Growth Facilitators

Change

2009-08-23T07:07:00.000-07:00

Growth Facilitators has always stood for progress and change. Sometimes this means departures, separations and endings, but endings are always new beginnings. In this spirit of growth, we wish to advise you of the many changes that have taken place at Growth Facilitators.

Firstly, Marguerite relocated to Canada this summer. Toronto is a plane ride away from Jamaica and the Caribbean, so she will continue to be available for your facilitation, consulting and coaching needs. Look for more of her presence in cyberspace as she builds her Free and Laughing brand!

Robert has started a new firm on July 1, 2009 and will continue to add value to your organization as needed.

Other team members are spreading their wings, doing new and exciting things – new jobs, projects, their own firms. Look for them as they soar!

We are delighted to have been facilitators of choice in the Caribbean over the past eight years, and to have added value to all spheres of society. We are specially delighted to have shared our thoughts with you on this blog and thank you for your comments!

Wishing you all the very best in the future

The Importance of Environment for a Successful Facilitation

2009-05-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

contributed by Sharon Carruthers

The facilitator is not only responsible to ensure that the group achieves the agreed tangible outcomes. Of equal importance, the facilitator ensures that participants feel involved and engaged throughout the process, buy in to the results and are committed to implementing agreed actions – i.e. their experience during the process and how they feel at the end of the process.

Facilitators utilize many facilitation skills and techniques to encourage all group members to participate fully, remain fully engaged, collaborate, effectively deal with conflict and make meaningful decisions in an efficient and effective manner, and gain the desired results. Effective facilitators know that the environment in which the group works is very important to ensuring these results. When group members are relaxed, comfortable, energized, enjoying what they are doing, and feel safe, this stimulates creativity and teamwork, helps generate ideas and keeps participants engaged for as long as is necessary to achieve desired results.

This is why at GF we spend so much time, effort and money on creating and maintaining the right environment. It begins with the selection of the venue. We always recommend that groups come out of their normal office environment and go somewhere scenic and away from distractions. It continues with the layout of the rooms – round tables for collaboration versus classroom style, to the use of ice breakers and energizers, bright colours – (markers, coloured paper), music, table toys, prizes, fun activities and games.

In any GF workshop you will observe laughter, active engagement of all in games and other fun activities, and colours galore. In this newsletter you will see some photos of us at work in creating environments where participants are having fun while working hard.

So as you select a facilitator or seek to enhance your own facilitation skills, consider the importance of creating and maintaining the right environment to the success of the event. A successful workshop is much more than the facilitator just showing up with flipchart and markers!

Facilitation - A Powerful Tool for Group Effectiveness (contributed by Sandra Cooper, CPF)

2009-05-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

One of the realities of organisational life is that groups are needed to do what cannot be done by individuals alone. However, working groups are not always effective. Capable, talented individuals are often frustrated by the myriad challenges unearthed when they come together to get things done, challenges such as:

Long-winded discussions without resolution
Lack of buy-in to group goals and decisions
Domineering leader or group members
Personality differences and clashes causing lack of cooperation
Members giving in to decisions without really supporting them
Decisions, actions and responsibilities not formally recorded, so members “forget” or are not clear about what was said from meeting to meeting

And the list could go on and on. A group is as complex and difficult as the sum total of the problems and people that comprise it. Without skilled leadership and good process management, groups will not be as effective as they could be. More and more organizations are recognizing this and are increasingly drawing on those with facilitation skills to help in addressing this phenomenon.

What is Facilitation?

Facilitation is a form of leading and communicating with the intent of achieving results with maximum creativity, involvement and commitment to a task. It involves the use of a rich and well-defined set of internationally recognised tools and practices that improve group effectiveness by overcoming some of the inherent difficulties of working in groups, and makes the work of the group easier (facile – to make easy), while achieving the best possible results. Let’s look at an example. Meetings are the fundamental way people get together as a group and the arena in which decisions are often made. Yet people complain of spending their lives in unproductive meetings without accomplishing any “real” work. Many organizations have learned over a long history of unproductive and contentious meetings that results don’t happen just by bringing team members together in one room. Anyone who has sat in a meeting that was dominated by one member, that never produced an action plan, that was sparsely attended, or that was punctuated by cell phones ringing every two minutes and team members running out of the room constantly, will agree that meetings need guidance and structure, ground rules, and results. Unless an organization sets out to intentionally cause productive meetings, poor meeting practices become a habit. Facilitators are needed more than ever to help organizations improve meeting productivity by providing focus and structure, managing the meeting environment, addressing disruptions, difficulties or conflict, soliciting feedback and careful recording of the output and results generated by the group.

The Role of the Facilitator

The facilitator’s role is to manage the process and to remain neutral about the content of the discussion. The process is how group members work together and interact with each other and how decisions are made. Content refers to the ideas generated, the arguments proposed, the decisions made and the actions planned. The facilitator takes an active role describing, suggesting, leading and intervening so as to make it easier for the group to complete its tasks successfully. A skilled facilitator continually considers questions like: Are the objectives clear? Are they being adhered to? Is the meeting on schedule? Are people listening to one another? Who talks with whom? Is everyone contributing? Is the energy level of the group high or low? While working with a group, he of she can:

Draw out participation
Encourage dialogue among participants and different points of view
Listen actively and asks others to do the same
Record, organize and summarize input from group members
Move the group through stages of group decision making and consensus
Help the group resolve conflict in a positive and productive way
Encourage the group to evaluate its own progress and development
Protect group members and their ideas from attack or being ignored
Emphasize that the group is a reservoir of knowledge, experience, and creativity and use facilitation skills to tap this resource

Who Can Become a Facilitator?

Just about any professional in an organisation with good communication and interpersonal skills can become a facilitator. Indeed, it makes good sense for team leaders and department managers to develop facilitation skills so as to support their work group in achieving its objectives and in maximizing effectiveness. Teams that need to develop corporate strategies, make decisions, plot technical directions, plan consistent communications messages, or do any of the myriad of other organizational direction-setting activities need a discussion leader. They need a facilitator who can lead them into focused areas of discussion, can assist in recording and clarifying proposals and ideas, can diplomatically move past controversial and unproductive arguments, and can apply a structured process to getting results from meetings. Facilitation is also a skill that every consultant needs to develop, one that produces results for clients in ways that pure technical or subject-matter expertise never could.

Dynamic Facilitation Opens Doors of New Possibility

In today’s economic climate of stretched resources, uncertainty and unpredictability, can you imagine a workplace environment where there is open communication, teamwork and harmonious interpersonal relationships prevailing at all levels of the organization? Such a state of organisational utopia in not as far-fetched as it may seem, indeed, the participative nature of facilitation opens doors of new possibility as:

Employees are more motivated to support decisions made
Maximum participation and involvement increase productivity
Managers and leaders are better able to draw on those they lead as resources, an ability that is critical to organizational success
Everyone has a chance to be influential and useful, and people sense that they are an integral part of a team effort
Organizations can be flexible and produce results more quickly because people are committed to the decisions made
People realise that the responsibility for implementing decisions lies with everyone
Innovation and problem-solving skills are built
People are encouraged to think and act for the overall good of the organisation
Negative effects such as low morale, low involvement, and withholding information from others, as well as attitudes such as “It’s not my job” are less likely

There are so many events and activities that can benefit from the intervention of a skilled facilitator. These include but are not limited to Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Creative Problem-solving, Visioning, Staff meetings, Trust Building and Team Building, Conflict Resolution and Mediation.

Facilitation and the Way Forward

In the future, as more and more organizations come to realize the importance of group productivity and effectiveness at all levels, the role of the facilitator will become increasingly important. The more there is change, the more need there will be for group communication, group involvement and group decision-making. Organizations that want to increase their overall effectiveness might consider developing a core of trained and experienced facilitators drawn from all levels of leadership and available to the organisation to lead and coach teams, design and facilitate important meetings and retreats, and widen the channels of communication and cooperation. Indeed, facilitation skills can be applied by just about anyone; in the family, in communities, in the church, in schools, in government, and in any setting where people with diverse interests, personalities and backgrounds come together to meet, discuss and decide. Facilitators and those with facilitation skills have much to contribute.

Sandra Cooper is a Certified Professional Facilitator and CEO of Partners for Change. She can be reached at sandicoo@cwjamaica.com

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References:
Rees, Frans: The Facilitator Excellence Handbook John Wiley and Sons 2005
Friedman, Rick: The IT Consultant: A Commonsense Framework for Managing The Client Relationship; Jossey Bass 2007

Prime Minister Golding misses the mark in his National Broadcast!

2009-04-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

It is now 8:13 pm Sunday, April 5, 2009. I have just listened to Prime Minister Golding deliver an approximate 11 minute national broadcast ostensibly setting the context and preparing the nation for the 2009-2010 Budget, whose estimates of expenditure are due to be laid at Parliament’s opening on Tuesday. Mr. Golding attempted to lecture us on Macro Economics 101. He was clear that it cannot be business as usual, and we should expect some expenditure cuts. He also spoke at length on the need to implement tax reforms now. I wait with baited breath hoping that huge tax increases are not sold as tax reforms!

The most interesting part of the broadcast was the Prime Minister volunteering to reduce his salary by 15% and asking all Members of Parliaments to do so. While I laud the prime Minister for giving up a portion of his salary, I must remind everyone that salary constitutes a relatively small portion of the cost to maintain the Prime Minister and his fellow Cabinet Ministers. Other costs include entire ministries, travelling etc. Instead, Mr. Golding should have announced a reduction of 15% in the number of Cabinet Ministers and consequently Ministries. There should also be a reduction in the number of State Ministers/Parliamentary Secretaries.

The Ministries would then include: 1) Office of the Prime Minister(OPM), Planning & Development; 2) Finance & Public Service; 3) Agriculture; 4) Education & Youth; 5) Labour and Social Security; 6) Health & Environment; 7) Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade; 8) National Security; 9) Justice; 10) Industry, Commerce & Tourism; 11) Transport & Works; 12) Water & Housing; 13) Energy, Telecommunications & Mining; 14) Information, Culture, Sports & Entertainment. This would mean a reduction from 16 to 14 Ministries. Tourism is added to Industry and Commerce as the Jamaica Tourist Board is the main driver of that portfolio, not the Ministry. Energy can return to Mining & Telecommunications as these were separated to find a job for Minister Derrick Smith after returning from surgery. Only two Ministers without Portfolio are needed: 1 each for OPM and Finance. As the House Speaker is a Cabinet position, this then results in 17 members of the Cabinet, down from 20, which gives us the 15% reduction.

The reduction in Ministries and Cabinet Ministers would send a strong message through the Public Sector that it is not business as usual. Mr. Golding’s idea to take a 15% cut and hope that others will follow suit will have little impact on the overall public sector expenditure. The Prime Minister has clearly missed the mark!

Letter to the Gleaner Editor

2009-04-02T12:26:00.000-07:00

I write in response to the article published in your paper on March 19, 2009 entitled “Non-traditionals trump' established' schools - Top 28% of 'older' institutions”. This article is totally misleading and the Ministry of Education continues to pull a fast one over the general public.

The article claims that “Jonathan Grant, Old Harbour, Denbigh and Lewisville high schools had more than 70 per cent of their subject entries receiving passing grades”. When one examines the data and looks at success rate in Math and English Language it tells a different story. These are the only two compulsory subjects island wide and are therefore best used to compare school performance at CSEC. The success of a school cannot be measured by the pass rate of those who sat the exam; rather it must be of the pass rate of the entire Grade 11 cohort (total number of students in Grade 11 and therefore eligible to sit the exam) as is used in the Task Force Report on Education Reform. In the case of English Language the pass rate varied from 4% at Lewisville to 41% at Denbigh; while for Math it varied from 3% to 17%. Defining the pass rate based on the number of students who actually sat the exam is the Ministry's way of falsely claiming it has achieved anything.

Jamaica’s grades trending, but still not good enough

2009-04-02T11:48:00.001-07:00

Selected data from the National Council on Education (NCE) in Jamaica as well as the Ministries of Education (MOE) in both Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) indicate that Jamaican students lag behind their counterparts from T&T. It is instructive to point out however that while the national results for T&T have been declining since 2001; those for Jamaica have been increasing. The significant dip in Jamaica’s performance in 2004 coincides with the very first GSAT graduates sitting the CXC exams. Attempts to get similar data for Barbados proved futile; however the World Economic Forum has ranked the Quality of Barbados’ Education System at #10 in the world compared to #88 for Jamaica and #46 for T&T.

There are many schools of thought and many methods used to compare the national student CXC performance. One is easily tempted to use the pass rate based on those who registered and sat exams, however this distorts the analysis as in many cases, particularly in Jamaica many students are deliberately not entered and are therefore eliminated from the assessment system very early. Instead, we have chosen to use the total Grade 11 cohort. Jamaica’s Grade 11 cohort was 40,690 in 2004 compared to 22,692 for T&T.

Using non-compulsory subjects such as Information Technology of Physics, again distort the results as there is a natural selection process and many students choose not to take these subjects, yet alone sit the subjects. In certain cases this makes sense as it is deemed a waste of resources entering certain students. Instead we use the results for English Language and Mathematics which are universally compulsory subjects.

While 88% of the cohort registered and sat English in T&T, only 56% did so in Jamaica. 43% of the T&T cohort was successful compared to 31% for Jamaica. While T&T’s performance has declined since 2001 (57% down to 43%); Jamaica’s performance actually increased over the same period (28% up to 31%). Jamaica’s English pass rates in Traditional, Upgraded and Technical High Schools were 64%, 14% and 23% respectively.

A similar comparison holds true for Mathematics. While 88% of the cohort registered and sat Math in T&T, only 46% did so in Jamaica. 41% of the T&T cohort was successful compared to 20% for Jamaica. While T&T’s performance has declined since 2001 (45% down to 41%); Jamaica’s performance actually increased over the same period (16% up to 20%). Breaking down Jamaica’s performance by school category, the data indicate that in both English and Math there were increases over 2001 for the Traditional and Upgraded Schools and a decline since 2001 for Technical schools. Why then are Jamaican students generally performing at a lower level than their counterparts in T&T and ostensibly even more so than those in Barbados? Let us look at Government investment in Education, national policies and other practices.

The World Economic Forum reports that Jamaica’s expenditure on education is one of its 10 best economic strengths, while the quality of its education system is among its 10 worst economic weaknesses. In fact, Jamaica’s economic spend at 5.05% of its Gross National Income (GNI) ranks #36 in the world and #4 in the Latin America region. Barbados spends 6.99% of its GNI ranking #9 in the world and #1 in the Latin American region. T&T spends a paltry 4.01% of GNI ranking #67 in the world and #13 in the Region. The fact that Jamaica’s Quality of Education ranks at #88 suggests that our return on investment leaves very much to be desired. This is quite similar to the poor return on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) as during the 1990’s and early 2000’s Jamaica led the world in FDI with little conversion to GDP growth. The poor returns on FDI and Education expenditure point to inefficiencies in our public sector. We therefore turn to the Education policies in Jamaica and in T&T.

The 2004 Task Force Report on Education Reform in Jamaica and the 2008 National Report on the Development of Education in Trinidad & Tobago indicate several commonalities between the policies of the two countries.

1. The Jamaica 2030 Vision and the T&T Vision 2020 are the respective national contexts

2. Both countries agree that the education systems must be student-centred, with full access and full stakeholder participation.

3. Jamaica stresses autonomy and authority at the school level while T&T’s Report focuses on school-based management.

4. The respective Ministry will focus on policy and Quality Management; while in Jamaica Regional Education Authorities (REA’s) are to provide support to schools.

5. Jamaica’s Task Force Report indicates a shift from funding institutions to funding students.

We were unable to gather the relevant information on how effective T&T has been in implementing its Education policy and will therefore limit the review to Jamaica.

To implement the Task Force Report, both transformational and improvement initiatives need to be addressed. Transformational activities require minimal resources along with national and political will, paradigm shifts and tough decision-taking. Improvement initiatives on the other hand require lots of resources but have very little impact on the education outcomes without any transformation.

The paradigm shift, political will and tough decision-making required to make the Jamaican Education System student-centred, to give individual schools the required authority and autonomy and to hold everyone in the system accountable for performance have not occurred. To be fair, the former and current administrations have made concerted efforts to improve stakeholder involvement and this should continue. However, while significant resources have been spent in restructuring the MOE and establishing supporting institutions such as the National Education Inspectorate, there has been little change in the management of the education delivery. The attempt by the MOE to decentralize and delegate authority to the Regional Authorities was not the intention of the Task Force Report and will not result in Education Transformation. The fact is that while changes are required at the Ministry, transformation needs to occur at the school level.

Jamaica’s poor education performance combined with the fact that Jamaica ranks high on education expenditure is an indication of an inefficient public sector supporting the education system. Secondly, the lack of political/national will, paradigm shifts and tough decision-taking by successive administrations to effectively implement the transformational initiatives outlined by the National Task Force on Education Reform in Jamaica have resulted in dismal CXC performances.

Misunderstanding the Citizens Charter Concept at PIOJ

2009-03-27T14:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I ventured into the offices of the Planning Institute of Jamaica to conduct some research for an article. I had tried getting the information, GDP figures for Jamaica in current prices for the years 2001 – 2008, from the Ministry of Finance website and on the PIOJ website but to no avail. In fact, the Ministry of Finance’s website was much more helpful than that for PIOJ as apparently one has to subscribe to the PIOJ to download anything. I therefore walked to Oxford Road, asked to go to the Documentation Centre to do my research. The Receptionist asked if I had an appointment, to which I responded no as all I need was some data from their reports and if I was shown to the Doc. Centre I would be able to get it on my own. I was then asked to speak by telephone to someone in the Document Centre who insisted I had to first make an appointment. When I told her that as a Customer I feel totally dissatisfied she said that the PIOJ Customer Charter makes it very clear that customers are to make an appointment. When I told her that making an appointment to get information was inconvenient to customer while convenient for the PIOJ she told me I was rude at which point I hung up the phone and left the building.

The PIOJ clearly does not understand what a Customer Charter is. Ministry Paper 56/02 describes the objective of Public Sector Reform in Jamaica as The creation “of an open and impartial public sector, which puts the public’s interests first, and in which valued and respected professionals deliver high quality services efficiently and effectively”. The PIOJ’s decision to make customers make appointments goes contrary to the above definition as our interests are secondary to the PIOJ’s. In developing a Citizen’s Charter, what is required is that customers must be consulted on how best to satisfy them, then to put in place systems to deliver on that satisfaction. There must then be an agreement with the citizens interest placed first. I encourage my good friend Dr. Wesley Hughes, Director General of the PIOJ to rethink this one.

The Value of Strategic Thinking and Decisive Action in Difficult Times

2009-03-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Today we are faced with a serious global economic and financial crisis that, coupled with technology making geographical boundaries virtually nonexistent, have pundits predicting that the global output will decrease for the first time since the Second World War. What exactly does this mean for individual countries, individual firms and individuals? Does this mean that every country will see output and living conditions decline? Does it mean that every firm will decline in output and profits? It was reported in the news recently that the excellent financial results posted by Supreme Ventures was an indication that many persons are turning to gambling in these difficult times and the company is taking full advantage. Sadly several countries and most companies assume that the difficult environment will automatically have a negative impact and therefore political leaders and company executives sit back and hope that the worst will not happen. It is my belief that the countries and companies that perform well despite difficulties in the environment are those who sharpen their strategy and flawlessly execute it.

Drs. Robert Kaplan and Dave Norton define strategy as an integrated set of choices that position a firm, in an industry, to earn superior returns over the long term (I might add in good and in difficult times). What is this saying? First of all, companies need to differentiate themselves from the norm in an industry to enable customers to make purchasing decisions in the companies’ favour. Secondly, companies need to be at least as efficient as other companies in delivering the differentiated value to the customers. Companies will always have choices to differentiate, however what is important is that the set of choices must be integrated and hence an organization must align itself entirely around delivering value to customers. If a supermarket decides to differentiate on selection or availability, it must excel in purchasing and inventory management to ensure that goods cover a wide spectrum and are always available. When times are difficult, the supermarket cannot cut back on its purchasing and inventory capability in order to reduce costs as it will no longer differentiate and will experience serious revenue reductions.

This strategic thinking to differentiate or to position a firm to take advantage of the opportunities created by a difficult environment is what separates a well performing company from others. However, while strategic thinking is a necessary condition for success, it certainly is not sufficient. Without taking action, strategic thinking is merely a daydream. Michael Lee Chin once said that success is 1% strategy and 99% execution. This is even more relevant in difficult times as delays in taking action can result in loss of opportunities.

In summarizing, companies, and countries, must always think strategically and act accordingly. In difficult times there is a natural tendency to throw the strategic thinking out the window and cut back indiscriminately to survive. However, in difficult times there are always opportunities and companies must strategize ways to exploit these opportunities by differentiating themselves in order to grow or maintain revenue in a declining market. Companies must be cognizant of the internal processes that drive differentiation and ensure that these processes are never compromised when deciding to cut back on expenditure. More importantly however is to act swiftly and decisively once the strategy decision has been taken.

Council of Presidents lack Strategic Thinking

2009-03-10T06:07:00.000-07:00

There was great publicity recently over the “historic” meeting of the 21 Council of (Industry Association) Presidents to discuss the solutions to the global economic and financial crisis facing us. According to the newspaper reports the meeting highlighted several solutions, however there were no details on what the solutions were.

Speaking on the HOT 102 Breakfast Club programme this morning, March 10, 2009, Financial Analyst Ralston Hyman said when he spoke to the PSOJ President he was told that the main topics were Currency Board vs. Dollarization. Mr. Hyman concluded that the meeting of the Council of Presidents was a grand waste of time. He contended that the value of a country’s currency is a reflection of the strength of the economy; therefore however we decide to manage the currency (dollarization, Currency Board, Central Bank); the fact is we need to significantly increase economic performance and this is where the Council of Presidents should focus their attention. This reminded me of the debates during the Partnership for Progress a few years ago where there was no Vision, no strategy and no structure and it is déjà vu all over. My conclusion, if Mr. Hyman is correct, is that the Council of Presidents lack Strategic thinking.

If the Council of Presidents really wants to make a difference I recommend they contract Growth Facilitators to facilitate them through a strategic thinking process, which will not simply result in a cacophony of ideas, but rather a coherent, vision-driven strategy to navigate Jamaica through the difficult times.

Giving Forward

2009-03-03T04:38:00.000-08:00

Photo: Members of the Growth Facilitators team (Sharon, Marguerite, Robert, Ulla) with Principal of Ascot High School, the President and Vice President of SET at Ascot and Kevin Wallen, founder of SET

Growth Facilitators was recently recognised for our contribution to an amazing not-for-profit organization in Jamaica, Students Expressing Truth (SET). SET was started by a young man named Kevin Wallen, who on returning to his home country Jamaica after spending his formative years in Canada, asked himself what he could do to make a difference. He found his answer in the prison system and has worked there tirelessly and selflessly over the past 10 years.

The SET Vision is to be an instrument for transformation of those enslaved by physical walls and those enslaved without them.

The mission of S.E.T is to empower individuals and groups in prisons, schools, communities, business and government to realize and create opportunities for their own lives by facilitating self-awareness, marketability and cohesiveness in response to their needs.

SET has achieved amazing results in terms of recidivism – NO graduate of SET has returned to the prison system – as well as in the personal growth, development and transformation of its students. It is a joy to see how young men and women (mostly the former) are able to turn their lives around, and come to view their incarceration as ironically, the best thing that ever happened to them!

The Growth Facilitators team believes in our responsibility to contribute ot the betterment of our society. We are very conscious of the importance of giving back the gifts we have been blessed with. Indeed, we see it as "giving forward", as our gifts are carefully targeted to move the organizations to which we give, to greater and greater heights. We are very clear to ourselves that we give in the area of education, and we give that with which we have been abundantly blessed – our facilitation and strategic planning skills.

Growth Facilitators has supported SET over the past 4 years in a number of ways. Part proceeds from our executive conference on Cyberstrategy in 2005 built the computer lab at the Tower Street Adult Correctional Centre. Our partner, Robert, has adopted SET through his Kiwanis Club and regularly supports the inmates, or students, in practical ways. Most recently, we facilitated a one-day Vision to Action workshop with the SET team out of which emerged a 3 year Strategic Plan.

As our team members sat at the function to launch SET at the Ascot High School last week, we felt pride in knowing that the gift of our talent has been multiplied. Our interaction with students in the Correctional Services and at Ascot affirms our belief that an investment in human potential yields infinite returns.

We also felt deeply grateful for the gifts we have received through SET. We have gotten to know some amazing people. We have gained knowledge and sensitivity to the plight of inmates in the Correctional Services System, and those who will probably end up there without an intervention like SET. But most of all, we have experienced the joy of giving of ourselves. Thank you SET!

To learn more about SET, visit http://set-foundation.org/

Cell phone etiquette

2009-02-24T07:16:00.001-08:00

This is a photo of a gentleman who was seated at the head table at a function I attended yesterday. Guess what he is doing?

Yes, believe it or not, he was having a conversation on his cell phone!

I continue to be amazed at the way we use cell phones. For some reason, it is imperative that a cell phone is answered. No matter where the cell phone rings – workshops, meetings, weddings, funerals - it MUST be answered! My children will mindlessly ignore the ringing of the home phone, but will track me down wherever I am in the house or garden to insist that I answer my cell phone - NOW! It is so funny to observe people - answering just to say “Call you back”; ducking beneath tables and under tablecloths; cupping hands over the phone while talking in a mumbled whisper - that is quite loud. Don’t we know that voicemail exists? Don’t we know that the missed call shows up on the screen? When I ignore my cell phone, someone will invariably say to me in near panic “Aren’t you going to answer your phone”? And when I indicate not, they stare at me as if I am mad! On occasion, I have said to people “You don’t have to answer the phone you know” and have received the most dumbfounded looks – as if I was suggesting that God doesn’t exist, or the world isn’t round, or some such fundamental underpinning of humanity.

Then there are Blackberrys. I was amused to sit beside a woman at a classical music concert on Sunday who was checking and sending e-mail throughout. As was one of the performers, as he sat in the choral pew! And I can’t believe that people are at Carnival in Trinidad, in the middle of Panorama (steelband competition, which is just rapturous), posting to their Facebook account via Blackberry “Enjoying Panorama, think band #8 should win”!

Cell phones have driven us insane. So caught up in the technology are we that we are not even aware of how we are behaving. I have seen some crazy people in the supermarket talking to themselves – loudly – until I realised that they were using the Bluetooth technology. Speaking of loudly – notice how loud we speak on the cell phone? Does it occur to us that everyone around us is hearing our conversation? Or are we thinking that because we are speaking into the speaker, then only the person on the other end can hear?

Of course, I am guilty of all of the above. But the gentleman yesterday, who believe it or not was representing a Minister of Government at the function, made me stop and think about how I use my cell phone. I hope you do too. The next time your cell phone rings – think before you answer.

Minister Holness need to give principals authority

2009-02-17T03:23:00.000-08:00

Minister of Education, Andrew Holness, has instructed all schools to cap auxiliary fees in the face of difficult economic times. The Minister is once again showing his misunderstanding of the fundamentals of education transformation. The transfer of authority and autonomy from the Ministry to the schools is one of the hallmarks of the transformation process. Currently, the Ministry only contributes to teachers' salary, while school fees, auxiliary fees and fundraisers attempt to close the funding gap.

While schools need Ministry approval for school fees, there is no such requirement for auxiliary fees. In fact, auxiliary fees are not mandatory and in some cases are discouraged by the Ministry. It is at the school level where the decisions are made to set the level of auxiliary fees and which child/parent to target as they know best who can pay and who cannot pay. It is therefore ridiculous for the Minister to now undelegate the authority that schools have successfully exercised over the years. In fact, by taking no responsibility for the running of the schools and trying to take authority for setting auxiliary fees, shows a total misalignment between authority and accountability. The Minister needs to rethink this one and allow the school leadership to run the schools.

Accountability in West Indies cricket??? Howzat!

2009-02-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

The recent cricket debacle in Antigua where a test match had to be suspended after bowling of only 10 balls is like a microcosm of the West Indies.

Here we have a great brand – West Indies Cricket – built on the backs of raw talent honed by the players themselves, despite, not because of the support and intervention of the official ruling body. The brand is not just about the players – it is the entire experience of cricket in the West Indies – the colour, the passion, the dancing and noise of the spectators; the entertaining characters like Gypsy; the party atmosphere interspersed with the concentrated attention of those who take the game seriously and can summon at a moment’s notice every statistic and event relevant to a particular moment in the game; the radio commentary which is an art in an of itself, narrative of each play interspersed with descriptions of the atmosphere, the breathtaking scenery that is the backdrop of each sun-nestled cricket ground in the West Indies and our history in this glorious game; the food, the beer, the rum, the pounding music – reggae, and soca and every rhythm in between. It is a compelling brand that rivets cricket fans throughout the world and causes many to travel to the West Indies just for the experience

One would think that with such a brand, there would be some strategy to build on and sustain it to the benefit and glory of the peoples of the region. Oh no …. it is taken for granted, those who build and are a part of the brand disrespected and sidelined, as peripheral to the business of cricket. The players hardly seem to have a voice. When they try to be heard they are disciplined, like some little recalcitrant schoolboys who don’t know their place. In the Cricket World Cup two years ago, our music was banned from the grounds, the game sterilised to resemble some disinfected version of something that the world actually loves – all in the name of someone’s idea of what “world class” and “first world” is. Truth is, West Indies cricket IS world class – but not because of the powers that be.

Nowhere was this more evident than in Antigua. Yet again, the West Indies Cricket Board messed up big time. And yet again, they see no reason to accept full responsibility and remove themselves. They lack vision. They are totally incompetent. They are out of touch with the world. They are disrespectful and arrogant. In Japan, were they samurai, they would long ago have put the sword through their stomachs. I suspect that even if they did it now, it would have little effect for they are gutless, spineless has-beens.

How different is this to other spheres of West Indian life? Not much. In everything for which we are known – music, sports, rum, beer – it is officialdom that tears down in its quest for control. No accountability. No acceptance of responsibility – just glorying in results that are not of their own doing, and boldly, arrogantly seeking to blame others when things go wrong.
Yes, what happened in Antigua is a shame – but why are we surprised? It happens every day. Life in the tropics ….

The Arcade Photographer

2009-02-15T19:30:00.000-08:00

Last week I had to take my children to get their passports renewed. Trying to be as efficient as possible, I had their photographs taken at the pharmacy in Manor Park, which offers 1-hour service. To say the least, the photographs were typical of passport photos – fit only for strangers such as Immigration and Customs officials to view in order to ascertain that these are my precious children standing in front of them.

On Thursday afternoon, we wandered through the application process at the Passport office, each step carefully choreographed by some unseen bureaucratic hand to make sure that it did not go too easily – lest we wonder what in the world the government is coming to! We finally presented our applications only to be told that Shane’s photograph had a “shadow” and had to be redone. Again, mindful of being as efficient as possible, and determined to complete the process that day, Shane and I headed next door to retake the photograph at the vendor’s arcade.

What a pleasant surprise! The photographer operates in a tiny cubicle, and is a master of efficiency. A number of passport applicants were there on the same mission. The photographer’s assistant offered us seats and had us enter the cubicle in an orderly fashion. I watched the photographer prepare the other subjects – he patted and wiped their faces, tidied their hair, gently positioned their heads and then took the photo. It struck me how different this was to the “photographer” at the pharmacy who had just asked Victoria and Shane to perch on the stool, snapped the photograph and that was it! The arcade photographer took pride and care in his work. And it showed, for the resulting photograph was MUCH better – one that I would be happy to share, and that truly represents my handsome son. AND, it was ready in less than 10 minutes!

It was a joy to watch the photographer do his job. It is obvious that this man is serious about his profession. Perhaps no-one cares about how a passport photo looks – but this photographer did! How wonderful a world it would be if we all approached our work like this arcade photographer!

From now on, whenever I need passport or visa photographs I will be going to the arcade photographer – and I recommend that you do too!

Poor Leadership and Accountability in West Indies Cricket

2009-02-14T07:51:00.000-08:00

Following a fantastic victory by the West Indies at Sabina Park last week, the ugly side of our regional parochialism reared its head at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Knowing very well that the stadium was not match ready, rather than doing what was best for cricket and the region, local politicians supported by inept West Indies Board leadership insisted that the match be played in the island. After less than 10 minutes, the scheduled 5-day game was abandoned due to poor playing conditions of the ground. Former player and now commentator Michael Holding and veteran broadcaster Tony Cozier weighed in on the issue.

Holding had this to say:

Michael Holding has slammed the lack of responsibility in West Indies cricket as the region comes to terms with yesterday's sensational abandonment of the second Test against England at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium in Antigua. The match lasted a mere 10 balls, owing to an outfield deluged in sand, and an unsurprised Holding was quick to point the finger at the WICB.

"We have seen things like this happen in the Caribbean before. Whenever we have things like this happening, like in 1998 when the Test match was abandoned [at Sabina Park], there were no repercussions," Holding said in an audio interview with Cricinfo. "And I suspect there will be no repercussions either. No one will lose their jobs; no one will be asked to resign. If you ask the people responsible whether they will resign, they'll just say 'but why? Why should we resign?' So it will happen again. Once you have no repercussions, you will always have repeats.

"It will hit home for the next two weeks. But after two weeks, everyone will move on. That is the way things operate around here when people have no repercussions, when people don't suffer for their mistakes or their incompetence. If you don't suffer for your incompetence, everything moves on. Whenever anything goes wrong, no one suffers."

Tony Cozier had this to say:

Yesterday's fiasco presented the latest, most dramatic explanation for the sudden decline of West Indies cricket, from its unprecedented excellence of the 1980s to the mediocrity of the past two decades. It was yet another example of the politics and the mismanagement that has undermined a game that once elevated this small, impoverished and otherwise insignificant part of the world from third to first world status.

Its timing is most inopportune, coming immediately after the West Indies' most significant victory in years. The passionate public, so disenchanted with prolonged failure, was energised again by the result in the first Test and, more especially, the manner of it.

In less than a week, the euphoria of Sabina Park has been doused. It should not have come to this. There had been repeated problems with the outfield at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium since it was one of the expensive new stadiums constructed around the Caribbean for the 2007 World Cup.

It was sited, against repeated advice from locals, in a basin near a well-known water course. As everywhere else, an elaborate draining system was installed yet, as forecast, water from overnight rain collected on parts of the outfield and disrupted two matches. It meant remedial work had to be done on the offending areas.
Without any trial, a Test against Australia was again assigned to the ground last season. Once more, parts of the outfield became a bog, and almost a full day's play was lost, all told in a drawn match, in spite of hot, sunny weather.

The warning signals were not heeded by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). Politics kicked in and it assigned the England Test on the say-so of the government-appointed stadium committee, the Antigua Cricket Association and, ultimately, the Leeward Islands Cricket Association (LICA), the WICB's relevant member board, that all would be right on the day.

As usual, the buck for this embarrassment will be passed around, but there is only one place for it to stop, at the WICB headquarters just a few miles down the road towards St John's, and the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) which will now be reactivated to ease the shame.

Government must align the 2009-2010 Budget to the 2030 Vision

2009-02-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Sometime in April, the annual budget debate will commence with Governor General presenting the throne speech outlining Government’s plans for 2009-2010. Finance Minister Audley Shaw will then table the 2009-2010 estimates of expenditure and the plan to finance this expenditure. The Prime Minister, Opposition Leader, Opposition Finance spokesperson as well as other selected spokespersons on both sides of the House of Representatives will weigh in on the budget debate. Eventually a vote will be taken to accept or reject the Government’s budget. Over the last few years, there have been criticisms that budgets were not credible and many are warning Minister Shaw and Prime Minister Golding to ensure the 2009-2010 budget is credible. But what is meant by a credible budget?

By credible we mean that all assumptions are grounded in reality and that all conclusions based on the assumptions are reasonable. A budget, first and foremost, projects the financial outflows a government need to meet its operational, capital and strategic expenditures to deliver on its mandate. Additionally it projects the inflows required to cover the outflows and includes revenues, taxes, grants and loan inflows. Better put, a budget is the quantification of a 1-year operational plan, which itself is derived from the strategic plan. The Strategic Plan is a framework that translates strategy into operational objectives and initiatives which drive both behaviour and performance. The strategy, which is really an integrated set of choices, is designed essentially to close a long term performance gap – difference between the Vision and the current reality. There must therefore be a line of sight between the Government’s budget and the 2030 Vision for Jamaica.

The minimum criteria for a credible budget should therefore be:

1. The 2030 Vision must be used as the main context

2. There ought to be at least 3-4 overarching performance metrics and targets for the 2030 Vision such as: GDP/capita; poverty rate; murder rate; and % Grade 11 cohort achieving 5 CXC subjects including Math and English. There should also be 2012 and 2010 targets for each metric.

3. The articulated current reality relative to the vision and consequently the performance gaps to be closed over the next year, 3 years and 21 years (to 2030).

4. A critical external (to Jamaica and to the Government) analysis of those key factors which will either enable or hinder the Government from achieving the Vision and performance targets

5. A critical review of Government capability, highlighting the strengths and the weaknesses that can either support or detract from achieving the performance targets

6. The strategic options facing the Government along with the key external or internal factors identified above that will be addressed by each option. This must be accompanied by a discussion of the options and justification, including assumptions, for the option(s) chosen.

7. The key success factors for the chosen strategic options(s) that will enable achievement of the over arching performance targets.

8. The transformation and reorganization of Government required to deliver on the key success factors. Included will be changes to structure, day to day operations and financial requirements.

9. The estimates of expenditure required to transform, reorganize and operate the Government to deliver on the key success factors

10. The financing plan, including timing of inflows, required to meet the Government’s operational, capital and strategic expenses to deliver on its mandate.

In the typical Private Sector Company, the CFO presents the budget to the Board of Directors for approval. If Board members deem the budget not credible, they will reject it and the CFO has to wheel and come again. This is because Board members act on behalf of shareholders and take decisions in their interest. In the case of Governments however, Members of Parliament tend to act not in the interest of the citizens, but rather in the interest of the party and vote accordingly. Hence the chance of a budget not being credible is fairly high. It is therefore the duty of the media, financial analysts and the general public to weigh in on this most important cog in our wheel of governance and democracy.

Accountability in Schools - Gleaner Editor's Forum

2009-02-10T13:56:00.001-08:00

Growth Facilitator, Robert, was a guest on the Jamaica Gleaner Editor's Forum (http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090210/news/news1.html) which discussed accountability in schools

Here's a little of what Robert had to say:

The attempt to develop a pay-for-performance system is a necessary but insufficient condition to ensure accountability which will drive performance at all levels of the system. What is really needed is that each and everyone must first infuse a culture of accountability in all they do. This can only be done by renewing of minds and must be initia-ted by leadership.

The main synonym for accountability is answerabilty. What I interpret from this is answerability, first of all for the authority provided and answerabilty to those who provide the authority.

At the level of the student, parents invest in children and give them authority to learn, use school facilities, etc and, therefore, students are answerable to the investment made in them.
At the national level, citizens invest authority through the elected representatives, to the minister of education, permanent secretary, chief education officer and other managers for the performance of the overall education system in Jamaica and, therefore, these elected and appointed officials need to be held accountable.

Innovation in airport restrooms

2009-02-05T05:24:00.001-08:00

In the past ten days I have passed through four different airports and numerous rest rooms. In each restroom I have been faced with a conundrum of massive and time-consuming proportion – where is the toilet flusher?

Days gone by it was simple – there was a little handle on the side of the tank (there was a tank!) usually on the left side, which you pushed down at the appropriate time. Now, there are buttons, handles, levers, foot pedals placed at seemingly the most inconspicuous and irrational places. Or sometimes nothing at all – for now someone had the bright idea to use sensors, which have the maddening habit of going off at all sorts of times during your "process". A trip to a public restroom is nowadays akin to solving a mindquest puzzle – sure to keep the brain nimble for years to come!

This got me wondering about how organizations go about innovation. Did any of us complain bitterly about the good old flush handles? Did we clamour vociferously for a new and improved toilet flusher? Did the toilet manufacturers or restroom designers do a survey that said overwhelmingly that we wanted new and improved flush mechanisms? I think not. Yet every new toilet has some new and improved way to flush. Why the changes? Why the constant improvements?

One answer could be that companies are not clear on why they are innovating as they don't really know their customer. How many companies really take the time to know their customers - who they are, their needs, wants and desires (and the differences between them), their habits, their usage patterns, their idiosyncracies? This is where innovation ought to begin for innovation ought to benefit to the customer in terms of their experience. Innovation for innovation sake, while balm to the corporate ego, is the bane of customers and users.

It is important that companies make sure that they are not designing their equivalent of the next new and improved flush mechanism, but that in innovating, they are keeping the true needs of their customers foremost.

Time Out – what we can learn from Sports

2009-02-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

All this evening I took a personal Time-Out and engrossed myself with the Superbowl Final. Now, I am certainly not a fan of “football” and I do not claim to know any of the rules of play very well. But I decided to watch as a personal Time-Out, since I enjoy any sport/entertainment at this level and I like to see breaking news in the making!

I was so excited to watch the youngest Coach ever in NFL, the longest intercept ever in NFL history (100 yards end to end), the 71 year old Offensive Specialist (forgive me if I am incorrect with the titles) still very active and effective on the sideline, the nail-biting seconds running out on the clock.

And then I took note of the official Time-Outs that each team has. This is when the teams re-group to focus on strategy (usually when they are down, but it can be whenever the Coach thinks it is necessary)….they simply stop play officially to review amongst themselves what is working and what is not and to decide in minutes what next to do, with seconds on the clock. The various initiatives have been worked out beforehand – the specialists have them on charts and even the captain (I guess – I confess I am a soccer fan) has them on his arm-band. These Time-Outs are essential to the outcome of the game – to whether they win or lose.

The whole process brought new meaning for me to our strategy meetings, which I sometimes take for granted and feel get in the way of my daily agenda of “Things To Do”. If we do not simply STOP and review, we may continue to do the activities that we are accustomed to doing with the same results. The strategy meeting/planning ensures that we stop and assess where we are, where we want to go and how we are going to get there. We MAY be doing the right things, but then, perhaps ??? we are not! We must look at the score (measures/metrics) in the immediate moment and decide what will be effective to get what we want. And so we may need to do somethings differently.

So Time-Outs are ESSENTIAL – personally, professionally and organizationally. We individually need to appreciate the value of this assessment. Simple – maybe….effective – definitely.

Thoughts on Entrepreneurship in Jamaica

2009-02-01T03:55:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a family business in Jamaica, studied business, taught Entrepreneurship to MBA students at the Mona School of Business, and continue to start and run entrepreneurial ventures. Here are some of my thoughts on entrepreneurship in Jamaica.

Jamaica is one of 43 countries studied in the 2008 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The report can be downloaded at:
http://gemconsortium.org/download/1233413864484/GEM_Global_08.pdf

This report is useful in identifying the factors that influence entrepreneurial activity. I have watched it emerge over the past 10 years and used it extensively in my course preparation and delivery. I commend it to anyone who would like an understanding of entrepreneurship not just in Jamaica, but globally. Remember that it is a relatively new field of study.

As illustrated in the report, Jamaica actually has a high level of entrepreneurial activity – take a look of any lane in Jamaica and you will see a plethora of business activity. The challenge is that this activity is defined as necessity-forced entrepreneurial activity rather than opportunity driven. The former is about being pushed into entrepreneurial activity because one has no option ("cyan do nuh betta") whilst the latter is motivated by pull factors – identification of an opportunity, desire to increase independence and income levels. Most entrepreneurial activity in Jamaica is focused on job replacement. It is presented this way by government agencies, and support programs are designed around getting people who can’t get a job to start their own business. It is a dangerous road to tread in my opinion, as we set up people with very little education and experience for failure.

Opportunity entrepreneurship is driven by the identification of a viable business opportunity and tends to be pursued by those with higher levels of education. This is where rapid growth businesses emerge. It is the opportunity entrepreneurship that we need to encourage. But this is where we find much frustration and discouragement.

Here are some thoughts from my own experience.

There is no doubt in my mind that there are serious deficiencies in our education system that inhibit entrepreneurship. While I acknowledge the importance of the sciences, entrepreneurship is essentially a creative act. Therefore, education that is exclusively or heavily science-driven gives short shrift to the development of right-brained thinking that is essential to identify new ideas and convert them to opportunities and then new and growing ventures. In our British-based system the underpinning of which was the development of cogs in the industrial wheel, the curriculum still focuses on rote learning, multiple-choice exam formats, and regurgitation of the “right” answer. In entrepreneurship, there is no “right” answer.

In Jamaica, the arts are viewed as subjects to be pursued by those who are not smart enough to do the sciences. I insisted that my daughter, who is sitting the GCE examinations in June, do Art and Design Studies in addition to Chemistry and Biology. This was viewed askance by many but to my mind, it was non-negotiable as I consider that I am raising my children to compete and thrive in a new and different world – one where creativity and adaptability are critical.

I have had students in my MBA class cry “living eye-water” when given an assignment to identify and develop new business ideas. They insisted that they were not creative and just couldn’t do it! I also taught a group of students who were doing a joint MBA/MIS degree. The best business ideas actually came from them – but many couldn’t express them coherently, and were unable to expand the concept from product or service to business opportunity with high growth potential. These were the “bright” students at high school who excelled at the sciences, yet who were unable to expand their thinking beyond the limits of their technological know-how, much less to expand and present their business idea.

It is my firm and impassioned belief that our education system in Jamaica needs to be overhauled. It remains elitist, but even the elite are not receiving a relevant education any more. Frankly, most “graduates” i.e. young people who have warmed seats for 15 or so years and have been shunted from grade to grade, are barely literate. They are bright. They want to excel. They want to make good in life. Yet the system is failing them. Layering business courses on such a base will do very little to stimulate the type of entrepreneurship that will contribute significantly to the growth of the Jamaican economy.

There are two other serious impediments to entrepreneurship in Jamaica which I would like to mention – monetary policy and government bureaucracy.

The prolonged period high interest rate policy which was intended to "protect" the Jamaican dollar has failed miserably. The Jamaican dollar has continued its slide. It is more lucrative, and indeed the rational thing, to invest in Jamaican government paper which is risk-free or low risk and requires very little effort. If you have capital, it is unattractive to go into an entrepreneurial venture. Allied to this is a very, very common misperception held by senior people in finance that equity is cheaper than debt. Thus their argument is that when debt is expensive, due to higher interest rates, then entrepreneurs should look to equity for their financing. Debt, no matter how expensive will always be cheaper than equity – equity only provides a short term cash flow benefit. Thus, in a high interest rate scenario, businesses are unable to access financing to start, grow and expand. It is my belief that the Jamaican dollar is undefendable. We don’t have the economic base to support it, and are simply throwing “good money after bad” to delay, but not halt, the slide.

The government bureaucracy is convoluted, unnecessary, and I swear, designed to keep people down. The default response is "NO". Businesspeople spend endless resources of time and money just to traverse the maze. It is difficult to pay your taxes. It is difficult to get permits and licenses if they are necessary. It is difficult to clear goods. It is difficult to do everything. When you come to Kingston you will see an army of motorcycle bearers buzzing around town all day long. Much of their job is about wading through the swamp of bureaucracy, trying to get papers shunted from one office to another in order for business to go on.

That’s it from me for now. I am off to continue growing businesses, and helping others to grow theirs – regardless.

Congrats to our newest coaches at Republic Bank Grenada

2009-01-30T10:59:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-30T09:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-28T10:51:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-26T03:13:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-25T08:06:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-24T12:14:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-14T18:32:00.000-08:00

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:

The "problem" really was not as huge as I had thought
I was quite capable of handling whatever I was dreading
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
Once I decide to act, I find the means to overcome and to succeed
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

2009-01-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-08T11:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-06T06:07:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-01T15:09:00.000-08:00

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!

Happy New Year! Happy New Organization!

2008-12-31T05:43:00.000-08:00

As 2008 ends and we look forward to a new year, many of us will be making personal resolutions for 2009. No doubt they will be challenging, life transforming resolutions. They will likely affect all, or most areas of our lives - physical (our health, wellness, weight, fitness), financial (our wealth, income generation, new purchases and investments), emotional (our relationships), mental (going back to school, embarking on a new area of study, deepening our knowledge) and spiritual (commitment to spiritual discipline, deepening our connection with a higher power, serving our community). They will be motivating and inspiring, causing us to stretch, even leap out into the unknown, the hitherto unimagined for our lives. We will feel good about our resolutions, knowing that if we achieve them, we will have manifested significant personal transformation.

Many of our organizations will have just completed, or be about to complete, their annual planning exercises. I wonder – have we approached our organizations' goal-setting the same way we approach the setting of our own personal resolutions? Have we set challenging, motivating and transformational goals? Have we set goals in areas other than financial? Have we set goals for the wellness of our organization, the wellness and health of our people, the wholesomeness of the workplace? For the types of relationships we desire at work? For the way our organization commits to serving its community? For the way we as an organization learn, and how we support our team members in their own learning?

As we set our personal resolutions, it is also opportunity to set some resolutions for your organization. Look at your organization in the same way you do your life. Do not be confined or defined by the past. “History is no predictor of the future”. Decide what type of organization you desire, and then set the necessary resolutions, or goals. As you would with your life - decide what type of life you desire, and set your resolutions accordingly. Don’t worry today over whether you can or can’t achieve your personal and organizational desires. Today, it is enough to set them and believe in them.

Vision - the reality

2008-12-16T04:25:00.000-08:00

A key underpinning of the Growth Facilitators approach to transformation is vision. To us, everything begins with a vision. Yet, we sometimes observe a disconnect with our clients and potential clients whenever we passionately advocate the development and articulation of the organization’s vision. Visioning is often viewed as one of those "soft issues", a new-fangled idea that has no impact on the hard, bottom-line. People are impatient to get to the real issues of action and numbers. Yet, throughout history, we note the importance of vision:

"Without vision the people perish" – The Holy Bible
"Give us vision lest we perish" – The Jamaican National Anthem
"Begin with the end in mind" – Steven Covey

If we look at the great leaders of history, the great success stories of political, economic and social transformation, we will see that the creation of a compelling vision of the future was paramount. But great leaders did not just articulate the vision and keep it to themselves, they spoke about it at every possible occasion, they aligned their actions with it and they lived (and some died for) it. It is this passion and commitment that multiplied their followership in numbers, passion, commitment and action, until it seemed like the vision took on a life of its’ own.

Why is vision important? A compelling vision of the future provides people with hope of a different way of being. It takes the followers out of their present into the possibility of a different future. It provides a guiding light and focus in which to make decisions. It provides focus for making choices, establishing priorities and allocating resources. The vision is inherently creative – it says to followers that we have the power to create a different reality! It gives people a reason to get up and get going.

What happens if a compelling vision is absent? Then people simply do what they want, or worse, do what they have always done, resulting in the organization staying the same, or deteriorating. There is no focus in such a situation, no harnessing of the powerful energy of the team. The organization becomes a wayward blob, floating this way and that, drawn or pushed along by events and circumstance, into deterioration and ultimate demise. This is the state of many of our organizations. It is the state of many individuals. It is perhaps the state of our nation.

The first job of the leader, CEO, Chairman, President or whatever the title, is to articulate and keep the vision foremost and forefront. The vision must become his/her mantra. If the leader says anything, it ought to be in the context and with reference to the vision. It is the leader’s responsibility to bring and keep the vision alive. Even and especially in challenging times as we are now facing, the vision must be kept active and dynamic. This is what will raise team members’ eyes from their current reality to see that there is more to life, more to the organization, more to themselves than just what now appears to exist.

As a leader, if you do nothing else today – articulate the vision of your organization, division or department and share it with all – over and over. Most importantly, believe in it yourself, and make sure that every decision you make, every action you take is in alignment with it. There is no reality except the reality you create. The vision is the reality.

Love at Work

2008-12-13T07:25:00.000-08:00

Growth Facilitators practices as one of its core values, love. Some people have a problem with the word 'love', and moreso, love as a core value.

Love originated in the heart of the one true God who put us in the world to love and steward his creation as an extension of His beauty. He put us together with other diverse humans in order that we might learn to love one another as a reflection of the relationship He shares with us.

At Growth Facilitators, love is what binds us. It is integral to who we are, what we do, and how we communicate. It drives our behaviour at work, at home and even while in traffic.

This love that we share was magnified two weeks ago while at school (I am pursuing an MBA). On this day (Friday), after having class the Friday before that, I noticed that approximately 40% of the class was absent from our Operations Management class. Through concern, I enquired why some of my schoolmates are absent and the most prevalent response was, "He/she came to class last Friday and couldn't get this Friday off from work". I was initially amazed at this response, and then realized that my amazement was driven by the fact that the love we share at work, transcends work itself, and touches each one of us on a deeper level. Because of this unconditional and uninhibited love (and respect, which is another core value) we have for each other, it is almost puzzling to us that someone would miss their class because they missed a day of work the previous week. We nevertheless remain non-judgmental and accept that the work must be done.

At GF, we view love as a state of being - a genuine and authentic state which is the most inspired of all gifts. Coming to work excites us, and we love and value each other to the core.

Corporate Governance Issues at the Jamaica Tourist Board

2008-11-26T09:36:00.000-08:00

A week ago it was reported that all the members of the Jamaica Tourist Board, save its Chairman John Lynch, handed in their resignations en-bloc to the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Ed Bartlett. Mr. Lynch’s resignation from his previous place of employment, Unique Vacations, around the same time did not go unnoticed. While no public statement was made by any of the former Board members, Minister Bartlett told the nation that the Board Members offered their respective resignations to “give the Minister a free hand in choosing a Board to chart the new way forward for the JTB in light of the global conditions”. The word on the ground, however, was that the Board members were not comfortable with the imminent appointment of Mr. Lynch to the post of Director of Tourism as this would ostensibly make him the Executive Chairman. At the time, the Minister told us that a Committee was deliberating on applications for the post to replace outgoing Director Basil Smith. Minister Bartlett denied that a decision had already been made. It was announced in the newspapers today that Mr. Lynch has been appointed Tourism Director. Opposition Spokesman on Tourism, Dr. McNeil while approving the appointment has correctly warned that Mr. Lynch must not be reappointed Chairman.

What is happening here?

1. Mr. Lynch’s resignation from Unique Vacations at the time strongly suggested he was promised the job. The idea of having a committee supposedly meeting to rubber stamp the wishes of the Minister does not augur well for good Governance

2. Board Members apparently knew that the Minister wanted Mr. Lynch to be Executive Chairman and apparently voiced strong objections. Minister Bartlett apparently cannot tolerate such behavior and asked them to resign. If a Minister appoints a Board, he must allow them to govern. Already there is political involvement in naming a Board; even so a Minister should not willy-nilly change his Board over what appears to be their failure to support a breach of good Corporate Governance.

3. It cannot be that when external conditions change that a Board should be changed. Boards are appointed specifically to provide strategic guidance and good governance in changing times.

4. Good Corporate Governance practices strongly discourage the Executive Chairman position. This is especially so in the Public Sector, where accountability is not very popular.

5. Finally, I am disappointed with the Media in allowing the Minister to get away with all that has happened; despite the protestations by Dr. McNeil in what I believe have been well balanced arguments.

A dollar here...a dollar there

2008-11-26T09:18:00.000-08:00

Recently, the GF Team decided that we would pool our personal funds and give a donation to Mustard Seed Communities. It was up to each of us to give what we could/wanted to based on our individual budgets and circumstances. No-one could give "too little" - all contributions were welcome. As Office Manager, I timed collection for payday. Women's Leadership Initiative and
United Way have a great programme with NCB Foundation where they match contributions to Mustard Seed Communities! So we sent our cheque to WLI and immediately our contribution was doubled!

We were offered profuse thanks from WLI's Pat Ramsay (and here I had been thinking it was not a lot of money!). When I told her that the Team had contributed individually, Pat said "Imagine if every office did that......".

That IS something to think about..... It underscored that every little bit counts, so a dollar here and a dollar there will add up to something substantial for the needy.

I challenge each office to try this and give to ANY charity or school - don't wait for your organisation to draw a cheque to support corporate social responsibility (I wholeheartedly support this too). You ARE your organisation, so pool with your peers $50/$100/$200/$1000....whatever you can afford. Together Everyone Achieves More.

And, our team felt SO good having given and knowing that our contribution was so appreciated.

More on airport bureaucracy

2008-11-25T21:53:00.000-08:00

Returning to Jamaica from Barbados last week, I wonder why is it that:

1. At the Barbados airport there are two Customs Officers on duty to process the two flights that were in when I arrived vs. the twelve that were on duty in Jamaica to process the one Caribbean Airlines flight?

2. The roving Immigration Officers who check that the form is completed cannot turn it over and check that the Customs section is also complete? Of course I asked, and was told that “We are two different departments” (and they report to two different Ministries)

3. As Jamaican citizens we need to complete an Immigration form? Most of the information on the form is already in our passports which we must present to the officer

4. I need to tell the Immigration Officer my intended address in Jamaica? As a Jamaican citizen, don’t I have the right to go wherever I want?

Everyone of these is an unnecessary cost to the Jamaican taxpayer, and an inconvenience to the traveller!

And I also wonder - what do Immigration and Customs do with the forms anyway? To what use do they put the information? Do they tabulate it, analyse and use it to make informed decisions? Hmmm .... something to think about!

What the leader must do in times of crisis - crime in Jamaica

2008-11-24T05:43:00.000-08:00

There is a sense of panic in Jamaica over the recent spate of abductions mostly of young women. Consistent with panic are the decisions people make – not going out at night, not exercising early in the morning, suspending after-school activities, cancelling events. There is no rational decision making when people are in a state of hysteria. I understand that many of the reports of abduction are not true. This does not matter to people anymore as they are now fearful not just of abductions, but of everything – going to the supermarket, travelling to and from work, walking on the street, sitting in their homes, watching TV, etc.. As the stories spread, mushroom and multiply, so does the hysteria and frenzy. No conversation nowadays is without some story of a recent abduction, usually begun with “I hear that ….”

As I reflect on my recent keynote speech to the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks in Barbados, it occurs to me that our political leadership would be well-advised to follow my 6-step “CRISIS” formula for leading in times of crisis.

Communicate – there is an paucity of information about the abductions, which creates a vacuum which by natural law must be filled. In the absence of the facts, people will create stories. The first step of the leadership therefore is to give the populace the facts – how many true abductions have been reported, the status of the investigations and perhaps some report on the rumoured abductions. There must also be clear, ongoing communication about the solutions that are being implemented. Leaders MUST speak the truth

Respect - our leadership needs to respect and listen to the voice of the people. There are many that have great ideas about how to solve crime, but they are not to be found in the hallowed halls of power, nor in academia, but rather “pon di corner” or even in the prisons! Listen more than talk is always good advice to politicians!

Independent – the leadership itself must not get caught up in the hysteria. The Parliament is slated to take a conscience vote on the issue of the death penalty tomorrow. Each parliamentarian must stay independent of the panic about crime, examine the facts and figures, weigh the issues and then vote as he or she TRULY feels – not by what they think is expected of them by their constituents

Stay on message – leadership must find a message that resonates with the people in terms of authenticity, and then stay on it. To say “we are in control, don’t worry” is not very authentic nor reassuring in these circumstances, as crime continues to run rampant. A message such as “Together, we can create peace” or some such thing is what is needed

Invicibility – the leadership of the nation MUST send clear messages that they WILL solve the crime problem. I would like to see some targets set, for example, reduction in murders, and a focused, targeted action plan implemented, along with monthly reporting on progress. The criminals MUST get the message that they will not conquer the people, and that law and order will prevail

Smile – throughout all this, the people need to see leadership that is calm and collected and that is not afraid (perhaps dispensing with some of their own security detail).

Now more than ever we need leadership that does not succumb to fear – we need leadership that can rise about the crisis and take the tough decisions required.

Public sector boards

2008-11-23T16:37:00.000-08:00

Robert was quoted in this article on Transparency in Public Board changes:

http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20081123/lead/lead3.html

Leadership in times of crisis - when everything is melting down

2008-11-20T14:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I addressed the Caribbean Association of Indigenous Banks 35th Annual Conference on the topic “Leadership in Times of Crisis”.

At this conference, the association members examined a number of issues that will or are affecting their organizations, and the Caribbean financial system in general. These include the European Economic Partnership Agreement, Global Financial Regulations, the Sub-Prime Crisis, Financing Opportunities in the Tourism Industry and Enterprise Risk Management. The factor that will pull all of this together and galvanize action is leadership.

As I prepared my speech, I found that the root of the word ““crisis” (Greek): krisis = decision. The dictionary further tells us that a crisis is a condition of instability or danger leading to decisive change. A crisis is therefore a turning point, or a time to decide, not to be paralysed. Our normal response in a crisis is to PANIC! We become paralyzed, not so much by what is happening but by our FEAR of what has happened in the past and that could happen in the future. The terrible thing about fear is that it feeds upon itself (contagion effect), and soon everyone else is in a panic. One cannot see clearly in this state, for a state of FEAR clouds our vision and therefore our ability to make decisions. Ironically, this is the very time that we MUST make decisions!

It is well known that the Chinese symbol for “crisis” is the same as for “opportunity”. Therefore, how do we see the opportunity within the crisis? This is the fundamental function of leadership – to see the opportunities, to give hope of a brighter future, since the present is so bleak and most people can’t see beyond that and to provide forward momentum – make decisions, keep vision alive

I identified 6 things that the leader must do:

C = Communicate
R = Respect
I = Independent
S = Stay on message
I = Invincibility
S = Smile

C = Communicate to build community; communicate not just to share and give news, but to invite feedback and gather information so that you can make better decisions. Communicate via all media possible – in person, by e-mail, intranet, bulletin boards – fill all information voids early, for failure to do so will result in speculation which is the food of fear

R = Respect the feelings and views of others. Allow people to vent their worst fears and insecurity. Listen more than talk

I = Independent – do not get pulled into the panic. I know of a CEO in Jamaica who locks himself in the bathroom every morning and laughs for 5 minutes. This immediately puts him in a good mood that last throughout the day. This allows him to stay clear and focused, aloof from, yet observing the panic, and so able to make the tough decisions that these times require

S = Stay on the message e.g. Obama – “yes we can”. Nothing must keep you from the message. Find something that resonates with your team, and stick to it. Every communication, every speech, every action must reflect this message. A good message to start with is “This too shall pass”

I = Invincible – help others to have courage, and the feeling that they can conquer the crisis situation

S = Smile - The July 17 issue of Time Magazine featured Nelson Mandela’s 8 lessons of leadership. Lesson #6 was “Appearances matter — and remember to smile”. The article noted about Mandela when he was running for President in 1994: “But more important was that dazzling, beatific, all-inclusive smile. For white South Africans, the smile symbolized Mandela's lack of bitterness and suggested that he was sympathetic to them. To black voters, it said, I am the happy warrior, and we will triumph. The ubiquitous ANC election poster was simply his smiling face. "The smile," says Ramaphosa, "was the message."

In closing, I reminded the conference delegates to find the opportunity in crisis, to remember what they need to do as a leader – C (Communicate) R (Respect) I(Independent) S (Stay on message) I(Invincibility) S(Smile), and to keep hope alive.

Why do we do the things we do?

2008-11-17T09:02:00.001-08:00

“Why do you want to?” I incredulously asked the security officer at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston yesterday, in response to her request to feel my hair. Granted, I do have a lot of hair, enough to ensconce a pound or two of drugs, is what she was probably thinking. Opening her eyes wide, shoulders bracing with all the power invested in her uniform and position, she responded “So you are not allowing me to feel your hair?” I replied quickly, seeing that this could get ugly, and that I was in HER space, not mine, that I did not have any such problem.

The next line was Immigration. I stood behind a lady who was being asked by an Immigration officer to turn off her cell phone. Energised by my encounter with the hair-hounding security detail, I asked him why. He looked at me aghast, smiled and said “Because this is a sterile zone”. So, I asked him what that meant. He repeated his statement. I proceeded to the Immigration counter, to another officer and asked “Why can’t we use cell phones here?” “Because it is a sterile zone”. I pressed on, and got a series of responses with the ultimate declaration that this is the way it is in here as in all Immigration zones throughout the world and well, just … because.

This got me pondering – why do we do the things we do in our organizations? Why do we have the systems, processes and procedures? Why do we have certain regulations, systems, procedures and processes in our government? Presumably, they were put in place for a very good reason, and they served a useful purpose when they were instituted. But do we ever stop to question why we still have them and whether they are still useful?

Further, do our organizational team members know why they do the things they do? The security officer should have been able to respond to my question, for it was a reasonable one – she wanted to put her hand on my person, my body, my space. I wanted to know why she would want to do such a thing, which frankly, I consider an invasion of my privacy, and maybe even fraught with health issues (like, how clean are her hands?) And surely Immigration officers, highly trained and educated, should be able to tell me in one sentence or less why cell phones are not allowed in their space. “Because that’s the way it’s done all over the world” is not an appropriate answer to my question.

There was a time when all of us used to ask “Why” constantly – the time was called “childhood”. Unfortunately, the adults in our lives quickly beat this out of us (figuratively, and some even literally) and we soon learned that asking “Why” was not a good thing to do, since the only response it elicited was “Because I say so”.

As organizational leaders, we need to constantly be asking “Why”. This is how we create organizations that are efficient, effective and profitable. This is how we create organizations that truly serve the needs of our customers and create unassailable competitive advantage. We also need to encourage our team members to ask “Why”. They are the ones actually carrying out the processes and procedures, and who receive direct feedback from those on the receiving end i.e. your customers. When they ask “why”, it is important to be open to the feedback and give them straight, honest responses. If “because I say so” is the only response you can muster, then you need to get back to the drawing board and redesign (or eliminate) your systems, processes or procedures.

Just a pretty face?

2008-10-30T10:34:00.000-07:00

After all the strides that women have made in the past century, does it really still all come down to "just a pretty face"? Is this the key determinant of success?

This is what occurs to me when I read about the popularity of Governor Sarah Palin, Vice Presidential nominee in the United States General Elections. Pretty Gov. Palin certainly is – she actually is a former beauty queen. What else does she bring to the table? Looking at what she has actually done is another matter - nothing really spectacular, and some quite unspectacular except for the smell of corruption or impropriety.

I am quite incensed that the GOP would think that Gov. Sarah Palin could possibly be a counter for Senator Hilary Clinton. This seems to have been the thinking in the Republican party - let’s get Hilarys disgruntled 18 million supporters by proposing a woman as VP. Indeed, this was presented as a real trump card, particularly since Senator Barack Obama went the more conservative route and selected an older, white male as his running mate.

There is no doubt about Senator Clinton’s intelligence, savvy and ability to think big and bold. Indeed, many believe that she is the brighter of the Clinton duo. To counter her, one would need someone equally intelligent, savvy, seasoned and competent. Surely there must be many such women in the GOP? So why did McCain and his crew think that Gov. Sarah Palin would be a good candidate for mobilising the voters?

Listening to and reading what Gov. Palin has said and done, I cannot but help think that it is because of her looks, for I can see little else. She has played the classic female line to the T – from the soccer-mom ("I’m JUST a soccer mom" in her syrupy sweet tone) to the constant parading of her baby at all hours of day and night in all sorts of situations that could not possibly be healthy for the child. She has failed to address the issues – sort of an "I won’t worry my pretty little head about such things" type of approach. And her spending of US$150,000 for wardrobe and grooming falls right into this plan. She looked quite fine to me before – why the need for this makeover, except to play up the one thing she brings to the table - compelling good looks?

It is sad that in 2008 I could even be wondering such a thing. It is sad that it seems that this actually matters to a significant number of voters in the United States. It is sad that McCain and the Republican party could be so desperate for power that they foist on the world the possibility of Sarah "Prettyface" Palin as Vice President, and more frightening, Sarah "Prettyface" Palin as President.

Lest you wonder, I have no problem with pretty faces and good looks. I love to look at beautiful people. I spend a lot of time trying to make myself beautiful, but that’s secondary to what I bring to the table in terms of my intelligence and competence. What I have a challenge with is when this is seemingly the major competence that someone brings to the Presidential candidacy. Not even in beauty contests nowadays is a pretty face enough - why in the world would one think that it could be enough for the election to the Vice Presidency of the United States of America?

Raising Teachers salaries without transforming education gets us nowhere

2008-10-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week the week the Government and the Jamaica Teachers Association signed a landmark agreement effectively bringing the compensation of the nation’s teachers to 80% of market. Senator Dwight Nelson, the Minister responsible for the Public Service indicated that the impact on the budget would be somewhere between $15 Billion and $18 Billion. Minister of Education, Hon. Andrew Holness remarked that with the increase he will be holding teachers accountable and now expects a significant increase in their performance. I am concerned that the Minister believes that by simply raising the teachers’ salaries he will automatically get increased performance.

The statement by Minister Holness implies three assumptions. Firstly, the teachers were holding back on performance because they were poorly paid. Secondly, teachers were not being held accountable because they were underpaid. Thirdly, the main problem for our pathetic level of performance of the Education system was due to teachers and that simply paying them more will magically boost the performance.

The Task Force Report on Education outlines a comprehensive way forward to transform education. Properly paying the teachers is one of several recommendations. The most significant one to my mind however is the leadership required at the school level. This requires that the Board and Principal must have the authority and autonomy to manage the school rather than being literally puppets of the Ministry of Education. The proposed shift of authority from the Central Ministry to the new Regional Authorities is really only a cosmetic shift. The call by Minister Holness that he will hold teachers accountable will not go very far unless he holds everyone accountable, including himself. As my colleague Marguerite Orane said in her blog, being accountable to actions and being accountable to results are not the same.

The fact is that if we have a poorly performing education system with underpaid teachers and all we do is raise teachers salaries with all else remaining as is, all we will end up with is a poorly performing education system with well paid teachers

Accountability for performance in government

2008-10-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, the news broke that the Prime Minister of Jamaica, Bruce Golding, had demanded the immediate resignation of the board of the Urban Development Corporation. The report in the Jamaica Gleaner further stated:

Up to late yesterday there was no official word from Jamaica House, but senior government sources told The Gleaner that the board members had been instructed to resign because the prime minister was not pleased with their performance. According to the sources, while some members of the board might be returned, the Prime Minister was disappointed with the level of infighting on the board and its failure to deliver on several promises.

"The prime minister is getting tough and demanding performance, and other boards could also be fired shortly," one source said.

This news was greeted with cynicism by the Opposition party, who immediately pointed to this as a failure of the government. I see it differently - I see it as the first step in demanding and insisting on the accountability of public institutions and officials, and a step that should have been taken long ago.

Here's where the Prime Minister now faces a challenge however. He indicated that he is not pleased with their performance, but does he know, and has he (or anyone else) been clear, on how the performance of this, and other public sector institutions is measured? And by measurement I don’t mean activities carried out, I actually mean results, or outcomes. This begs some other questions such as:
What is the role of Government?
What is the mandate and role of each public sector institution?
How are all these institutions to work together to ensure delivery of service to the Jamaican citizens, with minimum waste and maximum effectiveness?

If the Prime Minister does not have these questions answered, then he will simply appoint new people to the Board with the same results - non-performance. This is important because non-performance of public sector institutions is a drain on the public purse and further impoverishment of the Jamaican people.

And then he, or the new Board, needs to go further and hold public sector employees accountable for their performance - again, not the carrying out of activities, but performance as indicated by the achievement of desired and stated results. It is high time that people be released from their government jobs if they fail to perform. This is actually the humane thing to do - there is no joy for someone to be in a job where they know they are not performing and there is no joy for those whom they are supposed to serve (the citizenry).

If there is one single thing that needs to be done to make Jamaica a desirable, peaceful place to live it is to set clear, unambiguous standards of performance throughout the public sector and hold people accountable for the results. If not, then the Prime Minister will find himself out of his job - for non-performance!

Key phrases in urgency

2008-10-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Some great phrases came from Prof. Kotter in his webinar on Thursday and his article "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail". Here are a few that resonated with me and the meanings I ascribe:

Team of prima donnas - this is a leadership team that think they know everything and parade around extolling their brilliance. They are untouchable, and infallible, or think they are. They are so focused on boosting themselves that they become hindrances to any real change effort

Relentless urgency killers - these are the people who kill the sense of urgency by their negativism, cynicism and downright sabotage. They have honed their urgency-murder to a fine art and are often subtle, but very very effective

Urgency generating machine - the people/person whose "job" it is to establish and maintain the sense of urgency. Best if the CEO considers this to be his/her role - but then aims, by example, to get more and more people operating likewise

Power-dispersed environment - an environment where power is not concentrated at the top, and where people feel and are empowered to act and make decisions on that generate real change

Aggressive cooperation - cooperation focused on the achievement of results and which is underpinned by a true sense of urgency

Paralyzed by the downside - this is where people are so consumed in the "what ifs" that they are unable to take any action at all

Which of these phrases apply to you or to members of your team? And what do you plan to do about it?

A True Sense of Urgency

2008-10-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the Growth Facilitators team tuned into a webinar by leadership guru retired Prof. John Kotter. Anyone who has studied anything at all about leadership and management will know his name. His work has stood the test of time, and his articles and books are as relevant today as they were decades ago when first written.

The topic of the webinar was "Urgency: How to make real change your company's top priority". This topic resonated with us immediately, as so many of our clients struggle with the issue of change. Indeed, now more than ever, all organizations, whether in the public, private or not-for-profit sector, MUST turn their collective minds to the issue of change – not just for change sake, but for relevance and survival.

Prof. Kotter listed 8 reasons why transformation efforts fail. His article: "Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail" which was first published in 1995, is now one of the Best of Harvard Business Review article series. It is a classic. Reading it again, I recognised many issues that we help our clients through as they try to transform their organizations. I also recognised many of the insights that our team has had, and that our solutions have not been far off the mark.

The webinar focused on the first error which is "Not establishing a great enough sense of urgency". Prof. Kotter made the distinction between false and true urgency. False urgency is when people recognise that there is a problem, but are not willing to take personal responsibility for the solution. A sense of "what I am doing is OK, it's what the others are doing that needs to change" sets in. False urgency is characterised by busyness and freneticism making it seem that one is dealing with the problem. It is characterised by a plethora of meetings, presentations, studies, reports, committees, task forces - sound familiar? False urgency is unsustainable as people soon burn out from the busyness for busyness sake, it is the breeding ground of cynicism and does not, indeed cannot, beget real change.

True urgency is when "people come to work every day determined to exploit real opportunities and mitigate real hazards". It is uncannily similar to GF's statement to our clients that "The only thing that people come to work everyday to do is to flawlessly execute strategy". What a difference! And what a difference in behaviour this approach generates! People now become focused on what’s important, they are flexible and adaptable, always searching for opportunities and solutions and most importantly they are passionate and excited about what they are doing. The role of leadership in creating and sustaining this sense of true urgency is paramount - encompassed in what the leadership says, but even more so what the leadership does. In even the most minute act of the leadership is a message to the followers of what's important and how important it is.

When we see that transformation is not taking place, we need to first look at the extent to which there is a sense of true urgency. Complacency, frenetic behaviour, rampant cynicism, prevalent and overriding negativism signal false, or no urgency at all. Today, take an honest look at your organization, and at yourself - is there a sense of true urgency? To what extent have you created a sense of true urgency? And to what extent are you sustaining it? If you are not seized with your own responses to these questions, go back to the drawing board and study Prof. Kotter’s article, and then take a critical look at yourself, and your own leadership. That's where the answer lies

The fallacy of best practice

2008-10-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

In the work that Growth Facilitators does, we often hear the term "best practice" typically used to indicate initiatives which the client desires to implement in order to achieve excellence. "Best practice" in marketing, "best practice" in human resource management, "best practice" in technology are spoken of with hallowed breath to indicate some tried and proven way to beat the competition.

It occurs to me that "best practice" is highly overrated.

Let’s first consider: what is "best practice"? Simply, it is a process or technique that has been applied repeatedly and that has consistently yielded superior results. We discern best practice by examining what those who are the best in the business are doing.

Why do I question this, for surely studying the best and doing what they are doing, must yield the best results? Here's why:

Best practices are things that were developed and applied in the past, perhaps in a different context, with different people and intentions. Just because something worked well in a previous time does not in any way mean that it will be the best possible solution now or in the future. 'History is no predictor of the future'. Indeed, an organization that is achieving superior performance is likely to have abandoned or moved on from the particular best practice that is now being touted by others. Further, an organization stuck in a best practice mode could actually be on the road to decline and mediocrity, sitting in the false smugness of doing what the best used to do.

What I believe companies need to do is to determine the best possible practice that is in alignment with their own vision. This may or may not be the best practice of others to date. For an organization to consistently achieve superior performance, it must constantly measure its performance, examine itself, learn and apply the new learning. It cannot be stuck in a mode of 'best practice'. Best today is not necessarily best practice. So, perhaps the only 'best practice' is to be constantly seeking and implementing your own "best practice", measuring the results and then learning from it and making it even better - or finding another one!

We used to sing this little ditty at school:

Good better best
Never let it rest
Till your good be better
And your better best

It still applies, except that in our turbulent world, there is no rest – just constantly making our good better, our better best, and our best even better.

How Core Values are important to our organization

2008-10-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

Values are core when they guide every decision, the way we conduct our business and build our relationships at work. We are most likely to have a successful organization if all are aligned around its purpose and philosophy by living its Core Values.

Top leaders know the power of strong values in forming the core of an organization in support of achieving its vision. They use Core Values to better guide and motivate their team members and to convey the message to their customers as to who they are as an organization, a clear, "this is how we do things here!”

It has become standard in our strategic planning process with our clients that we help them identify their Core Values and related behaviours. We guide them in exploring the extent to which current beliefs are aligned with the desired Core Values and how the beliefs of each individual might need to change to enable all to live by the Core Values.

More and more I reflect on our Growth Facilitators' Core Values FUN, LOVE, RESPECT and DISCIPLINE and how we live by them when looking for a “real life” example for our clients.

I believe where the leader is the founder of the organization, his or her core values most likely, consciously or unconsciously, become the Core Values of the organization. My real life example is the partners of GF, Marguerite and Robert. To me, Marguerite exemplifies our Core Values LOVE and FUN, and she and Robert are advocates in living these values.

LOVE - We at GF “nurture our Human Garden”. We look out for each other and support each other in our development, and when times get rough, at home or at work, i.e. sickness, children’s needs, broken down cars, deadlines with clients, pick ups from schools or airports and new born puppies. We are sad or happy together when reading the news in the morning. We share the fruit from our gardens and the food from our kitchens. We show empathy to those who get in contact with us, and we support schools and principals in their strategic planning via our Breakthrough programme.

FUN - We live in a colourful office. We celebrate birthdays, events, or achievements, usually with delicious cakes! Together we enjoy a good laugh, a football match, a cooking course in raw food, take on challenges such as being “Free and Laughing” at all times! Our smiley stickers and gift items, rewarded to those workshop participants who live our workshop values, are legendary with our clients.

RESPECT - We show mutual respect for one another and for our clients by listening and taking all concerns raised seriously and addressing them. We support each other in our personal development and in ventures outside the organization.

And how about DISCIPLINE - Here there is room for improvement, in how we organize ourselves, our evolution meetings, our time management and internal processes. I am reported to be the most disciplined in the team, reflecting my German upbringing. I would like to believe this, but have to admit that I have adapted to the cultural laxness on discipline in Jamaica. I may commit to challenge my team members more because I care about our effectiveness and efficiency and would like to support us to make discipline FUN! But am I really committed to taking on the challenge?

Do we choose a Core Value because we believe in it or because we want to behave more like this? I do believe we have chosen DISCIPLINE because we see a value in it and would like to achieve more of it. This is our challenge to us, let’s truly work on our beliefs and behaviours by asking ourselves: Why do we want to live DISCIPLINE and how?

World class

2008-10-09T05:50:00.000-07:00

Amazing talent + superb coaching = world class performance

World class performance + right alliance = world at your feet

Ask yourself: Does my organization have:

Amazing talent?
Superb coaching/management?
Right alliances?

If not, you need to take a strategic look at yourself, and take action!

PS the photos were taken in subways and on the streets of New York City!

Is America ready?

2008-10-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

“Is America ready for a black President”? This is the underlying question, spoken and unspoken, on many people’s minds as the world watches with great interest the runup to the US Presidential elections.

The simple answer is “No”. To me this is a non-question, for people are never ready for change. When we think of instances in history of great leadership, we see that the role of the leader is to define the change and then to lead the people into it. Most people come kicking and screaming, denying, resisting and even sabotaging it. Great leaders don’t wait for the people to be ready. They seize the time and step forward to do the job, knowing that the big part of their job is to create the change despite, not because the people are ready.

South Africa was not ready for change – but Nelson Mandela defined it and led the people into it. India was not ready for change, but Gandhi defined it and led the people into it. And in the ‘60s, the USA was not ready for change, but Martin Luther King defined it and led the people into it. We see from all of these that it was not a simple task at all. It was never about just articulating the desired change and then assuming automatically the people would follow. There was much coaxing, negotiating, cajoling and compromising where necessary while holding fast to the core principles with the greatest of integrity, personal commitment and sacrifice. These leaders led by example, and took extreme steps to demonstrate their commitment to their vision – Mandela in prison for 29 years, Gandhi in his loincloth and his spinning loom, MLK at the forefront of marches, facing dogs, batons and bullets in the hands of those who held fast to the status quo.

In all cases of change, there are people who have reached a level of discomfort with the state of things, who know that something different needs to happen, who feel that it is time for something to change. At first this group of people tends to be fragmented and unfocused, knowing what they don’t want, but perhaps not yet clear on what they DO want. It is into this scattering of discomfort that a leader steps, providing the clarity of purpose that galvanises people towards a compelling future. This group of people starts out small relative to the entire population. This matters not. Margaret Mead, the anthropologist, once said “Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world: indeed it is the only thing that ever has”. It is never necessary that everyone is on board – it is only the small group of committed people, led by a person of vision and integrity that is required.

Is America ready for a black President? Probably not. And it doesn’t matter. What really matters is – there are many people who are extremely dissatisfied with the way things are, and there is a man, who is articulating a compelling vision of the future, and happens to be black, who is ready to be the President.

Decisive Leadership needed in the Peoples National Party

2008-09-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, the Opposition Party, the Peoples National Party, voted to return Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller as its Leader. The Party’s Constitution makes the Annual Conference the Party’s highest decision making forum and requires that the term of its elected Officers, including the President is one year. The Constitution also requires that elections (by delegates) must be held every year at Conference. In its first 69 years, the delegates dutifully returned the incumbent President unopposed. Elections for Party Leader have been held 3 times when an incumbent has retired (Norman Manley in 1969; Michael Manley in 1992; and P.J. Patterson in 2006). However in its 70th year, and for the first time, the incumbent was challenged.

This democratic notion of challenging an incumbent Leader is new to the Party and predictably has not been taken kindly by the incumbent or by those supporting her. The result has been a split in the party as Mrs. Simpson-Miller and her supporters have wrongfully confused democracy with trying to “beat her down” and “mash up the party”. We have witnessed the strident vice presidential races in the PNP where losers continued to work in the party. However there appears to be one code of practice for the Vice Presidential race and another for the Presidential race.

Now that the elections are over and Mrs. Simpson-Miller has been returned as President, where should the PNP go from here? Mrs. Simpson-Miller MUST meet with Dr. Phillips one-on-one and work out differences and agree what is best for the party. Mrs. Simpson-Miller and her supporters must also recognize and accept that it is OK, and in the spirit of democracy, to be challenged. Dr. Phillips MUST let his supporters know that the campaign is over, the party must move on and that there are more commonalities with, than differences between, other members of the party.

Mrs. Simpson-Miller has admitted that she erred on ascendancy to the Prime Minister in March 2007 by keeping Mr. Patterson’s team in place rather than making the required changes in the best interest of the Government and of Jamaica. In other words, faced with an easy choice of doing what people wanted her to do and with a difficult choice of doing what was right, she chose the former and attributed that to her loss in the General Elections. A key tenet of great leadership is to take decisive and tough decisions, even when it is unpopular. Mrs. Simpson-Miller chose the easy way out in March 2006 and is now faced with another choice. This time she must demonstrate decisive leadership and do what is best for the party. The choice is hers and, unlike what many commentators are saying, she has a free hand whether or not anyone wants to voluntary step aside. The Party Leader should take a leaf out of Captain Horace Burrell’s book who did not wait for Professor Simoes to step aside, but exhibited decisive leadership in taking a tough decision in the best interest of Jamaica’s football.

Lessons in Leadership – Jamaica Football

2008-09-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Captain Horace Burrell, the President of the Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) first assumed office in 1994 and boldly stated that he would take the Jamaican team to France for the World Cup finals in 1998. Although he faced many obstacles and hardships, he stuck to his vision, took tough decisions and delivered on his promise. One of the key factors in delivering on his promise was the hiring of Professor Rene Simoes as the Technical Director.

Captain Burrell relinquished the Presidency in 2003 to Crenston Boxhill and wrestled control once more in 2007 where he vowed once more to take Jamaica to the world cup finals, this time South Africa in 2010. Shortly after assuming the office the second time around, the Captain took a tough decision to dismiss then Technical Director Bora Milutinovic. He turned to his good friend Professor Simoes who arrived in Jamaica in January 2008. Over the last 14 years the Captain and the Professor developed a deep mutual respect for each other and were very close friends.

Jamaica was drawn in the proverbial “Group of Death” for the CONCACAF semi-final qualifiers alongside Mexico, Honduras and Canada. Everyone knew it was going to be tough to be one of the two qualifiers from this Group. Mexico, the perennial kingpins of CONCACAF was expected to go through, however Honduras and Canada were no walkovers. Having lost the first three matches, and with Jamaica’s chances of qualifying literally hanging by a string, Captain Burrell had to take a tough decision. The fact that it involved the future of Professor Simoes, his very close friend and one well loved by Jamaicans, made it very difficult. Shortly after 1 am in Honduras, the decision was taken and Professor Simoes was no longer employed to coach the Jamaica National Football Team.

What lessons can we learn? Some persons agreed with the Captain, while many said it was cruel – he should have waited. The fact is that as leaders we are always faced with tough decisions, we may not always take the “right” decision, but we must be decisive and work with what we have done.

I reflect on the tenure of Mrs. Portia Simpson-Miller as Prime Minister. She was faced with tough decisions regarding persons very close to her. Most notably was then Minister Phillip Paulwell who should have been held accountable for the cement debacle which crippled the construction industry for months. He should have been held accountable for the Trafigura Affair. Unfortunately, Mr. Paulwell was the greatest supporter of Mrs. Simpson-Miller leading up to the PNP Presidential race in 2006 and thereafter. It is my opinion that had Mrs. Simpson-Miller taken the tough decision and stripped Mr. Paulwell of his Ministerial responsibilities, she would most likely have won the General Election in 2007. Instead her popularity rating snowballed from in the 70’s in March 2006 to the 40’s by time the election was called.

Transforming Education by the renewing of our minds

2008-08-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

When Dr. Ralph Thompson first published a comprehensive report of the actual CXC results, as opposed to the incomplete and misleading data normally published by the Ministry of Education, the entire nation was engaged in constructive discussion on how to improve the dismal performance of the education system. Early in 2004, then Minister Maxine Henry-Wilson initiated a process to engage a wide range of stakeholders in developing the National Shared Vision for Education. An island wide series of stakeholder consultations resulted in the Shared Vision, which was approved by over 450 persons at the Conference Centre in April 2004. In February of that year then Prime Minister Patterson appointed a Task Force to prepare and present an action plan consistent with a vision for the creation of a world-class education system which will generate the human capital and produce the skills necessary for Jamaican citizens to compete in the global economy. Task Force Chair Dr. Rae Davis submitted the report the day before Hurricane Ivan hit us and, after Cabinet approval, the Prime Minister in December 2004 laid in Parliament the Task Force Report on Education Reform (the report is available in full at (http://www.moey.gov.jm)

Where are we now?

Nearly four years after Parliament received the report and implementation commenced, we are still some distance away from the stated 2010 Educational Outcome performance targets:
90% of students achieving mastery in all 4 areas of Grade 1 Readiness Inventory;
85% of students achieving mastery at Grade 4 Literacy Test
85% National mean score at GSAT for each subject
60% of cohort attaining Grade 1-3 in 5 (CSEC) subjects including English and Mathematics

While the Task Force Report is clear on the targets above, it is my understanding that the Ministry of Education officials have shifted the goal post from 2010 to 2015. Notwithstanding this shift it is clear that these targets will be difficult to achieve in 2015 if we remain on the course that has been charted. For instance while the 4th target speaks to % cohort attaining grades 1-3 in 5 CSEC subjects including Math and English, 2007 data from the Ministry indicated that only 8 of approximately 150 secondary and technical schools exceeded 60% pass rate in both Math and English only: Campion (94%); St. Andrew (88.6%); Immaculate (88.4%); Ardenne (80.7%); Wolmers Girls (78.5%); Wolmers Boys (76.7%); Glenmuir (76.6%) and Westwood (72.1%).

Where have we gone wrong?

I did not get a chance to listen to Minister Holness’ contribution to the 2008/2009 sectoral debate earlier this year; however I read excerpts in the Sunday Observer May 25, 2008 edition entitled Transforming Education. The Minister is quoted as saying that “The new Ministry (of Education) will be the driving force and brain of the transformed education system.” He further stated that “Transformation activities have been divided into six work-streams: Modernization of the Ministry; Schools facilities and infrastructure; curriculum, teaching and learning; behaviour change and community; school leadership and management; community and stakeholder relations. While these are important, it seems to me that the Minister is missing the point about transformation. Romans 12:2 tells us: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. The six work-streams outlined by the Minister, while resulting in some improvement, will ensure that the education system continue to conform to its current pattern. The Minister appears to be placing too much emphasis on Central Government. What is really needed is a renewing of minds at all levels in the system.

Task Force Recommendations

A perusal of the Task Force Report recommendations will indicate the renewal of which I speak:
1. Transform the education system to a new model for governance where students are at the centre of the system and every institution is focused on, and held accountable for, serving the students. School leaders and managers are to be responsible for how schools are managed, with proper support to be provided by the Regional Education Authorities –
This is a fundamental shift which the Minister does not appear to be in sync with. What is required is that the school leadership is given autonomy, not the Regional Authority. It was never intended for the REA to be the “final authority on operational and administrative matters” as stated by the Minister. It must be the school leadership – the Board and Principal. The Regional Authority should only provide monitoring and support needed.
Autonomy and authority at the school level would have implications for hiring and firing staff, setting compensation levels and incentive schemes, setting level of school fees and whether funds can go directly to schools from the Ministry of Finance.
The role of the School Improvement Officer should be revisited as it must be the role of the Board to “monitor, challenge, support, set and review targets for improvement”.
The role of the Principal must fundamentally shift from Head Teacher to Chief Executive Officer. Vice Principals ought not to be burdened with teaching while Heads of Departments must shift emphasis from teaching to teacher management.
The greatest impact on education performance should arise from the increased leadership capability, particularly principals. Rather than creating a new entity, Jamaica Educational Leadership Academy (JELA), I would recommend that principals be enrolled in the management faculties of the various tertiary institutions island wide. Developing school leaders is a leadership issue, not an education issue.
Finally, to raise the teaching profession to par with other professions, we should dispel with the notion of a Teacher Training College. All the existing ones should be gradually transformed to broad based tertiary institutions, with a school of education but offering other tertiary options. Hence students can develop and hone their teaching skills while experiencing other areas of professional life.

2. Increase the involvement of parents and students including sharing of information about children’s performance and involvement in decision-making. – Too often principals and teachers see parents as a bother. They must now renew their minds and see students and parents as customers, serve them accordingly and remember that a parent/guardian ultimately shares responsibility with the student for the latter’s performance.

3. Encourage private investment in education – Government technocrats constantly bemoan the fact that the private sector needs to contribute more to education. However, private schools are discouraged, even though the Government is incapable of providing quality education for all.

4. Government to fund students to a fixed amount at whatever school they choose while providing the policy and quality support to ensure proper operation and accountability for performance at all institutions – This is a fundamental shift and it is in total alignment with the first point. If each child is given a voucher and chooses whichever schools he/she would like to attend, it would shift power of allocation from the Ministry and there would be no need for the ridiculous allocation system aka GSAT.

In summarizing, it seems to me that the Minister needs to rethink Education Transformation and return to the basic shifts outlined in the Task Force on Education Reform which the Ministry and the Transformation Team purports to be using. Failure to do so will result in unnecessary expenditure and effort which and bring us no closer to National Shared Vision for Education in Jamaica: “Each learner will maximise his/her potential in an enriching, learner-centred education environment with maximum use of learning technologies supported by committed, qualified, competent, effective and professional educators and staff”. “The education system will be equitable and accessible with full attendance to Grade 11. Accountability, transparency and performance are the hallmarks of a system that is excellent, self-sustaining and resourced and welcomes full stakeholder participation. The system produces full literacy and numeracy, a globally competitive, quality workforce and a disciplined, culturally aware and ethical Jamaican citizenry”.

Customer Happiness

2008-08-30T07:58:00.001-07:00

How’s this for a job title? “Customer Happiness Manager” As we continually redefine the world of work in an effort to be and remain competitive, we are realising more and more that the experience of the customer is tantamount. Put simply, a happy customer buys more! So, in recent years as organizations have tried to get this message across we have seen moves from “customer service” to “customer satisfaction” to “customer delight” and now “customer happiness”.

What’s in a word? Are these changes important? Do they really create changes in how people behave and in particular, how they serve customers? Yes, they do – but words alone are not enough. Many organizations think that if they simply train their frontline employees to answer the phone within 3 rings, smile when dealing with customers and say “Please”, “Thank you” and “You’re welcome”, then customers will be happy. Well, the news is that bad service, that is, service that does not meet the needs of the customer, even if delivered by smiling employees, will still be bad service – no happy customers at all. Nor happy employees either!

A “Customer Happiness Manager” would have to be backed up by an organization that is dedicated to the happiness of its’ chosen customers. This would mean careful choice of customer, based on knowing that you can’t be all things to all people; deeply understanding what makes the chosen customer happy – not guessing, or thinking – KNOWING. Constant research, feedback and communication with customers and about customer issues would be the order of the day. Systems and procedures would be geared to customer happiness - meeting the customer where they are, providing what the customer wants, delivering the service where and when the customer wants and as little work for the customer as is possible.

All these customer happiness procedures are necessary, but not sufficient. For the most important piece of the puzzle is the people. The CEO must lead the charge and consider him/herself the Chief Customer Happiness Officer. The Customer Happiness Manager would have his/her ear, with quick and easy access. The entire leadership team would know that customer happiness is “Job One”, and that they must do, and allow their team to do everything they can to achieve this. Most importantly though, is that the people in the organization must themselves be happy – with themselves, with their lives. They must feel that they are in the right job, with the right skills and tools. While the organization may be responsible for putting in place the job, skills and tools, it is the individual’s responsibility to come to the job with the right attitude, beliefs and behaviours. Organizations committed to customer happiness know that they must attract people who are already happy within themselves and then place them in the right job. Not the other way around – place the person with the right skills in the job and hope that will make them happy!

I love the idea of Customer Happiness! I also love the idea that an organization would be so dedicated to it that it would seek out happy people to be on its team, and then do everything possible to create an environment in which happiness flourishes for everyone!

Mandela's Leadership Lessons

2008-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

The Time magazine July 21 issue had as its’ cover story “Mandela at 90: The Secrets of Leadership”. This was the very day I was leaving Jamaica for South Africa. The article made riveting reading on the long flight and was excellent orientation for my first visit to this fascinating country in conscious transition.

Here are Nelson Mandela’s lessons, gleaned over decades of leadership – most of which he spent incarcerated, yet still managed to effectively lead a movement for massive change:

Lesson #1:
Courage is not the absence of fear – it’s inspiring others to move beyond it

Lesson #2:
Lead from the front – but don’t leave your base behind

Lesson #3:
Lead from the back – and let others believe they are in front

Lesson #4:
Know your enemy – and learn about his favourite sport

Lesson #5:
Keep your friends close – and your rivals even closer

Lesson #6:
Appearances matter – and remember to smile

Lesson #7:
Nothing is black or white

Lesson #8:
Quitting is leading too

What I love about these lessons are their simplicity and practicality. These lessons are no treatises developed out of years of research, analysis, discourse, debate or scholarship. They are lessons that were gleaned in the mud, dirt, grime, violence, hardship and challenges of the trenches of the fight against apartheid. They are lessons that all of us can put into practice. Most importantly, they are lessons that work – we see the result in the victory over apartheid, and in the example that Nelson Mandela has set and continues to set. For all of us who love and admire Nelson Mandela, the greatest tribute to him would be for us to put these into practice in our families, organizations and nations.

Here is the link to the article - read and put into practice!

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1821467,00.html

The true nature of work

2008-08-23T06:46:00.000-07:00

"To me, I am a performer. I go out there to perform and let the people enjoy themselves. This is my work, my job, if you do not enjoy your job it does not make much sense. That's just me. I will not change, that is myself, that is my personality," Bolt said at a post-sprint relay press conference.

Usain Bolt is a very, very smart young man. In addition to being the fastest man alive, he also displays an amazing, intrinsic marketing genius! Puma, his major sponsor, must be beaming at their return on investment in Jamaican athletics in general and Bolt in particular. While IOC President, Jacques Rogge was lambasting Bolt for running barefoot, the Puma execs in Germany were revelling in the sight Bolt’s bare feet - and his Puma spikes at his smiling lips! What a dream come true! It is reported that Puma sales “spiked” by 2 million pairs in the HOUR after Bolt’s 100m victory! A look a http://www.pumarunning.com/ shows Bolt on the home page, with video clips of Jamaican school athletics, Jamaican scenes and Bolt from as early as 16 years. From then he was a media star. He has the “it” factor.

We need to understand that what Bolt is doing is not premeditated – he is simply being in the moment and enjoying his job. He says so. “That’s just me”. He is being his true, authentic self. It is a lesson all of us must learn. We bring our whole selves to our workplace. There is no such thing as a separation of self between “work” and “life”. The you you are at home, is the you you are at work. “If you do not enjoy your job it does not make much sense”. If your job is causing you pain, if Monday morning brings a groan and Friday afternoon brings relief, then you need to consider what you are doing to yourself. It is not the organization that is doing it to you – you are doing it to yourself. You always have a choice. When you are in the moment, being your true self and enjoying what you do, then all sorts of wonderful things, magic, miracles, start to happen - at work and in your entire life. Being in the moment, you open to guidance on what’s right, and you do it. That’s why Rogge is so wrong – he is living in the past, and not being present to the moment. You can’t be “right” in that place.

Bolt says something else that’s very wise – “I am a performer. I go out there to perform and let the people enjoy themselves”. He knows what his true job is – it is not running, it is entertainment. And so it is with us in our organizations. Our jobs in many ways are about performing, entertaining, banding together with our teammates to choreograph and perform incredible customer experiences – every time. That’s what the new world of work is – entertainment and performance, and enjoying what you do! Then work is easy, fun, joy! Bigup the fastest man in the world – and a very, very wise one to boot!

The Team

2008-08-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

A successful team is more than the sum total of its members. This was brought home to me moments ago when I saw the Jamaican Women’s team not pass the baton from the second to the third leg. As a result, those who were counting on a sure 6th gold medal for Jamaica, saw their hopes dashed.

Jamaica unarguably had the best team going into the final – the gold, silver and silver medal winners in the 100m and the gold 200m medal winner. How could we lose? We were all looking not just to win gold, but at the possibility even of breaking a record! And yet it didn’t happen. Why? Because a successful relay is not about adding up the times of each runner – it is about the synergy of the team in getting the baton around. It is not just about handing off the baton to the other runner, it is about feeling the runner, feeling the baton, feeling the energy. When passing the baton, it is an exchange of energy. Replays of great baton changes show the baton seeming to glide from one runner to the other.

Attitude of each member of the team is important. Thoughts of individual glory must be suspended, as it is the team that matters. Trust is tantamount – each member of the team must trust the other. The hardest thing must be for the outgoing runner NOT to turn around and look to see where the baton is; to just stick his/her hand back and trust that the baton will glide into it.

It is the same principles that apply in our organizations. Successful leaders know that a star team is not necessarily made up of individual stars! They know that they can take a group of fairly mediocre individual performers and create a star team. The teams that won medals in the 100m Women’s relay were not at all the individual stars (not one medal winner among them), but they pulled it together on the day and got the baton around.

We also have to know that sometimes, even when the team dynamics are right – all focused on the same goal, all in sync, stars seemingly aligned – “**it” happens and the baton just does not go around! And that’s the way it is in our organizations too – sometimes, it does not happen. What then becomes important is to make the experience a learning one, not one of blame and recrimination. Which is what the Jamaican men’s team just did to win the 100m relay in a world record beating style!

Celebrating our athletes

2008-08-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

As the euphoria over "Jamaica's" performance at the Beijing games continues, it is ironic that there continues to be crises in the education system, this time regarding the financing of our schools. Jamaican athletics is nurtured at the school level, in particular the secondary school level, where the infrastructure for coaching and competition is extensive. However, this infrastructure takes place largely as a result of volunteer effort - even the highly vaunted Boys and Girls Champs are run by the Inter Secondary School Association (ISSA).

Following is Marguerite's open letter which appears in today's Gleaner newspaper:

The Editor Sir,

Celebrating our athletes!

I am elated at the performance of our athletes in Beijing – all of them, every single one and of course the medal winners! I am very aware however that their success is the result of their own amazing, relentless and dedicated hard work and sacrifice with very little support from the state. Most of them have come through the secondary school system, in which the track and field programs are powered to a large extent by volunteer effort. It is ironic that while “products of our educational system” are excelling in Beijing, we cannot even find the will to properly finance our schools.

How can we as a nation honour these athletes? Celebrations and even a public holiday are being mooted. May I suggest that the government contribute the money they plan to spend on celebrations instead to the track programmes in the athletes’ alma maters in their names? This would be a long lasting, fitting and appropriate salute to them. This is not to say that there should be no public celebrations for them – let’s just not go overboard spending money that we say we do not have!

As regards the public holiday – considering the gruelling work these athletes have put in, including sacrificing many a public holiday, may I suggest that we do not go this route? What we ought to be doing now is buckling down and trying to make Jamaica not just the sprint capital of the world, but the capital of the world in all spheres!

Sincerely

Marguerite Orane

World Beaters

2008-08-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Much will be written and spoken over the next few days, weeks and months about Jamaica’s prowess in track. We see this phenomenon of sustained world domination of the sprint events by Jamaican athletes and wonder “How does a poor country of just 2.7 million people, where schools, hospitals and other infrastructure are falling apart, where unemployment is high and economic growth low – how does this country called Jamaica CONSISTENTLY produce world class performances in track?

All sorts of theories are posited – the ackee, Trelawney yam, our water, a gene (recently discovered – yes, there seems to be a genetic foundation for our dominance). What occurs to me is that Jamaica’s athletics performance has something in common with another area in which we are world class – music! There is no doubt that our music is heard and played everywhere on this globe; our musicians travel relentlessly, and wherever you go, everyone loves Bob Marley. I was reminded of this recently by the check-in clerk at our hotel in Johannesburg who stated in no uncertain terms “Bob Marley is a legend in South Africa”.

I am not going to attempt a fulsome analysis of why Jamaican music and athletics is so successful – that would be my Phd thesis if I ever decided to pursue such a degree. What I do observe is something that Jamaican music and athletics have in common – they have developed with minimal government intervention or direction. Why do I consider this important? What this has meant is that resources, human and otherwise, have been able to move quickly to where the opportunities are. It has meant that our musicians and athletes have been able to be nimble and quick in terms of scoping out and taking advantage of opportunities. It has meant an absence of bureaucracy, lengthy analysis and convoluted decision-making. Decisions are made by the individual doers – those who really know, participate and have something at stake, and not by public officials or politicians who at best are informed by studies, reports and fact finding missions.

Let us not lose this lesson. It is critical, now more than ever, as the question we Jamaicans MUST ask ourselves is: “If we can be this great in athletics and music, why can’t we be great at everything else?” A critical part of this discussion MUST be the role of government. Based on our experience with our world beaters, it is my belief that this role should be as minimal as possible.

Bureaucracy in Action

2008-08-11T04:52:00.000-07:00

One of the pastimes of the GF team, is to observe BIA – Bureaucracy In Action – an oxymoron if ever there was one, for “action” rarely results from bureaucracy.

As we have crossed borders – Jamaica/USA, USA/South Africa, South Africa/USA and now USA/Jamaica – I note the many instances of BIA that have me wondering – what’s the purpose of all this?

For example:
Why does Immigration in most countries insist on having us fill out long forms? The pertinent information is already in your passport, and all the Immigration officer does is to re-enter it into his/her computer, after having checked that we have completed the form “accurately”. He/she could do so directly from the passport – save them and us time and a few trees as well! It was such a pleasure to clear South African Immigration formless – all they needed were our passports. Went quickly and easily
Why does Immigration ask us for our intended address? We could put anything and they would be none the wiser. It really irks me when Jamaican Immigration insists on knowing my intended whereabouts, for as a citizen of Jamaica, I am free to go wherever I wish – without their knowledge or permission!
Then, those “Nothing to Declare” lines at Customs – if we have nothing to declare, then why do we have to fill up a form to say so? And worse, why do they have to check the form and ask us the questions all over? In South Africa there was no form, so we simply walked out of Customs! They have figured out that it is much more efficient to check people at random
On experiencing this absence of forms, and simplified procedures at South African Customs and Immigration, we made the mistake of thinking that this country has got it right. Wrong – for in changing our currency we were met by a barrage of forms (four to change traveller’s cheques in a bank!), the same information repeated on each form, and multiple signatures to indicate – what?

The problem with bureaucracy is that what started out as a means to some necessary end becomes the end itself. I once dared to ask a Jamaican Immigration Officer why they needed to know my intended address. His response? “You just have to fill up the form”.

Today, question every step in your processes at work. Chances are, many of them are redundant. Save some time, save some paper, save some money and most importantly, save yourself and others the agony of useless work!

What if we led like Madiba?

2008-07-31T15:23:00.000-07:00

We were conversing this evening at dinner about how far South Africa and South Africans have progressed in only 14 years of independence (which is what 1994, the year of their first democratic election is called). To achieve this level of pride, racial integration and yes, harmony, in just 14 years is truly incredulous. I have been trying to comprehend the mindset shifts, nay lunges and leaps that individuals have had to make – total destruction of fundamental beliefs they have long held, and new ones in their place. People’s worlds have been shattered and shaken to bits. When this happens, even though the new world is acknowledged to be a brighter, better one, the shock of the change is such that people are disoriented and shaken, trying to come to a place of understanding, balance and equilibrium in the new paradigm. And yet, the people of South Africa are adjusting, learning and growing.

What has caused the blossoming of the “Rainbow nation”? For me, there is one fundamental element – the tone set by the leadership, in the person of Nelson Mandela.

I was thinking – what if he had been bitter and vindictive when he was released from prison? What if he had brought hate, negativity and fear to his presidency? What if his words were words of revenge, retaliation and vengeance? That would have been easy and understandable, after all he had been through. Just think how different South Africa would be today.

Yet Madiba or Daddy Mandela as he is lovingly called chose another way of being, speaking words of love and forgiveness, and acting accordingly. This made all the difference to the lives of the 47 million citizens of South Africa. It has made all the difference to the rest of the world – to remind us that it IS possible, and that one person CAN make a difference! What does it take, to make this type of difference in the world? A choice – to act from a place of love or hate. Madiba chose love, and the world feels this love and loves him back! But more importantly, we are inspired to be the love ourselves and to make a difference in our own world.

So, my question to you is: if South Africa can experience this level of transformation in just 14 years, what would be possible in our own organizations and countries IF we led like Madiba?

Meet the GF team - Alysha, the intern

2008-07-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

Each summer, GF "adopts" a few interns for "work experience".

So, meet Alysha, one of our interns this year. She will be returning to university in Florida shortly - and we sure will miss her! The photo above shows how distressed she is at having to leave us!

1. If I were a fruit I would be a mango because Auntie Marguerite loves me! Kidding, because there are many different sides to me, just like the different types of mango
2. If I were a colour I would be red because I am vivacious
3. If I were an animal I would be dolphin because I love to swim
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was what subjects I was going to do at CXC level
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would jump off of Rick’s Cafe
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to the children in Somalia
7. I laugh really hard when me and my friend are tipsy
8. I cry when I feel unwanted and worthless
9. If I could travel in time I would go to the Elizabethan era
10. The question I most want answered is “ Was I reincarnated, If so, who was I and would I as Alysha, have liked me?

Carnivore strategy

2008-07-25T00:24:00.000-07:00

As facilitators and students of strategy formulation and implementation, we are constantly on the lookout for examples of flawless execution of strategy. It is not difficult to spot – you know it when you see it. It is simply when everything works; when all the parts of the organizational machinery come together and work as one.

Last night was one such experience. We dined at a restaurant in South Africa called “Carnivore”. From beginning to end, it was a delight – not just the food, but the entire experience.

Firstly, the name of the restaurant states exactly what it is – a restaurant that serves and specialises in meat of all kinds (see the photo of the menu). Even so, they are careful to tell you in their promotions that they cater for vegetarians as well, thus ensuring that all in the party have an incredible experience.

The décor of the restaurant – African motif, carvings, heavy wooden tables and chairs, zebra patterned chair cushions and dining ware, rustic metal plates for the meat.

The staff know that their guests come for more than the food. They are on stage, full of drama – their costume, the way they serve the meat – walking around with it on spears shouting out “Chicken! Pork! Impala! Ostrich! Antelope! Crocodile” and then stabbing the spear on your plate and slicing off a portion of the heralded meat with a huge, very sharp knife! Even their playful disdain, yet caring concern, for vegetarians adds to the experience. No one feels left out. All are included.

Someone thought through this concept very carefully. Someone designed the parts in total alignment with the concept – the people, the processes all aligned with the desired customer experience. All executed flawlessly! Carnivore is theatre, experience, entertainment; strategy execution at its best!

Growth Facilitators in South Africa

2008-07-24T08:55:00.000-07:00

To prove that Robert and Marguerite are actually working in South Africa, here are photos of them presenting at the International Association of Facilitator's Conference yesterday. They presented the GF process for facilitating Strategic Planning in Secondary Schools in Jamaica using the Balanced Scorecard. It was very, very well received! Who knows - maybe GF will soon be in Africa helping schools there to be the best schools in the world!

evolution

2008-07-20T08:18:00.000-07:00

The weekly Monday morning planning meeting at GF is called "EVOLUTION". We decided when we developed our Balanced Scorecard, that we would devote one day per week to planning, scheduling and most importantly, learning. The aim of these meetings is to learn more about our strategy, our clients and ourselves. It is a time to reflect on and grow ourselves and the business. We view this time as critical to our clients' delight and the prosperity and growth of their, and our business. Evolution is fun, serious, plodding, challenging, insightful, frustrating, breakthrough, humdrum, off-the-wall - all of these make it an experience of learning and growing.

Meet the GF team - Sharon

2008-07-16T03:58:00.001-07:00

"di Trini", Sharon is one of our Client Managers.

1. If I were a fruit I would be a banana because it is has a bright and cheerful colour and so good for so many things
2. If I were a colour I would be red because it is bold and daring because
3. If I were an animal I would be a beer because it is cuddly
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was to leave my entire family and all my friends and move to Jamaica to live
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would make lots more friends
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to eliminate the abuse of children
7. I laugh really hard when my son Jordan makes some really profound statement that is really funny
8. I cry when I feel frustrated and distressed
9. If I could travel in time I would go to 20 years ago so I would take better care of myself
10. The question I most want answered is “ what is God’s will/purpose for my life ?”

Meet the GF team - Ulla

2008-07-16T03:53:00.000-07:00

Ulla is one of our Client Managers, who the rest of the team look to for her order and discipline from her German heritage!

1. If I were a fruit I would be a mango because it is nourishing, delicious and sweet
2. If I were a colour I would be blue like the sky because it has no limits
3. If I were an animal I would be a dolphin because they are fun loving, caring and playful
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was to file for a divorce
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would give more feedback and coach more!
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to persons I care about
7. I laugh really hard when I feel the child in me
8. I cry when I am personally overwhelmed by emotions
9. If I could travel in time I would go to the moon with Armstrong
10. The question I most want answered is “What is the question I most want answered?”

Meet the GF team - Camille

2008-07-16T03:41:00.000-07:00

Camille is the GF Business Support Manager, but who is lovingly known as the Prodigal Daughter, due to her "sabbatical" from us for a year.

1. If I were a fruit I would be a Julie Mango because one can’t resist licking every ounce of juice that comes from the mango. I NEVER wash the juice of a Julie mango off my hand – I lick it off. It’s so tasty!!!
2. If I were a colour I would be black because my faults would be easily hidden and difficult to see
3. If I were an animal I would be gazelle because it is beautiful and moves gracefully
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was the decision to confront a friend about my decision to change the nature of our relationship
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would spend a day underwater and admire the beauty and grace of the fishes and underwater creatures
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to my mother
7. I laugh really hard when I mis-pronounce a word and the correct pronunciation is far from what I said (like when I pronounced ‘Chopin’ like ‘Choppin’ instead of “Showpau”)
8. I cry when I am moved by stories of triumph and where one overcomes an adversity
9. If I could travel in time I would go back to the days when Jesus walked the earth. I would have also loved to have witnessed Moses’ parting of the Red Sea
10. The question I most want answered is “Did OJ REALLY do it?” J On a serious note, I would really want to know, “if the Bible was assembled using EVERY account recorded by EVERYONE who made a record during his life on earth, how would it influence a lot of what is taught today?” Why was Mary Magdalene’s account omitted?

Prof. Charles Ogletree visits Jamaica - facilitated by Growth Facilitators

2008-07-09T23:21:00.000-07:00

Growth Facilitators was instrumental in the recent visit of Harvard Law School professor and Barack Obama Senior Advisor Charles Ogletree to Jamaica. Professor Ogletree was a guest of SET (Students Expressing Truth), as very successful project in the Jamaican prisons. Growth Facilitators arranged for Prof. Ogletree to be the guest speaker at the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica Speaker Series luncheon. In the photo above Prof. Ogletree greets Richard Chen of Super Plus and his niece Katherine Chen, while Marguerite Orane, GF partner, looks on happily!

Below is the guest speaker introduction presented by Marguerite:

The second of 6 children born to an African American couple in California in 1952, Charles Ogletree had instilled into him very early the transformative power of education. His parents, now deceased, did not complete high school, and were therefore delighted that they lived to see their second child graduate from Stanford and Harvard universities and go on to a stellar career as the Jesse Climenko Professor of Law at the Harvard Law School.

Author of numerous publications and recipient of countless honours and awards, Prof. Ogletree is a prominent legal theorist who has made an international reputation by taking a hard look at complex issues of law and by working to secure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution for everyone equally under the law. He has examined these issues not only in the classroom, on the Internet, and in the pages of prestigious law journals, but also in the everyday world of the public defender in the courtroom and in public television fora where these issues can be dramatically revealed. He furthers dialogue by insisting that the justice system protect rights guaranteed to citizens by law and to this end, he established the Charles Hamilton Institute for Race and Justice at the Harvard Law School.

It is this perspective and passion that piqued his interest in the prison system in Jamaica, the plight of prisoners and the possibilities for their rehabilitation. First involved in 1989 in the Reverence For Life prison project, Prof. Ogletree continues today to play an active role in the SET project.

Prof Ogletree and his wife, fellow Stanford alum Pamela Barnes, are proud parents of two children. They are true friends of Jamaica, visiting and vacationing here regularly. Enjoying our beautiful beaches in Negril and fishing in Portland, they particularly savour our spicy cuisine, hot pepper, coconut water and of course Red Stripe beer!

In 1988 Prof. Ogletree met a young student in his Harvard Law class. He saw something in that young man then, both having come from disadvantaged backgrounds, yet ending up at the most prestigious law school in the United States, and, many would say, the world. Prof. Ogletree became that student’s mentor, navigating him very successfully through the maze that faces an African American at Harvard. When that former student decided to run for the presidency of the United States, Charles Ogletree stepped to the plate as one of his senior advisors. That presidential candidate is of course, Senator Barack Obama.

Please join me in welcoming Prof. Charles Ogletree Jr., advocate for equality and justice for all and a friend of Jamaica.

Meet the GF team - Marguerite

2008-06-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Meet Marguerite Orane, Partner (officially) - aka the Energiser Bunny

1. If I were a fruit I would be a mango because it’s sweet, succulent and juicy
2. If I were a colour I would be red because it’s the colour of life, blood, vitality, power, energy
3. If I were an animal I would be a dolphin because they are smart, caring, fast, live communally and are free – plus, they always have a smile on their faces!
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was deciding whether to go to Harvard or Stanford
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would free fall dive from a plane
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to Bill Gates because he would soon multiply it AND do good
7. I laugh really hard when I am doing silent laughter in Laughter Yoga
8. I cry when I sing the Peace Song at church
9. If I could travel in time I would go to Ancient Egypt because I would love to know the secrets of the Pyramids
10. The question I most want answered is “How did the Universe begin, and if it did "begin", then what did it begin out of?”

Meet the GF team - Carole

2008-06-20T04:17:00.001-07:00

Meet Carole Orane-Andrade - Office Manager (officially); CCB - Chief Cook & Bottlewasher (the real job)
Carole is also our Certified Graphic Recorder, and the creator of the most amazing flipcharts!

1. If I were a fruit I would be a tree-ripened lychee because it is hardy on the outside and succulent and sweet on the inside
2. If I were a colour I would be green because it is a vibrant and prosperous colour, and occurs in so many hues in nature
3. If I were an animal I would be a dog in my house because I would be treated like a queen and I would love back unconditionally
4. The most difficult decision I have ever had to make was to come back to Jamaica when I was 15 to finish school instead of staying at Dance Theatre of Harlem!
5. If I knew I would not hurt myself I would continue to perform on stage!
6. If I had US$1,000,000 to give away I would give it to Wolmer’s and Jamaica Aids Support Hospice….I would like to qualify that “if” to “when”
7. I laugh really hard when GFites have our mid-afternoon fun-instead-of-pastry time where we laugh at and with ourselves over equally foolish and serious stuff – and then come the “aha” moments!
8. I cry when I feel like crying
9. If I could travel in time I would go to “Swing” time (without the WWII) to dance live with the Big Bands – Glenn Miller, Tommie Dorsey et al. Oh to hear ‘Pennsylvania 65000” live!
10. The question I most want answered is “where do we go when we leave this plane?”

The GF Team

2008-06-12T22:49:00.000-07:00

The best thing about working at Growth Facilitators is the amazing team of people! Over the next few days, we will be introducing ourselves to you. The team now is:

Robert Wynter - Mr. Analytical - Partner
Marguerite Orane - energiser bunny - Partner
Sharon Carruthers - "di Trini" - Client Manager
Ulla Wyckoff - "die German" - Client Manager
Carole Orane-Andrade - chief cook and bottlewasher - Office Manager
Camille Spaulding - prodigal daughter (we will soon explain that one) - Business Support Manager
Elaine Thompson - the taskmaster - Office Assistant
Leonard Smith - the strong, silent one - Driver
Alysha Chambers - fave intern (for the summer)

Fun at work

2008-06-08T15:10:00.001-07:00

The Growth Facilitators team takes our core value of “fun” very, very seriously. Our office is painted in all colours of the rainbow, and you will always hear laughter sprinkled throughout our day. Jokes abound, funny stories proliferate, cartoons, photos that lighten our day magically appear on walls and e-mails. We laugh at ourselves easily and willingly. It is a happy place, because we all believe that FUN and WORK are not mutually exclusive.

We go further to design fun into our workshops, as we really do believe that people are more engaged, creative, productive and happier when they are having fun. Laughter and fun are intertwined - you can’t have one without the other! Laughter releases inhibitions, and we note the breakthroughs that our clients have when they are laughing.

This week, commit to having fun at work! Lighten up your workplace! And notice the effect – on others, and yourselves!

In fun and laughter

Marguerite