• Subscribe & Share

    Share

  • Featured Author

    KelliGreenKelliGreen

  • New Comments

  • Categories

  • NetworkedBlogs

    • 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

    Share

    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

    Share

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

    18 Jun
    NateTheTech

    Friday Fun – Video Fun

    NateTheTech

    No doubt if you’ve been reading our blog for awhile, you will notice that Emerson has been writing about the principles of a democratic organization.

    When the announcement of Messiah Village’s award by WorldBlu, we threw a little party to celebrate and we decided to ask a few employees what they thought.

    We put a little video together and we hope you enjoy it. Click here for the video

    Share

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in Our Journey | 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

    Share

    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

    Share

    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

    Share

    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

    Share

    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

    Share

    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

    Share

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

    23 Apr
    PRGuruKristen

    Breaking Soggy Ground in Mount Joy

    PRGuruKristen

    With all the excitement about the announcement that Messiah Village won the WorldBlu Most Democratic Workplace last week, little time was given to the big news that we broke ground in Mount Joy last Tuesday!

    It may come as a surprise to some that  Messiah Village manages a small active adult community in Mount Joy called Mount Joy Country Homes. This is home to 50 residents living in 38 cottages.

    Mount_joy_logo_blue&gold_outlines

    Over the last year, we have been promoting the news that we are planning to transform the 8-acre retirement community to a 34-acre community with 114 cottages, a community center, assisted living, and commercial space. We are now ready to break ground on the first 10 cottages.

    Site Map 2009-01-22-11x17

    To see the site plan in detail go to: http://www.mjch.org/the-community/master-plan.php

    What is so “funny” about this ground breaking is that it rained. I can’t tell you the number of events we have tried to hold a Country Homes this past year that were rained out! It has been a running joke. So, we really should not have been surprised when it rained 4 hours early and just in time for the ceremony.

    Thankfully, it didn’t stop more than 50 people from coming out to witness the historic event.

    MJCH GroundBreaking Ceremony 007

    Carl Ginder who is overseeing the expansion spoke a few words and then he was joined by a team representing many different groups who are excited to see this project get started.

    MJCH GroundBreaking Ceremony 009

    Participating in the ground breaking ceremony:(Left to Right) Christine Stoltzfus, Senator Brubaker’s Office; Carl Ginder, Board Chair of Mount Joy Country Homes; Todd Newpher, Mount Joy Chamber President; Ken Barto, Mount Joy Borough; Dr. Emerson Lesher, President of Messiah Village; Alex Piehl, RGS Associates; Joe Wagman, President of Wagman Construction; James Lesher, Resident and Community Manager of Mount Joy Country Homes

    It was an exciting day to finally see the project begin. Everyone enjoyed celebrating afterwards.

    MJCH GroundBreaking Ceremony 002

    To learn more about the new cottages that will be ready this fall, visit www.MJCH.org.

    Share

    Tags: , , , , , ,
    Posted in Our Journey, Services & Care | 2 Comments »

    « Older Entries