Monday, June 25, 2012

Is that how it is done?

From time to time you will hear people begrudgingly accept the status quo with a statement like: "Oh well, that's the way it's done around here."

How often are we prepared to say, "It doesn't have to happen like that around here any more"?

People will often go along with the status quo because they don't want to rock the boat, or don't want to be the ones who get into trouble for changing things that seem to be well accepted and, perhaps, expected.

But it is important to take note of those things that aren't right and rather than whinge about them, to creatively and proactively work with others to find a way to bring about positive change.

Such action requires courage, because there will always be some people who are very comfortable with the status quo, and may have even been responsible for the way things have developed into their current state.

In these situations courage needs to be accompanied by justice which is effectively, doing the right thing. That means doing the right thing in bringing about change, but also doing the right thing in relation to the people who may be affected by the change.

Baptistcare's recognition awards are looking for people in Baptistcare who are putting our value, courage and justice in our actions, to work. We want to encourage you to notice Baptistcare's values in the people you work with and nominate them for an award.

Nomination forms can be downloaded here.

Friday, June 22, 2012

The 40th Anniversary Roadshow

Baptistcare's 40th anniversary roadshow rolls on. Today we were at Mandurah. Like the "do"?
Interest in our 40th anniversary Baptistcare Recognition Awards is growing. You can download a nomination form here.

Life's Funny Ways

Angela Davis is the partner of a former carer at Baptistcare. Angela has just produced a book called Life's Funny Ways. The book is described as a collection of introspective and illuminating poetry for the reader seeking grace, perspective and inspiration. Here's an example:

Funny Ways
God
You have some
Funny ways
Of
Trying to
Get through to me
Remembering
Trusting
Teasing
Laughing
You support me
In
Health
And
In
Sickness
Until
I return
To
You
-Funny Ways, Angela Davis

Have a look for yourself at http://www.angeladavisbook.com/

Sunday, June 17, 2012

What's the Critical Succcess Factor?

How can we be happier, more successful, more effective, achieve more goals and enjoy your work more ... without more things?
Delegates at the Baptist Care Australia Conference in Cairns last week heard Ben Teefy tell us that 96% of success starts with me.

This is how Ben is described in the promos: 

With a mixture of study in sociology, language, theology and counselling, Ben’s brain is severely warped making him the humorous, quirky and dynamic communicator he is today.
Having suffered depression and anxiety from the age of 11 until he was 24 years old, Ben has a powerful testimony of transformation which brings hope and encouragement to people weighed down in brokenness. 

He used the word "arrow" to get across his point that it is not more money, a better boss, more supportive teams, or a better education:
A -  Awareness of self and others: the effect of our personality on others, as well as the strengths, weaknesses and emotions of myself and others;
R - Restraint. Recognise my own emotions and manage them in a healthy way;
R - Resiliency. The ability to bounce back from tragedy, injustice and adversity.
O - Others. Discern the feelings and motives of others.
W - Working with others. Learn to communicate, resolve conflicts, relate to and lead others, understand and work with different personality types. 




Here's the WA Baptistcare team at the Baptist Care Australia Conference in Cairns last week.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Rewarded for Consistency?

Today various people have received awards as part of the Queens Birthday Honours List. Politicians, soldiers, police and community workers have been recognised for many years of committed service to their country and to a particular area of service. Congratulations to those Australians, in particular, who have received an award today.

When we think about awards we usually expect to look for something dramatic or out of the ordinary. But that's not the goal of the Inaugural Baptistcare Recognition Awards.

In my last post I talked about the Dignity and Compassion Award (sponsored by Anson) which will recognise staff within Baptistcare whose compassionate relationships, either with their colleagues, clients or family members of the community, have honoured the dignity of another.

There's certainly nothing dramatic about that, because one would anticipate that the type of people who would want to work for a caring organisation would already portray dignity and compassion in all they do.

In this post, I wanted to touch on the second award: The Integrity and Respect Award (sponsored by Bendigo Bank). Integrity is primarily about consistency - being prepared to live according to your values despite all that may be happening around you. How do you give an award for consistency?

The purpose of the Recognition Awards is to encourage Baptistcare staff to notice our values in their colleagues and to recognise them in their day to day work. It is not about anything dramatic but about how we consistently go about our work.

There are a lot of people I know whose integrity enables them to keep going every day and allows them to be respectful in their words, their actions and their relationships.

We are looking forward to receiving many nominations from Baptistcare staff who notice how their colleagues have contributed to the organisation through integrity and respect.

Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Baptistcare website.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

What do dignity and compassion look like?

It is very easy to look at Baptistcare's values and to affirm with confidence that we put the first value into practice: Dignity and Compassion in our relationships.

But what does dignity and compassion actually look like?

We are currently seeking nominations for Baptistcare's inaugural Recognition Awards. The Dignity and Compassion Award will go to a member of Baptistcare's staff whose compassionate relationships, either with their colleagues, clients or family members, have honoured the dignity of others.  But how will we recognise dignity and compassion in order to nominate someone for this award?

We will recognise dignity and compassion when we see people's self-esteem improve as a result of a particular relationship. We will recognise dignity and compassion when a relationship has led to improved levels of health and well-being. We will recognise dignity and compassion when someone is more motivated to bring about change in their lives because of the effect of a relationship.

Dignity and compassion seem to be such basic values that we may think that these words don't even need to be stated, yet, how easy it is to forget to say hello or thankyou in the busy-ness of life; how easy it is to snap back when someone is a little grumpy with you; how easy to speak over someone in a conversation; how easy to focus on our own interests when someone else is crying out to be noticed.

The Baptistcare awards are not about finding the "Supermen and women" of dignity and compassion, but about noticing it in simple ways day after day in our workplace. Set about looking for dignity and compassion in your colleagues today.

You can download a nomination form here at the Baptistcare website. Nominations close at 5pm on Wednesday, August 1.