-(reset)+

  • Featured Author

    DevonTheBuilderDevonTheBuilderDevon has been at the Village for 3 years in the Construction Services Department. He finds joy in turning a cottage or apartment into a ho...

  • New Comments

  • Categories

  • NetworkedBlogs

    • 10 Aug
    MVpresident

    What’s On the President’s Mind?

    MVpresident

    Last Monday I started work earlier than usual – 6:00 AM! I was working with Lindsey Beyer, Community Life Leader in Nursing Care. Lindsey often arrives around 5:30 am on Monday to help get ready for the week. She was well prepared for me, and when I actually arrived she was making phone calls to make sure all positions were covered for the day. I was impressed with Lindsey’s pleasant and direct approach to her work and her interest in doing things well, but also clearly had the well-being of staff and residents in focus. Thank you, Lindsey, for being committed to helping us be a community not an institution. Lindsey is another great team member and part of the 2010 President’s Circle.

    8-2-10 Emerson & Lindsey Beyer

    On Thursday at 10:00 am is the groundbreaking ceremony for the “SPACE” (Special Care and Chapel Entrance) project. If you can attend the gathering near the Peace Garden, please come! Thank you again to many of you who gave to the Connections campaign. Your support has encouraged others to give. Over the next month, some construction work will begin outside. The main construction inside the building will begin in October. Thanks again!

    I invite you this week to ask several people “What is going well?” Let’s remind each other that while there are things we may be frustrated about, there are also things going well at Messiah Village. One of the things that is going well we are again rated by Harrisburg Magazine as “Simply the Best” for 2010! It is great that others in the region recognize the good ways we serve older adults!

    2010 STBEST

    Again, I invite you to ask others either one-on-one or in meetings, “What is going well?” or “what is something you are proud of?” Let’s encourage each other this week!

    Tags: , , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    12 Jul
    MVpresident

    Representing!

    MVpresident

    Today I am still representing the Village at the Brethren in Christ Church General Conference at Messiah College that started on Friday and will end this evening. Every two years about 400 delegates from North America meet to be inspired and do the business of the Church.

    conference

    We at the Village exist because of the vision and efforts of Brethren In Christ members. Two things particularly stand out from the Conference: (1) A report that touched me deeply was that the Zimbabwe BIC Church gave $1,000 to help the people of Haiti. Zimbabwe is one of the poorest countries in the world, so for them to give to others is truly generous. (2) Last night Pastor Woody Dalton of the Harrisburg BIC Church talked about how God desires diversity. Woody outlined the demographic transition that is coming to America, including Central PA. He made it clear that we need to learn to worship, live and work in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic community. I was challenged to think how we at the Village can be a more inviting multi-cultural and multi-ethnic workplace. And, how can we begin to embrace more residents and clients from a variety of cultures and ethnic backgrounds.

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    7 Jul
    MVpresident

    WorldBlu Recap – Part 2

    MVpresident

    More from the WorldBlu conference! The final speaker was Tony Heish, CEO of Zappos.com. Tony just released a new book titled Delivering Happiness: A path to profits, passion and purpose. The book is currently on New York Times best seller. Zappos is one of the largest online retailers. Here are some quotes and comments from Tony at WorldBlu – “What stories do customers (in our case residents and clients) tell their friends?” “How can we create more stories and memories?” “What do customers feel?” He believes companies should hire people who fit the culture more than anything else. Here are some things Zappos is known for:

    • Pay brand new employees $2,000 to quit
    • Make customer service the responsibility of the entire company, not just a department
    • Focus on company culture as the #1 priority
    • Apply research from the science of happiness to running a business
    • Help employees grow – both personally and professionally
    • Seek to change the world

    Zappos defines its culture in terms of 10 core values:

    • Deliver WOW through service
    • Embrace and drive change
    • Create fun and a little weirdness
    • Be adventurous, creative, and open-minded
    • Pursue growth and learning
    • Build open and honest relationships with communication
    • Build a positive team and family spirit
    • Do more with less
    • Be passionate and determined
    • Be humble

    While Zappos is very different from Messiah Village, there are still things we can learn from them to be a better place to live and work. For more info, check out Zappos.com or www.deliveringhappinessbook.com. Both websites have a lot about their core values and culture. Based on what you learn, how might Messiah Village better live out who we are?

    WorldBlu Picture

    Emerson Lesher, Traci Fenton (from WorldBlu), Nancy Wise and Michelle Wolfe at the WorldBlu Conference in Las Vegas

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    30 Jun
    MVpresident

    Recap of trip to WorldBlu

    MVpresident

    Well, we made it to Las Vegas and the WorldBlu Conference! It was a great time. The flights and hotel were great, and we had time to see a bit of downtown Las Vegas. Tuesday was the WorldBlu conference and was a full day. It started with recognizing each of the organizations for the 2010 WorldBlu Democratic Workplaces (including Messiah Village). The rest of the day we heard from about nine organizations that had made the list. It was inspiring and exciting to learn how others are making their organizations more participatory and engaging.

    Here are some quotes or comments from the various speakers:

    • DeVita, a healthcare company, uses the metaphor of a “village” for its company and have a “town crier” and “mayor.” They encourage employees to “not wait and see what happens” but to “help make good things come true.”
    • 3i Infotech said they are not the workplace for everyone and asks each new hire after orientation to make a decision if they think 3i Infotech is the right fit.
    • I Love Rewards has daily “9 Minute Huddles” in which they share what they are doing and what they are stuck on. They also end with a “spotlight” on something positive.
    • An energy company has a “Big Picture Meeting” once a week to keep the team on track.
    • The CEO of Rypple talked about accountability and said that even in a democracy some people are in “jail” and need support to maintain the norms of the society, so also in an organization this will be necessary at times.
    • Another leader talked about how democracy is really a revolution. He said that democratic workplaces are part of a larger movement to change the global workplace.

    Next week I will share some more comments from the CEO of Zappos.com (it was recently purchased by Amazon.com for $1 billion). It was an honor to represent Messiah Village.

    We are doing some exciting things and have the potential to do even more!

    WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    7 Jun
    MVpresident

    MV Award – Principle 6

    MVpresident

    The WorldBlu Principle for the week is —–  INDIVIDUAL + COLLECTIVE —– “In democratic organizations, the individual is just as important as the whole, meaning employees are valued for their individual contribution as well as for what they do to help achieve the collective goals of the organization.” One way that we have emphasized this principle at Messiah Village is our focus on the importance of being “person-centered and community-minded.” We have always believed that the individual is important, but that creating a community in which to work and live is also important. I hope that you feel valued for your individual contribution and that you also feel part of something larger than you are! I think we will be most successful when we emphasize both the individual and the collective.

    WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    24 May
    MVpresident

    MV Award – Principle 5

    MVpresident

    This week’s democratic organizational principle is —- Accountability. This is what WorldBlu says about it — “Democratic organizations point fingers, not in a blaming way but in a liberating way. They are crystal clear about who is accountable to whom and for what.” One way that I think we have built in accountability is for each team to establish “standards” to which they hold themselves accountable and are included in our annual performance evaluations.

    WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    17 May
    MVpresident

    MV Award – Principle 4

    MVpresident

    This week the WorldBlu principle is Fairness + Dignity. This is what they say about it – “Democratic organizations are committed to fairness and dignity, not treating some people like “somebodies” and other people like “nobodies.” Of the ten principles, this is the highest rated principle at Messiah Village. I am pleased that most people feel like they count at Messiah Village and that they are treated fairly. It encourages an atmosphere of trust and goodwill. And, if we show this toward each other, then residents and clients will also experience an atmosphere of fairness and dignity. Blessings as you go about your important work.

    WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    10 May
    MVpresident

    WorldBlu Award – Principle 3

    MVpresident

    The WorldBlu principle for the week is Dialogue + Listening which they define as … “Instead of the top-down monologue or dysfunctional silence that characterizes most workplaces, democratic organizations are committed to having conversations that bring out new levels of meaning and connection.” I like how we have been working at this principle over the last couple of years. Some of the ways I think we have been doing this include: huddles, learning circles, drop-in gatherings in the multipurpose room (like for the dress code policy), President’s Circle, Organizational Council’s Journey with Others, etc. I hope that Carol Hess helps us to continue to do this in all areas of the Village.

     WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    3 May
    MVpresident

    WorldBlu Award – Principle 2

    MVpresident

    This week we highlight WorldBlu principle #2: Transparency —“Say goodbye to the ‘secret society’ mentality. Democratic organizations are transparent and open with employees about the financial health, strategy, and agenda of the organization.”

    Some ways that MV is transparent with employees are as follows: State of the Village meetings, sharing strategic and operational updates in This Week @ MV newsletter, Strategic Plan is on the MV Intranet as well other information, sharing quarterly dashboard indicators with Organizational Council members, open letters, huddles, an attitude of openness, and more…

     WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    26 Apr
    MVpresident

    WorldBlu Award – Principle 1

    MVpresident

    To help celebrate our making the WorldBlu list, each week I will be including one of the ten principles that WorldBlu says make up a democratic workplace. It is a way for us to continue to encourage each other to live out these principles. The first principle is: Purpose and Vision. WorldBlu defines it this way – “A democratic organization is clear about why it exists (its purpose) and where it is headed and what it hopes to achieve (its vision). These act as its true North, offering guidance and discipline to the organization’s direction.”

    Outside consultants and partners who work/visit Messiah Village often comment that people who work here know the mission statement, and they don’t usually find that to be the case. I hope you feel your work is important and part of something larger than all of us!

     WBList-logo-2010

    Tags: , , ,
    Posted in President's Blog | No Comments »

    « Older Entries