working together for change

Today I went on a ‘working together session’ in the newly merged Peabody/Family Mosaic, headed up by two suave facilitators from Rubuss https://rubuss.com/about/

We start with how humans behave in the real world, not on a process flowchart. Then we build in emotion, ease and simplicity – recognising humans are emotional before they’re rational.

I like that. I do emotional before rational.  I usually feel guilty about that, but they had a positive spin saying that emotion drives us and gets us doing things.

It was all about ‘moving the culture forward’ and in our little group of 16 taken from across the two organisations getting across the idea that whether we change is down to individuals and teams. Everyone in the organisation should have the power to make permanent change.  They were saying that in a world where most businesses are broken people don’t meet their potential and nothing is changed.

We did an exercise with lego that showed that if you have a system that doesn’t work you have to find ways around it and how much discretionary effort does that kill. How easy is it to get stuff done in the organisation?

If the culture is wrong it gives you the unspoken authority to focus on the wrong things.

They pitched that ‘front lines matter’ and that Peabody should be giving the people closest to the problem the power to fix it.

Little stuff matters. Incremental gains and small things can have big impacts.

https://www.ted.com/talks/rory_sutherland_sweat_the_small_stuff

 

Our new organisation values are ambitious, collaborative, empowering, caring and trusted.

Our focus is going to be on being human and kind.

 

e.g. Dear

 

Yesterday I went on a ‘working together’ session at WBR and we all had to pick one small thing in the organisation we would like to change that was relatively easy and inexpensive to do and take ownership of it.

 

‘Working Together’ is all about making our organisation more human and kind. I think as one of our leaders you are likely to get the Rubuss treatment next week and it’s ok, quite inspiring really.

 

Anyway two of us in the group hit on the IT disclaimer. Pip wanted to make the language more human and kind, I wanted to have an ever changing strapline (a bit like the google sign) that in Peabody blue colour would chasten us to view the world in a more cup half full way.  I think it should change every day otherwise people stop reading it.  You could have a box they need to tick before you can move on!

 

It would be such a good PR thing because it would hit c3,000 people every day.

 

My suggestions might start with …. picking up on some of the issues raised yesterday

 

How am I going to be kind today?

Who in my team do I value because they do things I can’t do?

Am I picking up my phone?

Have I forwarded my phone to my mobile number this week?

Have I asked a colleague to proof read my letter to check it is human and kind?

The learning from x for Peabody has been x

There is no ‘I’ in team but there is in win.

Have I said something nice to a colleague today?

What was my best day at work in the last 3 months? What was I doing?  How can I repeat it?

What was the best manager relationship I ever had?

What was the best recognition I ever had?

 

People may mock it, but it would still be a great talking point.

 

Do let us know what you think……