Posts tagged Leadership
5 Ideas to Improve Internal Communication
Jan 25th
This post is about improving communication within organizations, but maybe surprisingly, without the use of computers or smart phones. My friend shared with me his challenge, to improve communication of his organization with about 80 people divided into few separate units. I thought for a while, and proposed following.
Let people write on the toilet walls.
1. Pay attention to coffee room and kitchen of the office. Get rid of automatic coffee machines, get some real good coffee and encourage people to spend time drinking good coffee. This may sound crazy, but I believe we are more effective drinking coffee than on our computers by ourselves.
2. Use toilets’ walls creatively as a notice and pin boards with various internal advertisements about on going projects, strategy etc. Use cartoons, illustrations and other easy to understand elements.
3. Organize “No Agenda” dialogue meetings every second week. These are voluntary and could last about 3-4 hrs each, start with a check-in and finish with some kind of check out. Learning dialogue takes time, but if you keep doing this for 3 months I guarantee surprising results.
4. Organize a monthly seminar for the whole unit. This is compulsory for everyone in the organization and should last no more than 2 hours. Program could include music, theater and other more entertaining elements mixed together with presentations about important issues eg. projects and focus points for the next month. Program should be co-created with participants, and you may want to promote tools for creativity such as pecha kucha.
5. Twice a year you could take your people out. Whether it’s just before holidays like we do it, or in the middle of the season, provide everyone opportunity to join this informal gathering. Maybe rent a cabin, or a rural hotel, organize a little seminar to justify the participation, but the main thing really is party together with your colleagues. These are moments where people can cross-pollinate ideas intensively and have fun.
Hit Mr in 2012
Dec 23rd
Intra-pre-neur
More action! That is the core of Monkey Business. What is it that challenges us to do and act more? It can be more money for one, for other it is more challenges – some of us could motivate them through competing with others. On 21st of December, on a very cold and wintery Monday morning Monkey Business sat down started to think about goals and budget for the year 2012, which I have named as following;
“2012 – The Year of Intrapreneurship”
What is the attitude towards entrepreneurship nowadays? What about trying new things, acting before thinking and planning for ages? Experimenting and then maybe even failing? Finnish society hasn’t been so kind and positive towards these. This is something that I feel that has slowly started to change. (Correct me if you think I am wrong?) I heard something recently, and it puzzled me;
- In Finland every 42nd person is considering about becoming an entrepreneur
- In rest of the Europe the average is that every 7th person has at least considered becoming an entrepreneur.
I am not saying that the only route to happiness is to become an entrepreneur – but surely it is an option. I also want to generate discussions around the topic ‘intrepreneurship’. That is what Monkey Business wants to create within organizations. People, who are willing to speak from their hearts, take responsibility and act. Atmosphere, that doesn’t judge failing and mistakes – it’s a pity, that people are afraid to admit their mistakes in organizations. Sharing those would make others to learn from those too! There should be an award in every working space and place named “The Golden Screw Up” – not for encouraging people to fail but for not being afraid making mistakes, either.
I am slowly starting to relax and calm myself towards Christmas – I want to end this year 2011 with the Hit Mr. – theory*, which will be the guideline for us in Monkey Business in the year 2012; (The letters for this theory come from the Finnish words Haasta, Prosessi, Tee, Mallinna, Rohkaise)
- Challenge the process / Haasta prosessi
- Inspiring and shared vision / Inspiroiva (ja jaettu) visio
- Enable others to act / Tee toiminta mahdolliseksi
- Model the way / Mallinna tie
- Encourage the heart / Rohkaise sydäntä
For me the year 2012 will be guided by these five sentences – especially the 3rd and the 5th; Enable others to act and Encourage the heart.
I wish a Merry Christmas for you all who are reading the Monkey Business Blog – I hope to meet many of you during the year 2012 face to face. For the fellow Monkeys I just want to say this Let’s keep it yellow!
*Hit Mr. Philosophy’s main headings have been adapted from Kouzes’ and Posner’s bestseller book The Leadership Challenge
Greetings from Hacienda Itzincab: 1st Day of Exemplar’s Meeting
Mar 20th
Mwalimu of URDT on this QIK MonkeyTV video shares what’s about to happen on the first day.
We are here to learn from one another and yesterday we started by a presentation by ROCA. The story was told by the founder Molly, and the work they are doing is amazing. Building spaces where change can happen. For high risk youth. They work in the city of Chelsea, close to Boston, USA with youth that have big trouble ion their lifes. Suchs as drugs, gangs, violence, guns, teen pregnancy etc. What they do is to build a community and a follow a change process that slowly helps them to change. The story was also a story of struggle and growth of the founder, how she had to change first herself in order for the youth and the police and the officials to change. They use Peace Making Circles, and people can call whenever there is need: “Could we organize a circle?”. It’s the same with our dialogue circle, helps to deal with internal and external. The same with us Monkeys, we need to have our Monday Mornings are for Monkeys in order to keep the alignment and good spirit.
We also started to talk about the challenge and joy of scaling up the efforts and organization. Does the business stand for itself or the founder? asked Jeremy, the founder of Icebreaker. What’s the original intent of the organization? What will happen if the leader/CEO/founder/entrepreneur is suddenly taken away by accident or something?
Another idea what I wanted brought up here was ideas and pondering about leadership. How do we conceive leadership? a)Acting oneself? b)enabling action of others? Or how do we lead in a way that enables learning? Maybe leading loving? if love is to see a person as they really are and not as our projection or self-reflection? Nurturing people’s growth to be the best they can be?
Thanks for all, I feel grateful to be here. Keep it yellow!
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