Tomorrow morning Hope, Heidi and I head off to Georgia for a week. Our first stop will be in Bremen where we will work again with an organization we first worked with last year. This will be our fourth visit there and our last this year. This time we will be doing a variety of things from working hand in hand with many of their front line staff, to providing training on how to use the Stages of Development process to measure performance to helping them develop their corporate values to meeting with a group of families. It will be a busy two days.
Bremen is west of Atlanta, about ten miles from the Alabama line. When we finish Tuesday we will drive to Covington, 40 or 50 miles east of Atlanta. Wednesday and Thursday will be devoted to training two new organizations about our People Power leadership model. We’ll explore what it means to be a values based organization and how to build corporate values into one’s recruitment, orientation, training, supervision, performance review and time management processes thereby building and strengthening the corporate culture.
We will come back Friday, exhausted but exhilarated.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Geat teamwork. It must be luck!
The Delarc Team is amazing. I have never taken it for granted and always expect the best; yet it continues to surprise and delight. It doesn’t matter what the task or situation, they always respond with excellence and they do so with a smile.
Recently they provided a unique experience for a group of local sixth graders, rallied round an individual we support who was going through an extremely stressful home situation and prepared for a Medicaid audit; all while providing top notch service to children and adults in Delaware County and mentoring several other agencies in New York and Georgia. Simply amazing!
The audit will be happening over the new few weeks, so we’ll have to wait to see how that makes out. But the sixth graders were thrilled and the fellow who was having such difficulty is doing fine, the children and adults we support are thriving and the organizations with whom we are working are thrilled.
What makes for such excellence? Sometimes I think we are the luckiest organization ever. And while I’m just superstitious enough not to deny its random power, I have always believed you make your luck.
Inc. magazine, in this month’s issue (April ’09) features an interview with Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and Built to Last. In the interview he says, “I see nothing to contradict the principle that who comes first and what comes second, for a very simple reason: If you cannot predict the what, you have to be able to do a good job with the who, because the what is going to be constantly shifting.”
When he was asked what he meant by doing a good job with the who, he asked the following question. “Do you have a culture of people who A. share a set of values, B. have very clear responsibilities, and C. perform.”
Mr. Collins’ formula has been the one the Delarc Team has been committed to for over 30 years. It was one of the first organizations in the U.S. to put it’s core values, which it calls its Unifying Principles, in writing back in the 80’s. Since then it has methodically built those values into every practice and process and has gone to extravagant lengths to assure all new hires share them.
It transformed all it job descriptions to be outcome not duty oriented. Expectations are further clarified daily through well trained coaches and weekly through individual sit down meetings with their immediate supervisor. Performance is measure through a unique tool it developed called the Stages of Employee Development within the first week of employment, at 30 and 90 days and at least annually thereafter.
Find recruits who share your values, clarify your expectations, provide world class coaching and measure performance objectively and consistently and I guess luck will follow.
Recently they provided a unique experience for a group of local sixth graders, rallied round an individual we support who was going through an extremely stressful home situation and prepared for a Medicaid audit; all while providing top notch service to children and adults in Delaware County and mentoring several other agencies in New York and Georgia. Simply amazing!
The audit will be happening over the new few weeks, so we’ll have to wait to see how that makes out. But the sixth graders were thrilled and the fellow who was having such difficulty is doing fine, the children and adults we support are thriving and the organizations with whom we are working are thrilled.
What makes for such excellence? Sometimes I think we are the luckiest organization ever. And while I’m just superstitious enough not to deny its random power, I have always believed you make your luck.
Inc. magazine, in this month’s issue (April ’09) features an interview with Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and Built to Last. In the interview he says, “I see nothing to contradict the principle that who comes first and what comes second, for a very simple reason: If you cannot predict the what, you have to be able to do a good job with the who, because the what is going to be constantly shifting.”
When he was asked what he meant by doing a good job with the who, he asked the following question. “Do you have a culture of people who A. share a set of values, B. have very clear responsibilities, and C. perform.”
Mr. Collins’ formula has been the one the Delarc Team has been committed to for over 30 years. It was one of the first organizations in the U.S. to put it’s core values, which it calls its Unifying Principles, in writing back in the 80’s. Since then it has methodically built those values into every practice and process and has gone to extravagant lengths to assure all new hires share them.
It transformed all it job descriptions to be outcome not duty oriented. Expectations are further clarified daily through well trained coaches and weekly through individual sit down meetings with their immediate supervisor. Performance is measure through a unique tool it developed called the Stages of Employee Development within the first week of employment, at 30 and 90 days and at least annually thereafter.
Find recruits who share your values, clarify your expectations, provide world class coaching and measure performance objectively and consistently and I guess luck will follow.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Shout It From The Rooftops!
The Arc of Delaware County is totally committed to a positive, proactive approach in our care and treatment of people with disabilties. Unfortunately there are many agencies across the country that don't share our beliefs; please take a moment to check out the link below and you will see just one more example of such. We frequently hear of physical abuses and even deaths of people with disabilites because of the care and treatment they receive by the people whose care they are entrusted to.
Though the information in the link is very troubling to hear, it's important for us to keep this in front of people - it's time for America to get their heads out of the sand and really know what is happening in this country to people with disabilities. Our agency spends a great deal of time and engergy trying to spread the word that there is a better way; our CEO does trainings for any agency in the country who is willing to listen. We need your help though - together we can raise awareness and help people know there really is a better way. I encourage you to help us spread the word - share this information with everyone you know.
I'll leave you with one thought: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101937985
Thank you.
Catherine Tweedie,
Delarc Community Relations Director
Though the information in the link is very troubling to hear, it's important for us to keep this in front of people - it's time for America to get their heads out of the sand and really know what is happening in this country to people with disabilities. Our agency spends a great deal of time and engergy trying to spread the word that there is a better way; our CEO does trainings for any agency in the country who is willing to listen. We need your help though - together we can raise awareness and help people know there really is a better way. I encourage you to help us spread the word - share this information with everyone you know.
I'll leave you with one thought: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." ~ Margaret Mead
Link: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101937985
Thank you.
Catherine Tweedie,
Delarc Community Relations Director
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