Monday, July 30, 2012

Three days to go

Thankyou to all those people who have sent in nominations for Baptistcare's Inaugural Recognition Awards. It is good to see people taking up the opportunity to nominate Baptistcare staff and give them recognition for putting our values into practice in their daily work.

Nominations close on Wednesday, August 1, so if you have been thinking about making a nomination I encourage you to get on to it straight away. Nomination forms can be downloaded here .

We have some amazing people working at Baptistcare and I am looking forward to giving the judges a hard time in determining who should receive our awards. I would also encourage you to follow the links to find out about the generous companies that are sponsoring these awards:

Baptistcare wishes to acknowledge HealthSuper as one of the key sponsors of the awards, and also thank Anson, Bendigo Bank, Aurum Catering and Management, Inspire Consulting Group, and Equitas Lawyers

Diginity and Compassion Award, sponsored by Anson, recognises a person whose compassionate relationships, either with their colleagues, clients or family members of the community, have honoured the dignity of another.

Integrity and Respect Award, sponsore by Bendigo Bank, recognises a person's behaviour within Baptistcare, their commitment to their work or a specific congtribution they have made to the organisation.

Courage and Justice Award, sponsored by Aurum, recognises the specific activities or behaviours of a person who has shown courage and justice above and beyond the normal call of duty.

Stewardship Award, sponsored by Inspire Consulting Group, recognises a person who has shown a willingness to make a contribution to the present and fugure sustainability of the organisation.

Accountability Award, sponsored by Equitas Lawyers, recongises a person who has shown the ability to overcome obstacles in thier commitment to be accountable for their performance.

In addition to these awards Baptistcare is sponsoring a special CEO's Award for Leadership and Advocacy to recognise a person or persons who, in the opinion of the Chief Executive Officer, have contributed outstanding service to Baptistcare and to the wider community. The winner of this award is not necessarily an employee of Baptistcare.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Let Indiana Jones inspire your nomination

It's less than a week now till the closing date for the inaugural Baptistcare Recognition Awards. While you're writing your nomination take a break and watch this amazing a capella cover of the Indiana Jones theme.


Customers, cattle ... and complacency

When it comes to being person-centred, we in the not for profit sector like to compare ourselves favourably against the bureaucracy and lack of customer focus that we so often see in the government sector and big business.

But the winds of change are coming.

In an article in the Wall Street Journal last weekend Doc Searls described a new field called Vendor Relationship Management. It may be just a 21st century version of customer service, but it represents a new way of empowering customers to have greater freedom in the marketplace.

Searls says: "In the marketplace, fashions come and go, and giants fall, but freedom remains the guiding light. The largest and most durable opportunities are those that use the freedom we have or give us the freedom we want and need. Progress in empowering customers won't be smooth or even, but it will happen. Today, the supply side still reigns, but by .... 2022, everyone will understand that free customers are more valuable than captive ones."

It is fascinating that technology has changed the world so dramatically that some of the focus of the industrial revolution is now being reversed, and according to Searls, customers will be able to "start showing up as human beings and not just as cattle to be herded."

While big business struggles with its attempt to manage its "vendor relationships" I am pleased to be working in a sector where we are still able to say, "how can we help?".

Having said that, there is no time to be complacent. Being person-centred is more than just being customer-focussed. It is about developing real relationships with real people.


Monday, July 23, 2012

For the greater good

My gardening on the weekend included sweeping up the nuts and sticks on the verge following a feeding frenzy by a flock of black cockatoos that regularly visit a large tree at the front of our house.

A few hours later these pesky birds were back, cracking open gumnuts and sending them to the ground in dozens, to spread across the verge and all over the road.

Someone visiting a neighbour one day had commented on the menace and suggested that the tree should be chopped down. That resolution I couldn't accept, but a part of me still sighed at the mess that was caused so soon after I had swept up the last lot of gumnuts.

However, my frustration didn't last long, as I watched these magnificant birds (yes, magnificent, not pesky), and as I recognised their lunch in suburbia rather than further south, was a desperate act of survival.

Earlier this year, the Conservation Council of WA director Piers Verstegen said WA’s three endangered species of black cockatoo – Carnaby, Baudin and Forest Red-tailed – were starving to death because their habitat in the Swan Coastal Plain and South-West has largely been lost to logging, land clearing and bushfires.

The black cockatoos are a timely reminder that my short term desire for a comfortable life needs to be put in its proper place as I consider the greater good.

... and maybe there are other aspects of life where the same principle applies.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Australian Baptist World Aid is a "cousin" of Baptistcare. Take a look at their new video to get a glimpse of some of the great work being done by this international aid agency:


Be Love.End Poverty.....All about Baptist World Aid from Baptist World Aid Australia on Vimeo.

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Have you got your nomination in yet?

It's just under three weeks before the closing date for Baptistcare's inaugural recognition awards.
This is a great opportunity for people within Baptistcare to nominate staff members who are putting Baptistcare's values into action in their everday work.
The awards are based on our values. In case you need a reminder, here they are:

Dignity and Compassion AwardRecognises a person whose compassionate relationships, either with their colleagues, clients or family members of the community, have honoured the dignity of another.

Integrity and Respect Award
Recognises a person’s behaviour within Baptistcare, their commitment to their work or a specific contribution they have made to the organisation.

Courage and Justice Award
Recognises the specific activities or behaviours of a person who has shown courage and justice above and beyond the normal call of duty.

Stewardship Award
Recognises a person who has shown a willingness to make a contribution to the present and future sustainability of the organisation.

Accountability Award
Recognises a person who has shown the ability to overcome obstacles in their commitment to be accountable for their performance.

CEO’s Award for Leadership and Advocacy
Recognises a person or persons who, in the opinion of the Chief Executive Officer, have contributed outstanding service to Baptistcare and to the wider community. The winner of this award is not necessarily an employee of Baptistcare.

Nomination forms can be downloaded here.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

... these stories don't mean anything ....

I love it when members of our staff respond to the values of Baptistcare. Today one of our staff gave me the lyrics of a song by Brandi Carlile that she had heard on the radio. We had just been talking about the importance of listening to each other if we are to truly offer dignity. 

Entitled, "The Story", this song says in part:
 
All of these lines across my face 
Tell you the story of who I am So many stories of where I've been 
And how I got to where I am
But these stories don't mean anything 

When you've got no one to tell them to ...


I reckon that says a lot about the importance of listening.
 
Have a listen to the song for yourself here.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Who let the chickens out?

Our family was once in a situation where we were waiting for housing and were invited to look after the house of friends who were going to be away.  It was an arrangement that worked out great for us because it meant a roof over our heads, and also gave them a sense of confidence while they were away, that their house was safe.

We checked out the house and got the run down on where everything was and anything we needed to know about the property. We were OK about looking after their chickens until we were told they were Sentinel Chickens.

The Sentinel Chicken Surveillance Programme is a government programme whereby flocks of chickens are established in towns across Australia as an early warning system for viruses such as Murray Valley Encephalitis. The evidence of such viruses will usually appear in chickens before other animals or humans, so the sentinel flock is checked regularly to alert authorities to any potential for epidemics.

All of a sudden our sense of responsibility in looking after a friend's house took on a new emphasis as we realised the humble chickens in the backyard were so important to the health of our local community.

The term stewardship carries with it that idea that we are caretakers of things that we do not own. One of Baptistcare's values is "stewardship of the responsibilities in our care". We are not just doing the jobs we do, because that's our job. We have responsibilities that have been entrusted to us, and there is some weight on our shoulders to handle those responsibilities with care and respect.

As we think about our responsibilities, including the relationships we are involved with, we become aware that we are stewards of those responsibilities and relationships. We can no longer handle them in ways that simply suit ourselves, but need to recognise how our actions will impact other people.

Have you seen stewardship at work in your colleagues at Baptistcare. When you have identified what stewardship looks like, why not nominate someone for Baptistcare's Stewardship Award. 

There is no only one month till the closing date for the awards, so get those nominations in soon.