, something like
doing market research for myself. Whoever has heard about life/work-planning,
based on the book "What color is your parachute?" by Richard Bolles already
knows what I am talking about. </FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>I want to learn
as much and as fast as possible about living and working in the US. I have a
set of questions, an interview guide. Basically its 6 questions and if
necessary these questions can be asked and answered in 13 minutes. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>What exactly is it I am asking for here and
now?</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>If you don't live in NYC or you don't have
time in May or you don't care to meet me... but still care
to help me making this big step: Please bring me in contact with people you
know in NYC. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>I am interested to meet people who
have made such a step themselves. I am interested to meet people who work
in the field of organizational or personal transformation. I am
interested to meet people who share the values we share on this
list (including all the differences among us). I am interested to meet
the people you think I should meet. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>(Mmmh, reading this describtion again
I chuckled. Only to make it clear: People I am interested in
don't have to meet all these attributes, one is enough !!).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>I know this list is a treasury and I am already
very excited about what you will be willing to share.
Please don't hesitate to send me the email adress or phone number of
every person that comes to your mind. I am grateful for all your answers - and
sometimes an idea that first seems to be weird turns out to be
the best.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Thank you very much for your support.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>Marei</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>mailto: <A
href="mailto:mareikiele at web.de">mareikiele at web.de</A></FONT></P><FONT
face=Arial color=#000000 size=2></FONT></DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>* * ==========================================================
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