Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

A place to provide all of NCI and NCI leadership with questions, suggestions, comments, or any other kind of feedback.
Janet Rossini
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Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

Way back in August, I proposed an approach to the board that promised to improve their ability to harness the great energy of the population, to free them from managing so many minutiae, to make Kuula a better place to be, and to improve the new citizen's experience of NCI.

Things didn't work out. Now, finally, they've offered me the project I asked for, and I have had to decline. I am not happy about this, but until my stuffings grow back, and until there is a real prospect for communication about the idea, I felt I had no choice.

I've been trying hard to help and the result has been painful. You can read about it on my blog, at http://valkyriejanet.wordpress.com/2009 ... asked-for/.
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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Grandma Bates
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Grandma Bates »

I read your article. Sorry to hear that this is weighing on you. This is not why we come into SL and give to NCI. I will try to get in world this evening and hope to set some time aside. I may not make it because of another commitment, though. In the meantime, hugs to you and the sisterhood.

The same sentiment goes out to Ms Quite who also feels beaten up. This has been a trying time for a lot of folks who have given a great deal to NCI. It has been too long since we just sat around and shared some laughs and silly builds which is what brought me here in the first place. :-(
Janet Rossini
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

Thanks, Grandma,

You're right about the sharing. I have absolutely no doubt that everyone involved has been doing the very best they were capable of, using the best judgment they were capable of raising.

In the end, an organization needs to be measured by the results it attains. NCI is a pretty good success on that scale, and will continue to be, I have no doubt. I do think NCI and all of us in it could have done better -- and of course that is always true. I this case, I think there is something for the organization to learn, and that's the only reason I bring it up.

In the end, an individual needs to be measured by the joy she finds and the joy she creates. I do my best to measure up on that scale, and one way is by putting my attention where it seems mostly likely to result in joy.

So I'm focusing my first and second lives on things that give back to me, while trying to make my experience in all this available for people to learn from. The individuals will choose to engage in that learning, or not, as strikes them as right.

I'm kind of expecting to be relegated to the list of "another of those complainers", at least by some. And I trust that those who know me well will know better.

Thanks again,
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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http://valkyriejanet.wordpress.com
Kaine
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Kaine »

**September 29th
Janet Rossini
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

Kaine, I'm not sure what happened on September 29th. My proposal for how to do projects is dated August 11th. I sent it, if I recall, to Carl and Gramma about that date. I also have a note to Quite, responding to some question of hers about it, dated around October 1. Perhaps my note only got distributed on September 29th?

In any case, the dates are not important in my opinion. The only thing that may be important to people, or then again may not, is that the way this transition has been handled, with respect to me personally, has ground me down to the point where I feel I can't go forward with an experiment that I myself in a way of working which I believe in and which I believe would help NCI make faster better progress.

I"m not looking for sympathy. I've purged on the subject and am going on about the things I do. I'm just hoping that you and the rest of the board will do two things:

1. Look at your handling of this transition and learn from it. If you find that any significant mistakes have been made, face them, admit them, do something about them.

2. Look at what I proposed, note that it specifically asks for board involvement, and decide whether the board would like to learn how to harness the power of the members to do big things.

Whatever happens, I'm OK, and I continue to learn. I'm hoping that everyone else is, as well.

Thanks,
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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Quite Oh
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Quite Oh »

Quite's personal voice:

If I remember, the first time you fired it off to me on 2009-08-11 to double check it before sending it to the board. This was before Carl left.

Carl quit at on August 28, 2009.

The board worked on burn out mode to get everything up and running, that took about 4 weeks before we were out of emergency mode. Call that October 1st, just for a nice round number, though I'm sure I'm off some days here and there.

On Sept 29th, you reminded me of it, and I posted it to the BoD forum the same moment. Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:40 am Forum time.

Then for two weekends in a row a number of members were not available to attend the two Sat BoD meetings. That brings us to about October 15th.

On Thu Oct 29, 2009 5:57 (forum time) you posted this note, which implies that it must have been on or about the same day that the go ahead was given, even though we weren't quite prepared for it yet, anyway.

So it's been a total of about 90 days over a crisis period since the "new" board took over and that you got the official go-ahead from I think it was Afon.

I'm sorry that you were inconvenienced by the delay.

We have, during that time been figuring out how we can use the wiki as a means to manage what is being done, by whome, and what things we need done. While we're not done on the specifics yet, it'll be coming up soon enough.

There are some new current issue cropping up. As soon as they're resolved, we'll let everyone know.
Janet Rossini
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

Thanks, Quite, for your reply. I think I'll answer in two parts, first about the delay in the projct, which was not the reason for my decision, and then about the reasons.

Regarding the delay, while there are reasons "why" that and probably other decisions were delayed, I think the board would do well to ask themselves whether there is a need to operate so that decisions needing timely response can be made even if the board is in turmoil. While my proposed project was not, and is not particularly urgent, I think there is such a need.

If, as I suggest, there is a need to get timely response to keep things going, then the board needs to discuss just how that might be done. The 21st century answer to that will revolve around empowered teams and appropriate delegation. (The 20th century and earlier centuries will suggest a strong set of rules and procedures so that everyone can be told just what to do in advance, and go on executing until the rules change.) We can discuss elsewhere, if anyone is interested, the effectiveness of the approaches. The point here is just that if there is a need for timely operational responses--and I think there is--the board needs to work out how to get that to happen when we get to the next crisis.

It's possible to do that, and in cooler times I hope the board will work on it. At that time, if they want my advice, I'll give it.

However, my reasons for declining to take on the Project Owner role for the sample project I proposed do not have to do with the delay. I suppose I might have been a little ticked off that a thing that involved a delegated Project Owner and a team of volunteers could somehow not have been started even if the board was on fire. The project could easily have been set up to require very little board supervision, even if all the board members were really working full time on the crisis issues. How? Simple: "Make no permanent changes to Kuula until we have approved each project increment." With that rule in place, we could set loose whole armies of Learning Experience builders in the sandboxes, creating samples. (In the terminology of my RL disciplines, that is called "Set-Based Design". You build a lot of designs at low cost, mix and match, choose the best.)

So averting the delay was quite easy, especially since, I believe, I am pretty well trusted by the board. That and the fact that we wouldn't have to give the team enough power to do anything permanent anyway. :)

But, again, that's not my reason for declining. Read on ...

Thanks,
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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Janet Rossini
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

Hi, Quite, it's me again ... this time I plan to talk a bit about why I declined the chance to take on the Kuula Learning Experience project.

I come to Second Life to have fun, to exercise my skills, to interact in pleasant ways with pleasant people. The recent political events have not been fun and I have to withdraw for a while to regain my balance.

I really feel beaten up by all that has gone on. The drama, and the resulting comments that I've endured publicly and privately, from a number of people on both sides, have just drained my energy for engagement. I suppose that apparent board inaction about those things has played into my feelings as well.

In the end, what lies underneath my experience is lack of respect. In my opinion there has been substantial display of lack of respect on both sides -- both sides -- and it has been harmful. I know it has harmed me, and I believe it has harmed more of us than may be realized.

I hope people will think about that, and if they did not intend harm, reflect on their behavior.

In particular, I'd like to look around to all of you who have observed this going on and who have been silent. People needed your support. I needed your support. Where were you? Where are you?
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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http://valkyriejanet.wordpress.com
Imnotgoing Sideways
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Imnotgoing Sideways »

I hear "both sides" and wonder why people are taking sides at all?

Back in August, I stood up for two simple things: Let me be who I am and let me do what I do for the benefit of the new resident.

I did not take a "side" in any issue. What's in it for the new resident here? Where is taking sides benefiting anything? (T_T)
What would life be like in a world without nipples? =^-^=
Janet Rossini
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Re: Organization, Style, and Reaping What You Sow

Post by Janet Rossini »

You asked about sides. Here are some thoughts.

I wanted to do the things I do for the good of our citizens. One of the things I know how to do is to organize small groups of interested people to get things done. I wanted to offer NCI the chance to learn how to do that. I offered that and was not successful. Probably that's OK.

I proposed a specific example of that kind of project, which was aimed at the good of our citizens. Perhaps I should have just organized a small group to do it, but since my purpose wasn't to do it but to teach how to do it, that didn't seem like the thing to do. Maybe I was wrong.

Some people seemed to be intent on calling people names, being explicitly and publicly rude, disrespectful, and disruptive. Unique among us, it seems to me now, I tried to assume that these people had in mind something good for our citizens. I tried to work with them a little bit, to bring forward any valid ideas, and to help them learn to express their ideas in ways that might work. It was painful, I got paint from the wrong brushes spattered on me, and apparently it annoyed the pig. That was, I now believe, a mistake.

People have differing ideas and when those ideas are not dealt with well, they react in various ways. Your wishes, which I can identify with, of letting you be who you are and letting you do what you do, will seem to some like anarchy, and that will seem bad to them. They will say, perhaps with some right on their side: "We can't just let everyone do whatever they want."

I suggest that that's a valid concern. How, as an organization, can we answer that concern?
I don't work here: I volunteer here. I don't have duties: I have small gifts which I offer.

Janet Rossini
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http://valkyriejanet.wordpress.com
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