Oh my. Oh my, oh my.
For some reason I'm having trouble locating my notes from the August 21st face to face meeting we had. So I guess I'll start off with addressing the homework we had.
Reading #1—“Creating a Knowledge Sharing Culture”
This was a reading from David Gurteen. It's located online here: http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/ksculture
I think the best way to sum it up is to use David Gurteen's own summary.
What I really liked about this is we can really benefit from the knowledge sharing in my company. I know that I, personally, have quite a bit of knowledge hidden in my head that I just need to share with people. It isn't that I am hoarding it. I really do want to share. But I need to make the time and make it a priority in my day to write it down and shout it from the mountain, or maybe just speak it from my cube. My neighbors will appreciate that. Including the people in the building next door.Summary
The most effective way to create a knowledge sharing culture – is first to start to practice it at your level. The higher up the organisation the more effective you will be in changing the culture but even if you are low down the hierarchy – you have an influence. Second, put in place the knowledge sharing technology and train and educate people in its effective use. The two together – people with the appropriate knowledge sharing mindset and the appropriate knowledge sharing technology to support them will rapidly bring about a knowledge sharing culture that helps you better meet your business objectives.
Reading #2—“Fundamentals of Mentoring”
This was a reading that I believe may have been internally created. It doesn't have an author's name on it and it's very Flight Academy specific. It starts with the definition of a mentor.
men·tor
noun
1. a wise and trusted counselor or teacher.
2. an influential senior sponsor or supporter.
There are three key tasks of a mentor. Encourage growth, facilitate inclusion and build trust. I would have to agree with them. :) If you had a mentor that took you under their wing that you either didn't trust directly or made you uneasy about other co-workers, people, the company, etc. and they made you feel you were not welcome in your new surroundings you wouldn't really want to stick around.
There was also this helpful little list:
Ten tips for good mentoring:
1.
Understand where the mentee
has come from and where they hope to go.
Learn how their current job fits into that continuum and into the
organization and organizational strategies.
2.
Become familiar with
the mentee’s strengths/weaknesses, skills, knowledge, experience, personality
traits, etc.
3.
Make your relationship
about helping the mentee, not about impressing them or molding them into your
likeness.
4.
Let the mentee drive
(as long as it’s in the direction of the defined objectives). Ask often: “Is this helpful to you?” “Are you
feeling more comfortable?” “What would
you like to focus on next?” “Is this a
good pace for you?”
5.
Share your experiences
(successes and failures) in
situations similar to those confronting the new employee. Discuss what you learned.
6.
Help the mentee avoid
pitfalls and mistakes, particularly those that might damage relationships or inhibit
growth in the organization.
7.
Remind the mentee why they
were selected for the position or task—what value they add, especially when
they feel intimidated, inadequate or overwhelmed.
8.
Acknowledge personal
biases and avoid imposing them on the mentee.
9.
Provide a ‘safe’
relationship where the mentee can express concerns and frustrations without
fear of negative consequences.
10.
Learn from each
mentoring experience and apply the lessons.
Discussion Board—“Culture of Sharing”
Below is the discussion board question for this meeting. Also included is the answer I gave.
Do you think Mountain Division IT&S has a culture
of sharing? Why or why not? What do you think can be done to advance a culture
of sharing in the organization?
Yes, we definitely,
overall, have a culture of sharing.
There have been many instances where I've been very pleased to see that
information about our future as well as our present (and past) have been shared
from the top-down. Also I am not afraid
to ask questions because I know they will be answered truthfully. This is a big difference from other
companies I have worked for. It makes me
feel safe.
With that being
said, I have noticed a few exceptions that come up where individual items are
not shared with people who should know.
Especially when it directly affects them. When that happens it creates a feeling of
betrayal and makes them feel like the company didn't trust them. As a vague example, there was a restructure
of a certain group where they put someone in as a "lead". They also moved the group to be under a
different manager. They didn't tell the
group any of this was happening. All of
a sudden the lead shows up, knowing about the structure change, assuming the
group knew but the group has no idea. It
put everyone in a really bad spot because the lead mentioned it and they got
upset because they were not told. The
excuse for not telling them was that they didn't need to know yet. But why not?
It was a "done deal" so to speak. They could have been told it was a
possibility at the very least.
I think to advance
the culture of sharing the main key is to remember who to communicate with.
Tell people things that directly impact them.
You also can't be afraid to tell a group of people for fear they may
take it wrong. Or not tell some people
important things if you don't like them (I'm not saying this happens, but it
could happen… ha). Doing any of that may
lead to a similar situation as above.
Presentation—Identify a mentoring relationship in literature (e.g., books, film, TV). Be prepared to offer your selection for group consideration.
I forgot all about this!! I had just finished reading a book for my book club. The Dog Stars by Peter Heller.
A super flu has wiped out nearly everyone. After the super flu a deadly blood disease came through and killed almost everyone else that was left. Set in Colorado, 9 years after the super flu hit, at an abandoned airport. Hig is the main character. Everyone he knows has died. The worst death for him was his wife. He lives with his dog, Jasper, and a somewhat untrustworthy gun nut named Bangley.The world has devolved to a state where roamers will lie, cheat, kill and steal to survive. Every day, Hig and his friends are in danger.To stay alive at the airport, Hig flies a 1956 Cessna around the perimeter to watch for intruders and people who are there to kill and steal from them. Hig is very soft and has had a hard time adjusting to the world. He wants to negotiate and allow others in. But Bangley, as the survivalist, has no problem with killing the intruders before they can kill them. As it turns out, that skill is very necessary.
The Mentor: Bangley
As I mentioned Hig always wants to negotiate. He has a hard time with killing others, even
to survive. He also has a hard time with
making life or death decisions. In the
beginning he is constantly questioning his own use to Bangley. He thinks that Bangley would kill him if he
ever thought Hig was a burden. Bangley
is very hard on him and constantly telling him to stop day dreaming, to pull
himself together and not to get them both killed. When Hig is in danger, Bangley has to talk
him through it by making him repeat things back to him because Hig freezes up.
But as the book progresses and the two of them are no longer
together, whenever Hig is in trouble, he can hear Bangley's words in his
head. Then later he starts to act without the words
prodding him along and he'll only hear Bangley cheer him on. As
time goes by, he realizes that Bangley was teaching him how to survive in the
new world. Maybe he’s not as cold as
Bangley, but it’s enough to keep them both alive.
Teaching Activity—Identify a skill you could teach to members of a small group of Flight Academy cadets in five minutes or less. Create a document or other tool that supports learning by describing/illustrating the process associated with the skill you are teaching.
This part of the meeting I love. I forgot all about this too. I wrote up a guide to birds. I think it's funny because I now own a Macaw. A blue and gold. ha For the teaching part of the meeting I went over a few key points and then answered questions; some things not on this list.
Caring for the Birds
The Real Head(s) of
Household
When most people think about a parrot they picture a large
Macaw. You know what I'm talking about. You're thinking about one right now. Red and gold, sitting on the shoulder of a one-eyed
man that says, "Arrr!"
I'm here to tell you that there are all kinds of parrots. There are small finches that stay in their
cages and make beautiful songs, budgie parakeets that can (and should) be
trained to become companion birds, birds like my Quaker parrot or cockatiel (as
seen above) that love to be held, larger amazons who are great talkers and
singers (very loud!), umbrella cockatoos that are huge lovers who want to give
and receive constant attention and the famed African Grey that are the most intelligent
of all; with the largest vocabulary and impressive skills to rival any 9 year
old.
Any bird you choose to have in your home is not a pet, but a
companion and family member. I believe
that all companion birds are like having a small child (2+) in your home. Below are some things to remember when
sharing your home with a bird.
1. The larger the
bird, the longer they live. Budgies
live for approximately 10-12 years, a Quaker around 25 and an African Grey
around 80! Remember that if you choose a
larger bird as they will likely outlive you.
Teach them to like others.
2. Birds needs toys
and playtime. Birds are naturally
inquisitive and playful. They long to
have time with you or another bird if you have them in pairs. They also love toys. It's best to have a cage that is filled with
colorful toys. It's also best to let
your bird come out of their cage daily and play with you so they can bond.
3. Most birds will
only bond with one person (or bird). It's
important to understand that a bird will bond with a single person in a
household. Don't be offended if it's not
you. It's also very important to teach
your bird to still respect the other people (or flock-mates) in the home. If not, you'll have a Quaker who hates your
husband. (Not my fault! It's his!)
4. Provide a healthy
and varied diet. Birds love seeds,
some fruits, vegetables, pellets (from the pet store) and grains. Start them young. But avoid the harmful foods: chocolate,
avocado, rhubarb leaves, salt, caffeine, apple seeds, onions, alcohol,
mushrooms, tomato leaves and dried beans (cooked is fine).
5. Birds love baths! Or showers.
It depends on the bird. A bath or
shower once or twice a week is essential to their happiness.
6. Make sure you have
given them a large cage. Birds can
never have enough space in their cage.
Keep the cage away from drafts and direct sunlight.
--~~--~~--~~--~~--
Some things I remember learning from this meeting are how to tie a bowline knot (a one handed bowline to be exact), that I was glad I didn't do origami because two other people did origami and that I have a terrible memory and need to find my notes! And let this be a lesson to me!
I also remember now that I've looked at my homework for the Sept 11 WebEx we spoke about the different barriers to knowledge sharing. We came up with a few options for the why we have so many barriers. We had lack of standardization, lack of time, interest, etc. We 'voted' and came up with the lack of standardization as our main barrier and the thing we could tackle to try to assist the flow of knowledge sharing.
I think they are just trying to get labor out of us. You know, you make your kids do chores. ;O) They're teaching us leadership skills and then having us put them to use, cleaning up. Not a bad thing.
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