{"id":326,"date":"2015-01-23T09:04:35","date_gmt":"2015-01-23T16:04:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/journeyinstitute.org\/blog\/?p=326"},"modified":"2015-01-23T09:04:35","modified_gmt":"2015-01-23T16:04:35","slug":"opening-the-box","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devjourneyinstitute.com\/ji\/index.php\/2015\/01\/23\/opening-the-box\/","title":{"rendered":"Opening The Box"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"box\"<\/a>Mission Statements, Strategic Plans, SWOTS, Vision and Values.<\/strong> Companies spend an inordinate amount of time, and often money, to analyze, dissect, and perfect these written declarations about the purpose of a company.<\/p>\n

Done correctly, they can serve a helpful guiding tools for those looking to learn about what a company stands for and what it does. Sadly, few companies actually understand how to do them correctly, opting instead to write down what they think outsiders (read investors, banks and the like) want to hear.<\/p>\n

Still, what purpose do these declarations serve in the company itself? And who should be responsible for creating them?<\/p>\n

Too often those creating the dictums of what a company stands for, does, and will do, have little to no knowledge of what the company actually does or how it does it. Aside from a Vision statement, and some would argue even then, shouldn\u2019t those who know the ins and outs of a company, how it accomplishes it\u2019s \u2018tasks\u2019 and what the people who do the work stand for (or don\u2019t stand for) be involved in declaring these time intensive corporate standards? Or perhaps they shouldn\u2019t be involved at all.<\/p>\n

After all, how many employees in your company can recite the mission statement word for word? How many know the vision statement? Values? Does anyone know what the strategic plan says or even where to go look and find it?
\nFor most companies, certainly not all, the answer is very few, if any.<\/p>\n

The challenge comes when companies want to use these often verbose and irrelevant as a measure or standard for how people accomplish their tasks.<\/p>\n

Perhaps it\u2019s time we recognize our individual strengths and abilities as employees have far more potential to help organizations than when we try to mold everyone into one method, one application, one mission or one vision.<\/p>\n

It is vital that everyone move forward towards a common goal, but how each cog in the wheel arrives at that goal may be as individual as the cogs themselves. Perhaps we should be asking different questions, thinking in new and creative ways about how to embrace those differences and how to efficiently harness those individual strengths.<\/p>\n

The workforce is changing, and our company workers are changing more often as well. Having only one thought or one directive through all of these declarative documents may have worked in the past but will they work for the next wave of employees, and the one after that?<\/p>\n

Perhaps we should state the goal and then create an environment that allows for new concepts, new ideas, and new innovations rather than trying to fit everyone into one box.
\nMaybe it\u2019s time to open the box.<\/p>\n\n

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\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lisa Lee\u00a0<\/b>is the author of \u201cThe Heart of Teaching.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

Lisa is a 35-year veteran educator with the honors of being named \u201cTeacher of the Year\u201d in DeKalb County, Georgia (2007) and Runner-Up \u201cTeacher of the Year\u201d for Colorado (2017). Over the years, Lisa Lee has taught in Georgia and Colorado elementary, middle, and high school classrooms, with a specialization in Gifted and Talented and a focus on the students who don\u2019t always fit in a box.

An experienced TEDx speaker, Lisa embraces the TEDx platform as a gateway to deliver her messages of connection and relationship building that she so strongly believes in.

Her personal life philosophy is that \u201cWe\u2019re put here on the planet to make life better for others. Period.\u201d This belief is the foundation of her messaging in that making connections with others and building community can change lives.
Lisa lives in the Denver, CO area with her wife, 2 grandtwins, and her dog Rosa Barks.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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\u2013 Laura Thomas, Author of\u00a0The Magic of Thinking Big<\/em><\/div>\n<\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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\u2013\u00a0Laura Thomas, author of\u00a0The Magic of Well-Being<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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