Congrats to our newest coaches at Republic Bank Grenada

Congrats and best wishes to our newest Transformational Coaches. The leadership team at Republic Bank Grenada spent two full days learning and practicing the principles of Transformational Coaching (see http://www.craneconsulting.com/ for more information)! It was an amazing experience to see the growth and development of this spirited, dedicated and caring group of people who have committed to putting their skills into action! AND we had tons of fun!!!

Yes We Can

US President Barack Obama has proven to the world what he believed all along when he used as his mantra “YES WE CAN”. In his inauguration speech he made a call to Americans to once again believe in their ability to accomplish great things against all odds and in the face of many adversities.

Well, I simply must say that Jamaicans as a people can teach many a lesson in accomplishing mighty feats despite all odds, and I dare say, be inspired to continue to do the same even now as the mother of all crisis appears to be upon the world.

· Havn’t we recovered from Gilbert?
· Havn’t we too survived many a financial crisis?
· What about our musicians?
· Our athletes?
· Our scholars?
· Our Entrepreneurs and Business moguls?

We are all too familiar with the immense challenges faced in all these arenas and yet look at the accomplishments of for example - Bob Marley, Merlene Ottey, Courtney Walsh, Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt, Thalia Lyn (Island Grill), Douglas Orane (GraceKennedy), Wayne Chen (Super Plus), Donna Duncan-Scott (JMMB), and Professor Rex Nettleford to name just a few.

We are resourceful people. We only have to look at a group of children at play to see just how resourceful we could be.

Earlier this week on my way from work, I was sitting in a long line of traffic on the outskirts of the community of Southborough when I saw a group of boys donned in school uniforms playing a vigorous game of football. They were playing in a very narrow strip of ‘dust’ near the road. My first thoughts were that these boys had no regard for their uniforms and school shoes as they tussled around in the dirt – not a care in the world. I then thought about how dangerous it was to be playing so close to the road. I realized my concern was misplaced as they were quite skillful and the game was very much under control. But wait, I only then realized that their football was an empty plastic soda bottle – all flattened out and gnarled. Mind you, their moves were no less dexterous and intense. Well, I had to keep looking. Then I noticed that one boy was sitting on the ground while the others played seemingly around him, kicking up no end of dust in the process. Again, my motherly instincts kicked in and I was appalled. I studied the boy on the ground wondering why on earth they were kicking around him like that and why he was sitting on the ground. As I shifted my view to the wider group I realized that there was another boy sitting on the ground and it became apparent to me that these two boys on the ground were no less than - the goal posts!!

I just had to laugh. It was amazing to me. And I thought ……….. imagine, look at how they just made do with what they had. They were so happy and uncaring, enjoying their game. Why can’t we adults do the same? We wallow in self pity and pessimism– oh we don’t have the money, the technology, the manpower, it’s too risky, too messy, etc. etc. etc.

Oh to be like a child again! Why don’t we call on those childlike qualities that I’m sure still reside in us - imagination, creativity, hope, persistence, spunk? I’m sure if we all were to adopt a childlike “yes we can” attitude, we can survive any crisis that we now face or may face in the future.

New Vision and Focus drives new business planning at Air Jamaica

Air Jamaica has been bleeding the country dry for many years. We have seen several “business plans” to rescue the organization. For the very first time however, there appears to be a transformational business plan as the organization has decided to cut several routes, including the once untouchable Miami route, reduce the number of planes from 15 to 9; and drastically cut staff at all levels. Why has it taken so long for Air Jamaica to take this decision? Why after years and years of losing money is the declining economic environment being used to justify the decision?

I believe the focus of Air Jamaica has changed, and the new business plan reflects the change in focus. For many years we were led to believe that Air Jamaica was absolutely necessary to the survival of the tourism industry and therefore business plans were developed to support the tourism industry. Now that Air Jamaica is about to be divested, the focus has shifted from the survival of the tourism industry to the survival of Air Jamaica as an entity in and of itself, hence the seriousness of the new business plan.

This provides a lesson as we look at the business and operational plans around our public sector. In the private sector, the Vision and focus are on wealth creation and shareholder value, hence business plans are quite clear and by extension most employees are clear on what needs to be done. Most persons in public sector organizations, as stated by the Prime Minister himself at last year’s Productivity Conference, are not clear on the Vision, purpose and focus of the respective organization. The result is that business plans have no clear context and organizational shortfalls result.

Consumers muust be given full information

At a recent press conference, Minister Karl Samuda highlighted findings by the Consumer Affairs Commission (CAC) regarding the price ranges of various basic food items. On more than one occasion, the Minister used the term "worst" to describe what is the highest price and in my mind has inadvertently sought to prejudice the purchasing decisions of consumers.

While price is indeed an important factor in making a purchasing decision, it is by no means the only one. Others such as cleanliness, convenience, accessibility, range, customer service and an overall shopping experience are all important as well. Each customer will therefore take all these factors, including price, in mind and then make a decision as to which is the best price. If the Consumer Affairs Commission claims to act on behalf of the consumer, then I believe the CAC ought to provide more than simply pricing information. The Minister is therefore way off track in using the term "worst price" to describe the "highest price" and in this instance I agree with Super Plus boss, Wayne Chen that the Minister had no right in adding editorial comments to what was essentially a very limited survey.

Anger Management

As a child I learnt a catchy little chorus in Sunday school –

“Root them up
Throw them behind
Four little foxes that spoil the vine
Anger, jealousy, malice and pride
They must never in my heart abide.”

I had occasion to remember these timeless words of wisdom recently when I let anger abide in my heart – as I often do - and faced the unpleasant consequences – as I often do. This time was different though, because this time I promised myself that I will root it up and throw it behind. I decided that I must and will learn from my past mistakes and those of others (if only I had heeded Camille), and grow!

Recently an incident occurred in which I became extremely angry. I must tell you that I felt quite justified in becoming and remaining angry for as long as I pleased because the other party was clearly and unequivocally in the wrong. So why then after the incident, was I, the right one, left nursing an excruciating stomach ache and a feeling of remorse, which disrupted and spoilt my entire evening? This really made me think. At first I chided myself and then, I made a decision not to dwell in self derision, but to learn from my mistakes and move on as Camille reminded us recently in her blog. So move on I did. It was no coincidence to me, of course, when the message at the very next Sunday’s church service was about, guess what –ANGER.

My reaction to this incident is typical of how uncontrolled anger works:

I started to breathe heavily and tremble and could hardly speak. What I did say was spoken in very acid tones and emphasized with dramatic body language. After the ‘guilty’ party left did I calm down and go about my business? Oh no! After all, I was so right and by now I had really worked up some steam so I just had to use it up. I spent the next thirty minutes or so telling everyone who would listen just how angry I was and relating the incident over and over, and over. I felt proud of myself because I had blown my top for a good reason. Eventually I was in so much pain, that I just could not be productive and had to abandon what I was doing. I was officially in a bad mood, and justifiably so.

There you have it – my uncontrolled anger impeded my judgment and ability to think and act rationally. Had I remained calm and rational, I would have put into practice all that I know and teach others about resolving conflict. The conversation would have gone very differently. I would have made it clear that I was offended and why and come to some resolution. I would not have wasted so much of my time and others’, and spared myself hours of pain and anguish.

My reflections on this incident and the sermon have indelibly etched the following truths in my mind:

It’s natural to become angry. I must decide how I will deal with my anger.
Uncontrolled anger has a cost which I cannot afford – time, relationships, health etc. Proverbs 29:22 sums it up nicely - “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife and gets into all kinds of trouble.”
If I am to control my anger I must allow myself to cool down and become less agitated and emotional before reacting. I must reflect to decide on the appropriate response. Proverbs 29:11 says “A fool gives free reign to his anger; a wise man waits and lets it grow cool.”
I must then respond appropriately.

You may have a similar challenge either in your personal life or at work. For instance, as teams work together conflict inevitably arises at some time or another. Team members become angry with one another for various reasons and if anger is not controlled and issues resolved, the desired results could be jeopardized. It suits us therefore to resolve and learn to control our anger and help our team members to do the same.

Once we have crossed the first step and resolved to control anger, it is important to have skills and tools that enable us to reflect and respond appropriately. As I said earlier I know of very effective methods to resolve issues but sometimes fail to use them. When I do use them I have found it extremely effective. For example I have been trained in and train others in the principles, techniques and tools of transformational coaching developed by Thomas Crane of Crane Consulting www.craneconsulting.com and author of the book “The Heart of Coaching”. Growth Facilitators has been partnering with Tom for the past few years.

We believe that teams who embrace coaching are better equipped to deal with conflict because they have the dialogue skills to more quickly resolve issues before they become worse, and to heal poor working relationships. Dialogue is the heart of the Transformational Coaching approach and is described as “the respectful, two-way, open ended flow of communications that balances listening and speaking for the purpose of learning.” In the Transformational Coaching Workshop, participants explore the nature of true dialogue, and learn and practice several techniques for engaging in effective dialogue in varying situations.

Consider for example how understanding and practicing the following truths about dialogue can assist in responding appropriately when angry. One could use dialogue to learn rather than using words to protect – whether it is your rights, pride, or position of power. So for example I would listen to understand rather than to argue, and clarify with questions instead of setting out to prove wrong.


I have taken the first step. I have resolved to manage my anger. I already possess the skills and tools in transformational coaching. Practice makes perfect - the next step is to use them!

If this is a challenge for you as well, please join me and manage your anger. We can do it – “yes we can”!

We must earn our way in this world

Jamaica purportedly gained independence nearly fifty years ago on August 6, 1962. However, with the recent ascendancy of Barack Obama we are again reminded that deep in our national psyche is DEPENDENCE, not independence. Most commentator and politicians speak about what Mr. Obama will do to help the Caribbean, specifically Jamaica. Even if the USA were to open its markets completely, with what would we fill that new demand? It is this mendicancy that will forever keep us in poverty.

When will Jamaica learn that we must earn our way in this world? When will we realize that the level of remittances inflows into a country is directly proportional to the level of poverty and that remittances do not impact GDP? When will we stop looking for project funding simply because we want the funding and not the project? Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yu in Singapore insisted his country wanted trade not aid, and as such searched out and garnered investment which makes Singapore's economy producing over US$30,000 per capita, compared to our US$4,500+ per capita.

Jamaica will only transform away from mendicancy if we do so individually in our own lives. Let us search out ways to add value. Let us choose to market ourselves. Even as full time employees let us see ourselves as marketing our skills and intellect to those those who demand it, so we then see our salaries as returns on our investments in ourselves. Jamaica can and will do better

Unsung heroes in the workplace

Our usual way of thinking in the workplace is that THE most important person in the organization is The Boss. Really? If you have a team that has the same focus, values, goals, determination, then each member is important. We have this at Growth Facilitators and I really do believe we gel well as a team. We support each other in our work and personal needs – if someone is out sick, we happily allow that team member to recover and assist with their work for that period.

But there is one person who can put a spoke in our operations, and I bring this to light because this position is often overlooked and not acknowledged. This person is Our Driver, our beloved Mr. Smith. The office grinds to a halt when he is not there, not only because of WHAT he does, but because of the dedication and love with which he does it. We get confused, collections and deliveries go awry, tasks do not get done, children do not get picked up on time – all in all, we get very un-productive. We scurry around to do what he does so well and we are flustered, yet he always remains calm!

The Unsung Hero of the workplace is the Driver/Bearer who literally keeps the wheels turning and balances and manages everything “outside on the road”. This is why we welcome all drivers and bearers to our office with smiles and pleasantries, an offer of a glass of water, coffee sometimes, if he has to wait, a smiley sticker to acknowledge them, a bit of candy from our jar at the front desk. We offer this welcome generally, but Drivers/Bearers are really special people. Hit the road between 12:00 and 3:00 pm (actually any time at all!) – you lose patience, you are bad-driven, you are hot and bothered, and you have to drive at 20 mph crawling along in traffic. Yet they show up at the office with bright smiles and pep in the step!

A year ago, I had a terrible run-in with a delivery person a week before Christmas. He was impatient as my documents were “not quite ready” and we argued and I thought he was rude and on and on and on. It was so bad that he thought I would report him and he would lose his job. Then I caught myself – I imagined what he must be encountering on the road late in December, with other clients who may delay him on his route. I put myself in his shoes and honestly forgave him (and myself) to myself and let it go. The next time he came by a couple months later, I acknowledged that we had not had a productive encounter, but all was well….and I put a smiley sticker over his heart and wished him a good day. We all laugh now when he comes….and he always gets a sticker over his heart!

So, I urge us not to take the Mr. Smiths of the road for granted. We need to respect what they do and acknowledge them in the way they perform. Let’s not keep them waiting because WE have more important things to do……after all, when there is no Driver/Bearer, who wants to go to the Tax Office or bank at the end of the month? Volunteers please!

Arts and education

As I stood jammed tight in a crowd of swooning, crooning women outsinging Lionel Ritchie at last night’s Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in Montego Bay, I had a thought: “What if we were to use music to educate Jamaican children?”

Throughout his show, Ritchie had stopped and stared incredulously at the audience that knew every word of every song he sang, every pause, inflection and nuance of the recording – from the first note to the last, the audience knew it. There is something about music that makes us remember and recall, that makes us feel good and connect emotionally. No one last night had time to fuss or fight – all were caught up in the music of the moment, for almost two hours of rapture and bliss.

I got deeper insight this morning when I opened an e-mail that detailed a program in Venezuela called El Sistema. The article reads in part:

In the poor hillside neighborhood of Chapellín and at nearly 250 other locales throughout this nation, tens of thousands of young Venezuelans are learning to play classical music and to make art a permanent cornerstone of their lives. They're the latest recruits of El Sistema, or the System, a 34-year-old program that many regard as a model not only for music instruction but for helping children develop into productive, responsible citizens.

El Sistema is the brainchild and lifelong spiritual mission of José Antonio Abreu, 69, an economist and politician. When he started the program in the early 1970s, with 11 children and a handful of volunteers operating out of a garage, a few skeptics scoffed at the idea of imparting classical music to the disadvantaged. Today, around half a million children are enrolled in El Sistema's training centers, called nucleos, and the program has been copied throughout Latin America and in Europe. "Art education is an essential component of the educational system," says Abreu, a deceptively soft-spoken man with the fiery social conscience of a Jesuit reformer, speaking at El Sistema's central offices here. "It cannot be a peripheral element. It's not possible that a child would have access to an arts education as an option, by accident or out of charity. Because an aesthetic formation is that which touches our sensibility. Art and religion influence, definitely, the formation of our values."

The Jamaican education system is woefully lacking in attention to the arts. Few schools have meaningful music programs, where children are trained in the rudimentaries of music. There is only one tertiary institution devoted to the arts. Art is a viewed as a subject for those who don’t have the “smarts” for science. There is little or no incorporation of the God-given human talent for artistic expression and creativity in the pedagogy. It is chalk and talk. No sing, dance, draw, play and learn.

I have read that there is a neurological similarity between math and music i.e. the brain functions and uses the same patterns for learning math as for music. My actuary friend once explained it somewhat simplistically to my math-challenged, yet music-loving mind that music is all about rhythm and pattern and so is math. Big learning for me!

My mind has been running wild all morning – could we teach spelling and reading by singing? Could we teach math through music and biology through dance? Could we teach English and Geography through art? History through drama? I am not a trained teacher, which may be why I feel free to ask such questions. As I watch and listen to my 13 year old son who is totally demotivated by the boredom and drudgery of his sedentary curriculum-bound teachers, learn every popular song word for word in no time flat, I somehow believe that this could be a missing link in true, abiding education of our nation’s children.

I am further fascinated by Sr. Abreu’s statement: "an aesthetic formation is that which touches our sensibility. Art and religion influence, definitely, the formation of our values." Could the much touted decline of values in our society have anything to do with the decline, or indeed absence of and inattention to the arts in our society? Could the aggressiveness, the intolerance and the violence in our society possibly be related to the lack of "aesthetic formation"?

We need to ask different questions about our education system. We need to stop asking questions like "What’s wrong with the children of today" and "Why can’t boys sit still and learn" and "Why are girls outperforming boys" and instead ask questions about what motivates and engages our children, what interests them, how we can build on that and redesign our education system around those responses. Our children are already learning – if we want them to learn different things, then we need to use the approaches that engage and inspire them. I would love them to feel the same bliss and rapture that Lionel Ritchie's audience felt last night as they are being educated. Then, they will be truly motivated - not by others, but by their true inner selves.

The quality of our questions

Growth Facilitator, Robert, was a guest on a radio programme Wednesday evening along with the Cabinet Secretary in the previous government. He reported to me, for as usual I was not listening to the radio, that the former Cabinet Secretary was speaking about what the current government needs to do in terms of holding public sector employees accountable. After awhile, somewhat exasperated, Robert blurted out "Then why didn’t you take these steps when you were in power"? The radio host "shushed" Robert and quickly changed the course of the conversation.

This is something we have been noticing - that whenever someone attempts to ask an official of the previous government why they did not do what they are now advocating, it is seen as a personal, unfair and even rude attack. As I reflected on this instance, it occurs to me that Robert’s question wa neither rude nor disrespectful, but was actually very important in opening the door to learning and improvement. If the question had been answered it would have revealed the issues that hindered the previous government from taking the necessary steps for accountability. To the extent that those situations still exist, then it would be important learning about the key to solving the problem today. Failure to ask and answer questions like these mean that we are forever doomed to ask the same questions, at the same level without the benefit of insight. And we know that if we keep on doing the same things, we will certainly get the same results - no surprise therefore that our country continues to run with very little accountability!

Questions are the tool of the facilitator. We are trained to ask insightful, meaningful, relevant and probing questions. The question is where the expert facilitator begins. At Growth Facilitators we spend many hours pondering the right Focus Question for a workshop. We know that we could design a very successful workshop in terms of answering a question, but if the question is the wrong one, then we would have wasted everyone’s time. Without the right question, one will surely get the wrong solution (if any at all). Flowing from the Focus Question is a series of other questions that take the participants into deeper and deeper thought and probing. Sometimes the questions are tough and uncomfortable - but that is when the big breakthroughs occur!

One of my favourite quotes that guides my life is by Anthony Robbins, the reknown motivational guru: "The quality of your life is determined by the quality of the questions you ask". As individuals and as a nation we need to improve the quality of the questions we ask. We need to ask questions that incite and invite, that challenge and probe, that stop us in our tracks, that blow us away, that leave us speechless. The answer to such questions is not about blame, recrimination or vindictiveness – the answer is about deepening our learning, growing our minds and developing the capability and capacity to significantly improve our lives. That’s how we build a nation – by asking, and answering, the tough questions.

Don't let fear hold you back

As I consider why I have not achieved some of the things I wanted to over the past year I realize that in most cases if not all, I have been dogged by fear. I either did not begin or gave up because of fear of failure, fear of what others would think or say, even fear of success and having to maintain a particular standard. Fear, fear, fear.

The interesting fact is though that in most cases my fear was the only real challenge and turned out to be quite unfounded. Fear is natural and in some cases necessary for self preservation. To fear therefore is human. How one handles fear is what is important. If not faced, fear could actually create problems and hold you back. Unbridled fear stifles creativity, makes you panic which often prevents critical thinking. Unbridled fear simply paralyses.

When I have confronted my fears and chosen to act despite them I have proven over and over that:

1. The "problem" really was not as huge as I had thought
2. I was quite capable of handling whatever I was dreading
3. It is quite o.k. to be afraid, greater men have been afraid. But it does not end there. I must act despite the fear. It requires courage to rise above fear and to act
4. Once I decide to act, I find the means to overcome and to succeed
5. A little encouragement from people whom you trust and who believe in you really helps
   

For example In my work at Growth Facilitators I was introduced to group facilitation as a profession in which one develops and utilizes facilitation skills, tools and techniques to effectively enable group work and decision making. Although I was trained by capable professional facilitators and understudied them, when the time came for me to certify as a professional facilitator I actually put it off for a full year because I was afraid. I did not think I was ready or that I could do it. I was just petrified.

I was all set to defer it for another year but my co-workers would have none of it. They reminded me of my accomplishments and capabilities and encouraged me to step up to the challenge. Sooooo last year I took the plunge. Was I afraid? YES! But I did it and I am now an internationally certified Facilitator.

Naturally, I still am challenged daily with being fearful, but as I journey through life and continue to learn to overcome fear, I encourage you to join me as I encourage myself and you to:

• Stop looking for the problems........ seek out the opportunities and see the glass as half full and not half empty
• Believe in yourself - you either have the capability or can get it
• Don't be too hard on yourself. Accept your fear. If you succumb to it, forgive yourself. Be hopeful and remember that "God's mercies never come to an end but are new every morning". Move right on to your next challenge.
• Surround yourself with people whom you trust and who believe in you
• Do what you have to do - ACT!!!

God's richest blessings

The best year ever

The best year ever

We recently conducted a poll on this blog, the results of which are below:

What's your outlook for your business for 2009?

Best year ever - 53%
Similar to 2008 - 15%
Somewhat worse than 2008 - 23%
Catastrophic - 7%

As the eternal optimists, we at Growth Facilitators are happy to see that over 50% of those who responded agreed with the GF team that 2009 will be the best year ever for their organization. I wondered about this level of optimism - is it blind faith and hope, denial of reality, ostrich head in the sand type of thinking that simply deludes us into believing this? Or is there something more at work here that is giving us this hopeful energy?

I received an insight last night in an e-mail from a treasured client (and all our clients are treasured and loved by Growth Facilitators). In her e-mail my client was updating me on the steps they have taken over the past two months to deal with the economic crisis. They have reorganized, released some people, cut unnecessary expenses. In short, they have taken the steps to streamline their business that they know they should have taken, but were able to delay and procrastinate about, the "good times" being a great mask for taking action. When business is thriving and revenues are growing, it's so easy to say "tomorrow". What the current crisis is forcing us to say is "NOW"!

What I observe from my client’s e-mail is that taking the action was a lot easier than they thought it would be, and has proceeded relatively smoothly, with results far sooner than they expected. Also with some unexpected results - my client noted that "The conversation at meetings has really become more productive" and "Interestingly we've never had such a smooth running Christmas before". No wonder she started her e-mail with "It will be a wonderful New Year".

And that’s the real truth of the matter - whatever we declare 2009 to be, it will be. If we declare that 2009 will be the best year ever for our organizations, we will take decisions and actions that are in line with this. If we believe that 2009 will be catastrophic for our organizationa, we will take decisions are actions that are in line with this.

In Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2, Shakespeare wrote:

Hamlet: What have you, my good friends, deserv'd at the hands of Fortune, that she sends you to prison hither?

Guildenstern: Prison, my lord?

Hamlet: Denmark's a prison.

Rosencrantz: Then is the world one.

Hamlet: A goodly one, in which there are many confines, wards, and dungeons, Denmark being one o' th' worst.

Rosencrantz: We think not so, my lord.

Hamlet: Why then 'tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. To me it is a prison.

We can decide right now what 2009 will be - and what it will be has nothing to do with the external environment, and everything to with the "thinking that makes it so".

Losing your cool

I lost my cool today. I was two minutes away from a knock down, fist down, smack down, drag out, stone-throwing, hair pulling brawl in the parking lot where my office is located. After giving a woman a great serving of a piece of my mind, I stormed back to my office. Upon seeing me seething, hyperventilating, ready to turn green, rip my clothes off and transform into the incredible hulk, my colleagues approached me with concern, fright and trepidation, wondering what had gone wrong since they last saw me two minutes ago.Between gasps for air, I relayed my story twice (not once – twice), re-iterating that “that woman has a nerve!” Then something happened that stopped me in my tracks. Marguerite burst out laughing! Her infectious laughter eventually got everyone (including me) laughing. Then it occurred to me – I choose how to react to ANY and EVERY situation that I am faced with. Today I chose an unconscious response – to let that woman have it! Quite frankly it would have been easier for me to laugh at the situation as it unfolded at the time. The effort that it took for me to get so worked up was overwhelming. I actually felt tired after I calmed down.While I work on living consciously and in the moment, I acknowledge that I selected the wrong response today. I will not beat or chastise myself for my actions today. I just acknowledge that it happened and move on, for as I spend time chastising myself, I will miss a whole other experience that is likely to bring me joy and laughter in the present.

That Little Voice

I have been chasing the cold/flu away at home for the past 2 days.....my main weapon is nasal saline drops. Just last night, I looked at the bottle, which is the same as my cosmetic olive oil bottle almost beside it, except labelled, and That Little Voice told me to move one or the other to prevent accidental use. Well, this morning, I barely caught this accident before it was to happen - olive oil instead of saline drops!

And it caused me to think - how many times personally and professionally do we ignore That Little Voice and perhaps have accidents or miss opportunities?

This is a new year - it is time to listen to our inner selves in everything we do....heed That Little Voice and stay tuned in!

Personal goals - at work

The Growth Facilitators team had a wonderful session yesterday expertly designed and facilitated by Camille. The objective of our 3 hour workshop was to develop our personal objectives for the year. Camille took us through a process of identifying what we wanted to achieve in five areas:
1. Health and fitness
2. Money
3. Professional
4. Relationships
5. Me!

We each experienced various levels of difficulty doing the exercises, but the challenges and the sharing brought forth many insights. We all left the workshop "fired up" (to quote Robert).

Now, you may ask, what do our personal objectives have to do with Growth Facilitators' performance? Answer? EVERYTHING! For when we are achieving, fulfilled and satisfied in our "personal" lives, we are much, much more productive and effective when carrying out Growth Facilitators' work.

For example, facilitation is a physically taxing activity. Doing a one-day workshop means that we are literally on our feet for the entire day. We rarely sit, and are constantly walking around, taking care of the needs of the entire group. We would have been up very early in the morning, for we have to be at the venue at least one hour prior to the start of the workshop. And at the end, when our clients have left, we have at least another hour of packing up and documenting notes. A one-day workshop represents ten to twelve committed hours of physical work on the day - not to mention of course all the preparation that went into the workshop in the days prior. So, it is very important that the Growth Facilitators team be healthy and fit. It is hard to keep our workshop participants' energy up if ours is flagging because we are sick, unfit or burned out.
The other question you may pose to us is why do this exercise together, for aren't our personal objectives our business and no-one else's? There was a wonderful energy of love and support in the workshop. We were not pressured to share our objectives, but some of us did. We also felt empowered to ask for the help and support of the team. For example, most of us set objectives around eating more healthily or losing weight. Critical to our achieving this is the support of Elaine, who stocks our kitchen. "No cookies please Elaine", we asked as she headed out to the supermarket.

So powerful was this workshop for us individually and as a team, that we have decided to offer it to our clients. We feel sure that your team members will benefit from the focus, support and the energy of the team, and that these benefits will undoubtedly result in much improved organizational performance.

Realigning Government to achieve the 2030 Vision

There have been numerous voices calling for Prime Minister Bruce Golding to reshuffle his Cabinet in the New Year. Most, if not all, of these calls have been in the context of real or perceived poor performance by several Ministers. There is an old adage which says that organizations should not be designed to fit persons; rather that persons must fit within organizations. I would like to take a different approach therefore and recommend how the Prime Minister needs to realign the Government Ministries to better support the achievement of the 2030 Vision of Jamaica being the best place to live, work, raise a family and do business.

Why does Government Exist?
There have been many theories put forward over the years on the purpose and role of Government. There has also been much confusion within our own administrations on the role and purpose of Government. At the 2003 Government/Private Sector Summit at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, then PM Patterson had no definitive answer to PSOJ President Peter Moses when the latter asked the former to clarify the role of Government. At the recent Productivity Conference, current PM Golding said that if 1,000 public sector employees were asked about the roles and purposes of their respective organizations, chances are that very few identical responses would be forthcoming. The best definition that I have seen is that crafted by Thomas Jefferson et al and included in the United States constitution. It reads in part “…all men were created equally and were endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights – the right to life; the right to liberty and the right to the pursuit of happiness. It is in order to secure these rights that governments were created among men.” If we indeed accept this fundamental definition, then Government is really the premier human rights organization in Jamaica.

Translating Government Purpose to Broad Functions
We can then break down the securing of rights into various broad functions as follows:

1. Right to Life may be protected by effectively ensuring safety and security of every individual through the provision of external defence of the country and locally the protection of life and property

2. Right to Liberty may be protected by ensuring that Justice is administered effectively, efficiently and without any bias; and that human development opportunities are available and accessible to each and everyone

3. Right to the pursuit of happiness may be protected by the provision of An Enabling Economic Environment; Supportive Physical Infrastructure and Effective Sectoral Facilitation and Support.


Recomended Ministry Structure to undertake Broad Government Functions
In order to better align it to support the achievement of the 2030 Vision; Government must stick to its policymaking and regulating functions while providing facilitating and supporting services to organizations and individuals. Also, to set the tone for focus and efficiency in the entire public sector, I recommend the following Ministries:

1. Office of the Prime Minister – to include Planning, Development, Information & the Public Service

Safety and Security
2. National Security and Defence

Administration of Justice
3. Justice

Human Development
4. Health
5. Education, Youth, Culture
6. Labour and Social Security

Physical Infrastructure
7. Transportation and Works
8. Energy and Telecommunications
9. Water, Housing and Environment

Enabling Economic Environment
10. Finance
11. Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Investment

Sectoral Facilitation and Support
12. Tourism, Entertainment and Sports
13. Agriculture
14. Industry, Mining and Commerce


Assigning Ministerial Portfolios
The Prime Minister has, in addition to himself as per conventional wisdom, 31 other members of Parliament and 13 Senators from which to choose his Cabinet. The usual approach when a particular Minister is not performing is to transfer said person to a different portfolio; however its highly unlikely that such an underperforming Minister will fare better elsewhere. My personal belief is that underperforming Ministers need to return to the bank benches in the relevant house.

While I wanted to refrain from recommending Ministers for various posts, the fact is that our number one problem in Jamaica is crime; and while its long term solution is multi-faceted; short term solutions must emanate from the Ministry of National Security. We have tried Derrick Smith, Trevor McMillan and, for a short acting period, Dwight Nelson. None of the three have distinguished themselves with the Colonel being the most disappointing. Some commentators are calling for the Prime Minister to handle the portfolio while others are suggesting that Mayor McKenzie be placed in the Senate and given the job. I personally believe that the Prime Minister needs to think and act outside the box as tough times need tough decisions, and offer the Ministry to former Minister Peter Phillips. The Prime Minister must follow the lead of President-Elect Obama’s who has asked President Bush’s Defense Secretary Gates to continue. This would be a huge test of tolerance on both sides of the political divide. They are both asking the citizens to join hands, let them take the lead.

Copyright @ 2009 by Robert C. Wynter

2009 – A new year to renew and refresh self

As the clocked ticked over from 2008 to 2009 last night, I saw the joy on person’s faces around me and on the television. I saw the fireworks from the waterfront afar and from various places around Kingston. I asked myself what is the celebration all about? Are we happy to see the end of 2008 or are we happy to see the beginning of 2009? In speaking to several persons, the majority response is that we should celebrate the completion of another year and hope for things to get better in the New Year. I turned and asked someone: “When was the last time we gave thanks for a great year. He replied: “not that I can remember - we are always dying for the year to finish and hoping for improvements in the New Year.


I guess this is where I have a problem. We drift through life, doing the same thing year in, year out and expect that miraculously a new calendar year is going to be different. Many some persons who make resolutions abandon the promises they make to themselves, because they concentrate on doing something in the New Year. What is required is for us to renew and refresh ourselves. What junk (physical, mental and emotional) in our lives do we need to shed? What is preventing us from really making things happen for us in the New Year? Let us therefore not depend on the change in the calendar but rather depend on the change in ourselves. Let us start with one aspect. Let us find someway to say something appreciative to at least one person each and everyday. Remember also that in all things and at all times let us give thanks to our Creator who gave us life!