“The worst day in a man’s life is when he sits down and begins thinking about how he can get something for nothing.” – Thomas Jefferson
Do any of these characteristics describe someone you know at work or people who work at organizations you visit as a customer?
• They are lazy and show no sense of urgency.
• They are under qualified for the positions they hold.
• They are wasteful with an organization’s resources.
• Their work quality is poor and they have no pride in what they do.
• They are very good at looking busy, yet produce little results.
• They tend to keep others from doing their job by frequently chatting about non-work related issues.
• They consistently arrive late to work, take long lunch breaks, and often leave early.
• They expect a promotion or raise simply based on their years of service.
If you know of such individuals, then they may be suffering from EMS – Entitlement Mentality Syndrome. This is an ailment that can be far more debilitating than any physical illness because few individuals ever recover from it. Simply put, EMS causes people to expect something for nothing. They believe they are entitled to things without making any sacrifices or giving anything in return.
So what’s wrong with wanting something for nothing? It’s great to be given a gift, win a prize, hit the jackpot, or win the lottery – right? However, when individuals expect it regularly, it can become an addiction or a way of life for them. The real problem is that it lacks integrity. Most people equate integrity with honesty or truthfulness, but it really means the state of being complete or whole. To be whole means that you are in alignment with your “higher” self – that noble part of you that instinctively tells you that you should be honest with yourself and earn what you get. Regularly accepting things that are given freely without any expectations tend to corrupt our sense of integrity. It devalues the work ethic and encourages laziness and apathy.
After awhile, such individuals begin to feel entitled to the point of irrationality. They believe that someone will always bail them out of a tough situation, make excuses for them, give them another chance, pay their debt, or give them a job because of connections. They believe they’re not responsible or accountable, there are no real consequences in life, and they have no motivation to work for anything.
With the current economic meltdown occurring throughout the world, many private and public sector organizations are faced with making hard decisions to keep afloat. Even more difficult is the decision to let some people go or reduce their work hours so that the organization can remain viable. There are many good workers who do more than what they are asked and produce more results than their colleagues, yet they will have to suffer the same fate as their EMS counterparts. This will create one of several results for the productive workers in an organization: they will leave and find another job for better hours or pay, they will stay and continue to work hard to maintain their job and hope the situation improves, or more likely, they will stay and sink into the ranks of the EMS drones.
As an employer or supervisor, if you notice any of your employees suffering from EMS, act fast so it will not metastasize throughout the organization. If you allow EMS to remain, it will contaminate your entire workforce and turn your organization into a purposeless, service-less shell of low motivated individuals who will hinder your organization from growth.
EMS is spreading through our society at an alarming rate and we are seeing its debilitating effects in our younger generation. There has never been a generation of children with the sense of privilege that our children have today. Many tend to think that they deserve to have whatever they want, do whatever they want, and whenever they want without having to earn it first. This mentality is the root cause of most of the problems experienced by parents. Children with EMS tend to be lazy, bored easily, have low motivation, and make a mess and expect someone else to clean it. The rising generation wants instant gratification and tends to be addicted to electronic gadgets and technology. They believe that if they want money, all they have to do is hold their hand out, or stand at an intersection with a bucket.
Entitlement is like a velvet-padded bear trap with one of the jaws taking away the virtues that a person needs to succeed in life like self-initiative, responsibility, inventiveness, independence, and pride in doing your best; while the other jaw gives people vices such as conceit, laziness, apathy, and indulgence. Once the EMS trap is set, it rarely lets go. A person may think they are free, but in reality they have surrendered themselves and become dependent upon a provider such as a parent, spouse, relative, employer, or the local or federal government.
If you knew something was harmful to someone else, would you sit back and say nothing. Parents, teachers, and employers need to take responsibility to stop the harmful behavior of EMS by teaching the values of contributing to society with the talents, skills, and knowledge individuals have acquired – to give back when they receive so that the quality of life of all those touched will be improved instead of just taking and not giving back. Teach that there are true moments of need and teach the rising generation how to serve their fellow beings without expecting anything in return. Teach our future leaders to work and take responsibility to create a better world for themselves instead of whining about what others have. Teach our youth to be problem solvers, and not be part of the problem.
Breaking the EMS addiction is difficult because it requires developing a new mindset and behaviors. It requires a person to break the chains of dependency that have become a comfortable way of life. The harsh reality is that no one owes you anything. No one owes you a job, computer, education, food, house, car, health care, or to pay your bills. The only person responsible for getting you what you want in life is you. You are ultimately in charge of your life and your destiny. Don’t gamble away the precious gift of life by suffering from Entitlement Mentality Syndrome.
"Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." – President John F. Kennedy
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Turnaround
.
On our first day on Saipan over 13 years ago, we took our young family on a trip and started driving around without a map or any direction. Our journey took us on a lot of roads and we knew if we got lost we would only need to turn around and travel until we found a familiar landmark. Many organizations are traveling on an economic path that is bumpy at best, and washed out at worst. The current situation requires many businesses and also non-profit and government organizations to stop and do a turnaround.
There are obvious steps that should be taken, such as take control of your expenses, cut unnecessary costs, renegotiate financing and vendor terms, and generate more sales. I’d like to share ten ideas that practically any organization can use to help get their organization unstuck and moving in the right direction.
1. Stop and assess your present situation. The first step is to gather objective data you can review to determine what got you into your current situation. You should assess the internal and external factors impacting your organization and their immediate and long-term effects. Did your competition implement a marketing campaign? Have socio-cultural factors changed buying habits? How have political, economic, or technological changes impacted your organization?
2. Examine your business model. Your business model has three elements: your customers, the goods and services they buy, and how you operate your business to serve your customers. This can be broken down into the who, what, and how of your business, and changing any of these three areas will change your business model and the results you’re getting.
3. Focus on your customers. The most successful organizations focus on their customers and don’t take them for granted. Your customers will ultimately determine your success, and better serving their needs will encourage them to buy more, return, and tell others about your business. Even government and non-profit organizations rely on “customers” to justify their existence. What can you do to better serve them?
4. Meet with key leaders, your board of directors or advisors. Before you implement a turnaround program, you need to meet with your key leaders, directors or advisors to gain their approval and support. Share your findings and get their input and support.
5. Involve your key employees in the turnaround process. Now that you have approval from your key leaders, it’s time to meet with your managers and key employees to explain the current situation and the consequences if no action is taken. Share an outline of the proposed actions and listen for comments. Support from this group is critical because they will be charged with implementing a plan and delivering results.
6. Create a shared vision and core values. Often, vulnerable organizations go through a period when they lose sight of their vision and values. Without a commonly understood vision or values, an organization tends to make arbitrary decisions that go unchallenged. A credible, attractive future should be founded on the organization’s core values, and used to unify everyone’s efforts to achieve organizational goals.
7. Develop or update a strategic plan. Plans chronicle both the good and poor performance of the past, and they document the vision for the future. Your plan should identify your highest priorities and the steps needed to achieve your goals. Organizations that write and implement plans on an annual basis rarely get into trouble.
8. Implement new or updated systems and procedures. Continuing your old practices will lead to similar results you realized in the past. In order to meet the goals of the strategic turnaround plan, new or updated systems and procedures should be implemented. Develop checklists, rules, policies, and procedures to improve your operations and ensure consistent results.
9. Develop a strong organizational communication system. It’s critical to communicate the plan, vision and values to ensure everyone is on-board. Strategic execution will succeed or fail on the quality of your communication system because if your plan is not on top of the mind of key people, it will most likely collect dust on your shelves.
10. Monitor, measure and take corrective action. If you implement all of the things I’ve suggested so far, but neglect to monitor and measure your progress, your organization will eventually go off-track and get lost again. It takes constant vigilance and corrective action to ensure that your plan is being implemented.
Don’t lose hope for your organization during these difficult times. The community and employees need your products and services for a better way of living. Implement some or all of these ideas to survive the rough ride that everyone is facing in the CNMI. Difficult times can often be “Storms of Perfection” to create a better organization and provide a greater quality of life for everyone involved. If you do not like the direction your organization is headed, use these ten ideas to turn around and take a different course for a brighter future.
On our first day on Saipan over 13 years ago, we took our young family on a trip and started driving around without a map or any direction. Our journey took us on a lot of roads and we knew if we got lost we would only need to turn around and travel until we found a familiar landmark. Many organizations are traveling on an economic path that is bumpy at best, and washed out at worst. The current situation requires many businesses and also non-profit and government organizations to stop and do a turnaround.
There are obvious steps that should be taken, such as take control of your expenses, cut unnecessary costs, renegotiate financing and vendor terms, and generate more sales. I’d like to share ten ideas that practically any organization can use to help get their organization unstuck and moving in the right direction.
1. Stop and assess your present situation. The first step is to gather objective data you can review to determine what got you into your current situation. You should assess the internal and external factors impacting your organization and their immediate and long-term effects. Did your competition implement a marketing campaign? Have socio-cultural factors changed buying habits? How have political, economic, or technological changes impacted your organization?
2. Examine your business model. Your business model has three elements: your customers, the goods and services they buy, and how you operate your business to serve your customers. This can be broken down into the who, what, and how of your business, and changing any of these three areas will change your business model and the results you’re getting.
3. Focus on your customers. The most successful organizations focus on their customers and don’t take them for granted. Your customers will ultimately determine your success, and better serving their needs will encourage them to buy more, return, and tell others about your business. Even government and non-profit organizations rely on “customers” to justify their existence. What can you do to better serve them?
4. Meet with key leaders, your board of directors or advisors. Before you implement a turnaround program, you need to meet with your key leaders, directors or advisors to gain their approval and support. Share your findings and get their input and support.
5. Involve your key employees in the turnaround process. Now that you have approval from your key leaders, it’s time to meet with your managers and key employees to explain the current situation and the consequences if no action is taken. Share an outline of the proposed actions and listen for comments. Support from this group is critical because they will be charged with implementing a plan and delivering results.
6. Create a shared vision and core values. Often, vulnerable organizations go through a period when they lose sight of their vision and values. Without a commonly understood vision or values, an organization tends to make arbitrary decisions that go unchallenged. A credible, attractive future should be founded on the organization’s core values, and used to unify everyone’s efforts to achieve organizational goals.
7. Develop or update a strategic plan. Plans chronicle both the good and poor performance of the past, and they document the vision for the future. Your plan should identify your highest priorities and the steps needed to achieve your goals. Organizations that write and implement plans on an annual basis rarely get into trouble.
8. Implement new or updated systems and procedures. Continuing your old practices will lead to similar results you realized in the past. In order to meet the goals of the strategic turnaround plan, new or updated systems and procedures should be implemented. Develop checklists, rules, policies, and procedures to improve your operations and ensure consistent results.
9. Develop a strong organizational communication system. It’s critical to communicate the plan, vision and values to ensure everyone is on-board. Strategic execution will succeed or fail on the quality of your communication system because if your plan is not on top of the mind of key people, it will most likely collect dust on your shelves.
10. Monitor, measure and take corrective action. If you implement all of the things I’ve suggested so far, but neglect to monitor and measure your progress, your organization will eventually go off-track and get lost again. It takes constant vigilance and corrective action to ensure that your plan is being implemented.
Don’t lose hope for your organization during these difficult times. The community and employees need your products and services for a better way of living. Implement some or all of these ideas to survive the rough ride that everyone is facing in the CNMI. Difficult times can often be “Storms of Perfection” to create a better organization and provide a greater quality of life for everyone involved. If you do not like the direction your organization is headed, use these ten ideas to turn around and take a different course for a brighter future.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Shared Values
.
These difficult times tend to make people better or bitter. The CNMI is going through a crucible experience with events that are causing people to reflect on their core assumptions at an emotional level. Some of the assumptions that have worked well in the past are no longer valid; whereas, some assumptions will continue to guide the decisions and actions of individuals.
It’s important to periodically evaluate our decision-making processes and the underlying values that influence us, particularly if something isn’t working as planned. This is true as an individual, family, organization, or a community. Individuals and organizations tend to drift during times of confusion and chaos. Periodically examining your values serves to renew commitment for values that are deeply shared and promote discussion on the relevance of those values that no longer serve the interests of the organization or its constituents. If the organization is not making a positive impact, then it may be time to make some changes.
I’ve been reading about individuals who have focused on their values to overcome challenges, become better leaders, and are able to transform their organization to create an empowered culture. Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) helped Zappos, a shoe company, grow from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandize sales annually. In the beginning, Hsieh resisted developing values for the company because he thought of it as a very “corporate” thing to do, and he wanted to maintain a more informal culture. However, as the company grew, it became necessary to formalize the definition of Zappos’ culture by getting everyone’s input to come up with its core values.
Initially, there were 37 values that helped define Zappos, but over the course of a year those were whittled down to the ten most important core values that they were willing to hire and fire on. As the company grew larger and faster, their values helped screen applicants that fit with their culture. Zappos conducts two different sets of interviews, the standard interview to determine the applicant’s relevant experience and technical ability, and then an interview by the HR department to examine the culture fit. Candidates have to pass both interviews in order to get hired.
Another gentleman by the name of Gordon Binder, the former CEO of Amgen, tells about the time when a middle manager took the initiative to define the company’s values. Binder decided it was too great for him to do alone and got the entire company involved. After interviewing 400 people, it was determined that Amgen, a biotechnology company, had eight core values that everything was based on, including their culture. Binder believes that process to clarify the company’s values “was the most important thing we ever did.” People are hired on the basis of their values, those who live by them are promoted, and individuals who act out of line with the values are fired.
Shared values are just as important for a small company as they are for larger ones. An organization’s values are the collective principles and ideals that guide an organization’s thoughts and actions as a team. Values are critical because they define the collective character of the firm and serve as decision guidelines. They provide the parameters for the hundreds of decisions we make every day. Values not only let a company know what they should do, but just as importantly, values help determine what a firm stands for and what it will not stand for under any circumstance.
In a four-year study by John Kotter and John Heskett, involving nine to ten firms in each of twenty industries, they discovered that firms with a strong corporate culture based on a foundation of shared values outperformed their competitors by a huge margin: their revenue grew more than four times faster; their rate of job creation was seven times higher; their stock price grew twelve times faster, and their profit performance was 750 percent higher.
Your organization’s shared values are not just some well-chosen words printed on a placard and hung on your walls. They are the unifying principles that you most care about, and they should come from the beliefs that are inside each individual. For people to understand the values and agree to them, they must participate in the process. Consensus about values encourages consistent implementation throughout the organization.
If you haven’t identified your core values, then take the time to develop them. Determine what beliefs and principles you are absolutely committed to live by now and in the future. The challenges we are facing can help solidify our guiding values and foster teamwork and esprit de corps. Challenges offer the opportunities for greatness, if one is ready for the moment and has a solid foundation built on shared core values.
These difficult times tend to make people better or bitter. The CNMI is going through a crucible experience with events that are causing people to reflect on their core assumptions at an emotional level. Some of the assumptions that have worked well in the past are no longer valid; whereas, some assumptions will continue to guide the decisions and actions of individuals.
It’s important to periodically evaluate our decision-making processes and the underlying values that influence us, particularly if something isn’t working as planned. This is true as an individual, family, organization, or a community. Individuals and organizations tend to drift during times of confusion and chaos. Periodically examining your values serves to renew commitment for values that are deeply shared and promote discussion on the relevance of those values that no longer serve the interests of the organization or its constituents. If the organization is not making a positive impact, then it may be time to make some changes.
I’ve been reading about individuals who have focused on their values to overcome challenges, become better leaders, and are able to transform their organization to create an empowered culture. Tony Hsieh (pronounced Shay) helped Zappos, a shoe company, grow from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandize sales annually. In the beginning, Hsieh resisted developing values for the company because he thought of it as a very “corporate” thing to do, and he wanted to maintain a more informal culture. However, as the company grew, it became necessary to formalize the definition of Zappos’ culture by getting everyone’s input to come up with its core values.
Initially, there were 37 values that helped define Zappos, but over the course of a year those were whittled down to the ten most important core values that they were willing to hire and fire on. As the company grew larger and faster, their values helped screen applicants that fit with their culture. Zappos conducts two different sets of interviews, the standard interview to determine the applicant’s relevant experience and technical ability, and then an interview by the HR department to examine the culture fit. Candidates have to pass both interviews in order to get hired.
Another gentleman by the name of Gordon Binder, the former CEO of Amgen, tells about the time when a middle manager took the initiative to define the company’s values. Binder decided it was too great for him to do alone and got the entire company involved. After interviewing 400 people, it was determined that Amgen, a biotechnology company, had eight core values that everything was based on, including their culture. Binder believes that process to clarify the company’s values “was the most important thing we ever did.” People are hired on the basis of their values, those who live by them are promoted, and individuals who act out of line with the values are fired.
Shared values are just as important for a small company as they are for larger ones. An organization’s values are the collective principles and ideals that guide an organization’s thoughts and actions as a team. Values are critical because they define the collective character of the firm and serve as decision guidelines. They provide the parameters for the hundreds of decisions we make every day. Values not only let a company know what they should do, but just as importantly, values help determine what a firm stands for and what it will not stand for under any circumstance.
In a four-year study by John Kotter and John Heskett, involving nine to ten firms in each of twenty industries, they discovered that firms with a strong corporate culture based on a foundation of shared values outperformed their competitors by a huge margin: their revenue grew more than four times faster; their rate of job creation was seven times higher; their stock price grew twelve times faster, and their profit performance was 750 percent higher.
Your organization’s shared values are not just some well-chosen words printed on a placard and hung on your walls. They are the unifying principles that you most care about, and they should come from the beliefs that are inside each individual. For people to understand the values and agree to them, they must participate in the process. Consensus about values encourages consistent implementation throughout the organization.
If you haven’t identified your core values, then take the time to develop them. Determine what beliefs and principles you are absolutely committed to live by now and in the future. The challenges we are facing can help solidify our guiding values and foster teamwork and esprit de corps. Challenges offer the opportunities for greatness, if one is ready for the moment and has a solid foundation built on shared core values.
In Search of Meaning
“I expect to pass through this life but once. If, therefore, there can be any kindness I can show, or any good thing that I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now as I shall not pass this way again.” - William Penn
Trials tend to test our inner resolve and reveal our true self. As individuals continue to struggle and suffer through the indignations imposed by self-serving leaders, many will question why this is happening and lash out in anger, while others will contemplate why there has to be so much suffering in life.
Many people have tried to solve the mystery of the meaning of life by referring to the teachings of great teachers, prophets or philosophers; studying sacred writings; reflecting on religious doctrine; listening to the ideas of new age thinkers; or they may simply ponder the question in quiet meditation.
Years ago I read Viktor Frankl’s seminal book, Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate at Auschwitz during World War II. Frankl was trained as a psychologist and as he observed the behaviors of others who were forced into dehumanizing circumstances, he asked himself: “How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?”
His clinical background allowed him to make accurate observations and test the theories of Freud. He was particularly interested in how others found meaning in the midst of extreme suffering. Unlike Freud’s belief that people who were placed in dire circumstances would resort to animal-like behavior; Frankl observed that some of the inmates would walk through the huts comforting others and giving away their last piece of bread, even though it might mean starvation for them. Frankl stated that “they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
While on a forced night march with fellow prisoners, his thoughts were focused on his wife who was sent to another concentration camp. As his mind pictured her image he had a thought that transfixed him: “for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his suffering in the right way – an honorable way – in such as position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.”
We have the ability to choose our responses in life. There are those who choose to do things that better the lives of others, and there are those who use their power and influence in self-serving ways to manipulate others for their own benefit. Frankl postulated that there are only two races of men: decent and indecent. He believed that no society is free of either of them, and in his situation he observed that there were “decent” Nazi guards who showed concern for others, and “indecent” prisoners who would torture and abuse their fellow prisoners for personal gain.
We have those in positions of power who are decent and trying to do what is best for the people of the Commonwealth, and we have others who are so focused on their own personal objectives that they are willing to allow others to suffer while they bargain with their lives for their own personal gain.
As we continue to experience greater hardships in life, remember that you have the power to change your circumstances for the better. Do not give into the machinations of indecent men and women who are at the heart of all this suffering. Instead, find greater meaning by focusing on how you can help alleviate the suffering of others. Remember that “love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire.”
We are not put here to see through one another, but to see one another through. Frankl concluded that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living. Life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death.
“Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary.” – Victor Frankl
Trials tend to test our inner resolve and reveal our true self. As individuals continue to struggle and suffer through the indignations imposed by self-serving leaders, many will question why this is happening and lash out in anger, while others will contemplate why there has to be so much suffering in life.
Many people have tried to solve the mystery of the meaning of life by referring to the teachings of great teachers, prophets or philosophers; studying sacred writings; reflecting on religious doctrine; listening to the ideas of new age thinkers; or they may simply ponder the question in quiet meditation.
Years ago I read Viktor Frankl’s seminal book, Man’s Search for Meaning, in which he chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate at Auschwitz during World War II. Frankl was trained as a psychologist and as he observed the behaviors of others who were forced into dehumanizing circumstances, he asked himself: “How was everyday life in a concentration camp reflected in the mind of the average prisoner?”
His clinical background allowed him to make accurate observations and test the theories of Freud. He was particularly interested in how others found meaning in the midst of extreme suffering. Unlike Freud’s belief that people who were placed in dire circumstances would resort to animal-like behavior; Frankl observed that some of the inmates would walk through the huts comforting others and giving away their last piece of bread, even though it might mean starvation for them. Frankl stated that “they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from man but one thing: the last of human freedoms – to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
While on a forced night march with fellow prisoners, his thoughts were focused on his wife who was sent to another concentration camp. As his mind pictured her image he had a thought that transfixed him: “for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth – that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of man is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for a brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his suffering in the right way – an honorable way – in such as position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.”
We have the ability to choose our responses in life. There are those who choose to do things that better the lives of others, and there are those who use their power and influence in self-serving ways to manipulate others for their own benefit. Frankl postulated that there are only two races of men: decent and indecent. He believed that no society is free of either of them, and in his situation he observed that there were “decent” Nazi guards who showed concern for others, and “indecent” prisoners who would torture and abuse their fellow prisoners for personal gain.
We have those in positions of power who are decent and trying to do what is best for the people of the Commonwealth, and we have others who are so focused on their own personal objectives that they are willing to allow others to suffer while they bargain with their lives for their own personal gain.
As we continue to experience greater hardships in life, remember that you have the power to change your circumstances for the better. Do not give into the machinations of indecent men and women who are at the heart of all this suffering. Instead, find greater meaning by focusing on how you can help alleviate the suffering of others. Remember that “love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which man can aspire.”
We are not put here to see through one another, but to see one another through. Frankl concluded that the meaning of life is found in every moment of living. Life never ceases to have meaning, even in suffering and death.
“Man is capable of changing the world for the better if possible, and of changing himself for the better if necessary.” – Victor Frankl
What's Right With NMC
“Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.” – General George S. Patton
The revelation from our elected leaders that we haven’t hit bottom yet, doesn’t instill much confidence and hope for the future. With all the challenges going on at the College and the community in general, I’d like to share some of the many things that are right at NMC. This doesn’t come from me, but from 32 students, faculty, staff, parents, and other members of the community who were surveyed and interviewed by me in early May 2010.
If you recall, the Board of Regents had just terminated the previous president, which prompted a visiting team from the ACCJC to spend a couple of days interviewing individuals at the College. We were still waiting for the visiting team’s report and I was curious about the thoughts and feeling of people, so I conducted my own interview and asked the following five open-ended questions:
1. What do you feel are the most important things that Northern Marianas College (NMC) should be sure to preserve (the things that are good and working) and why?
2. What do you feel are the top things NMC should change and why?
3. What are the most important opportunities NMC should prioritize and focus on in the future?
4. What do you feel are the biggest challenges that NMC must deal with right away?
5. How can NMC best contribute to all those it serves generally, or to you personally?
The transcribed comments filled 11 pages. It’s too easy to focus on the negative, but in the midst of our challenges, the College is still doing many things that fulfill its mission to improve the quality of life for the individual and the Commonwealth as a whole. In this article, I want to focus on the first question that basically asks what is right with NMC.
Many mentioned the quality of the employees. “The most important thing that we need to keep at NMC is the quality of our faculty and staff.”
“There are a lot of talented people who need to be kept at the College.”
“Hiring faculty that are enthusiastic and passionate about what they teach. Even though NMC has had some major problems in its management, instructors who have the above mentioned characteristics have been able to maintain a fun and professional learning environment.”
Other assets of NMC brought up by individuals were specific programs, such as the English Language Institute (ELI), nursing, business, and education. Some mentioned counseling and the student learning resource center for assistance, and another emphasized: “College Success courses because some students need to be guided to succeed in passing their classes and College Success courses offer that opportunity.”
I sent an email to the entire campus and expected someone to criticize the Board’s decision with the former president, but there was none. One individual commented: “The complement and mix of the current Board of Regents is very good. They have a rare opportunity to pick a management professional to do the job that needs to be done at the College.”
A few reiterated the importance of WASC accreditation, and an individual stated: “One thing WASC has never faulted us for is our academic programs.”
Another felt that: “NMC is competitive with other colleges at a par with NMC.”
Several talked about the “links for high school students to take college classes and prepare them for college” through Upward Bound, 2+2, and Northern Marianas Academy.
Some emphasized the value of preserving the Chamorro and Carolinian culture. “Keep the Chamorro and Carolinian language program because our island (CNMI) is so diverse that the native language will be lost forever if not preserved. It’s working because the Chamorro/Carolinian students who don’t practice at home are now communicating with their elders who don’t speak English.”
There’s no doubt that the College is a vital asset to the community and offers a valuable service to provide education in the areas of post secondary and continuing education, as well as offering professional development for the people of the Commonwealth. There is so much more that NMC has to offer to the community now and in the future, and as one respondent summed it up: “You can learn things at NMC that you can’t learn anywhere else on island.”
The revelation from our elected leaders that we haven’t hit bottom yet, doesn’t instill much confidence and hope for the future. With all the challenges going on at the College and the community in general, I’d like to share some of the many things that are right at NMC. This doesn’t come from me, but from 32 students, faculty, staff, parents, and other members of the community who were surveyed and interviewed by me in early May 2010.
If you recall, the Board of Regents had just terminated the previous president, which prompted a visiting team from the ACCJC to spend a couple of days interviewing individuals at the College. We were still waiting for the visiting team’s report and I was curious about the thoughts and feeling of people, so I conducted my own interview and asked the following five open-ended questions:
1. What do you feel are the most important things that Northern Marianas College (NMC) should be sure to preserve (the things that are good and working) and why?
2. What do you feel are the top things NMC should change and why?
3. What are the most important opportunities NMC should prioritize and focus on in the future?
4. What do you feel are the biggest challenges that NMC must deal with right away?
5. How can NMC best contribute to all those it serves generally, or to you personally?
The transcribed comments filled 11 pages. It’s too easy to focus on the negative, but in the midst of our challenges, the College is still doing many things that fulfill its mission to improve the quality of life for the individual and the Commonwealth as a whole. In this article, I want to focus on the first question that basically asks what is right with NMC.
Many mentioned the quality of the employees. “The most important thing that we need to keep at NMC is the quality of our faculty and staff.”
“There are a lot of talented people who need to be kept at the College.”
“Hiring faculty that are enthusiastic and passionate about what they teach. Even though NMC has had some major problems in its management, instructors who have the above mentioned characteristics have been able to maintain a fun and professional learning environment.”
Other assets of NMC brought up by individuals were specific programs, such as the English Language Institute (ELI), nursing, business, and education. Some mentioned counseling and the student learning resource center for assistance, and another emphasized: “College Success courses because some students need to be guided to succeed in passing their classes and College Success courses offer that opportunity.”
I sent an email to the entire campus and expected someone to criticize the Board’s decision with the former president, but there was none. One individual commented: “The complement and mix of the current Board of Regents is very good. They have a rare opportunity to pick a management professional to do the job that needs to be done at the College.”
A few reiterated the importance of WASC accreditation, and an individual stated: “One thing WASC has never faulted us for is our academic programs.”
Another felt that: “NMC is competitive with other colleges at a par with NMC.”
Several talked about the “links for high school students to take college classes and prepare them for college” through Upward Bound, 2+2, and Northern Marianas Academy.
Some emphasized the value of preserving the Chamorro and Carolinian culture. “Keep the Chamorro and Carolinian language program because our island (CNMI) is so diverse that the native language will be lost forever if not preserved. It’s working because the Chamorro/Carolinian students who don’t practice at home are now communicating with their elders who don’t speak English.”
There’s no doubt that the College is a vital asset to the community and offers a valuable service to provide education in the areas of post secondary and continuing education, as well as offering professional development for the people of the Commonwealth. There is so much more that NMC has to offer to the community now and in the future, and as one respondent summed it up: “You can learn things at NMC that you can’t learn anywhere else on island.”
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