Category: 2020 April

2020 April

Teamwork with a Common Vision, Clear Objectives and Incredible Results

Post author By Chris
Post date April 23, 2020
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by Jeremy Kauffman

“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.” Andrew Carnegie

The above quote from Andrew Carnegie is perhaps my favorite regarding teamwork. Each sentence has the ability to stand on its own. However, when you add all three together it creates a powerful image of what teamwork can and should look like.

Dealing with and managing our current reality of COVID-19 has raised many questions for me related to the teams within our organizations. Will teams rise to the challenge? Are there hidden “cracks” in the team that stress will unveil? What is the impact of teams that are only able to use technology to meet? What potential consequences are there if our current mode of operation continues without a clear end in sight? And finally, how will teams change and evolve as we return to normal?

Perhaps we want to emerge with a realization that future possibilities are boundless due to our ability to meet the challenge of this crisis.

As I ponder the questions dealing with the present, I believe the focus should be on the words from Carnegie in his quote on teamwork.

As organizations, we need to redefine our vision. It can be as simple as stating that we want to emerge from this pandemic as a viable organization. A place that put a laser focus on meeting the needs of its customers and employees. Perhaps we want to emerge with a realization that future possibilities are boundless due to our ability to meet the challenge of this crisis. Whatever that vision is we have the opportunity to state it clearly and allow our teams to embrace it together.

The objectives are to keep those we serve and the people who serve them healthy. Yes, we want to find every means to make them happy along the way. But we cannot lose sight of or sacrifice safety for happiness. Our short-term goals, procedures and tasks should be aligned with this objective and vision. Teams can and will rally around these things if they understand the objective. Instead of focusing on “me”, there is a focus on “we”.

The beauty of Carnegie’s quote is found in the last line. Who doesn’t love to experience incredible results? How many of us have gotten choked up talking about our employees and what they are sacrificing and accomplishing during this crisis? Or teary-eyed reading a note of appreciation from a customer or listening to a story someone shared about how they have been impacted by the team? I know that I have.

The team I have the fortune to work with as Interim CEO at a CCRC is definitely achieving uncommon results. It’s not so much that we haven’t had a positive case among our residents and team. Yes, that is something to celebrate and rejoice. But a positive case doesn’t diminish the extraordinary efforts that are being made to keep people safe. Every organization has been forced to reimagine how they do their work. Because of that, people are pitching in to help out wherever they can. Learning tasks that are new to them and they weren’t hired for. Coming in at odd hours or on their day off. Being willing to be flexible and creative in their work.

But most importantly it’s the results of those efforts that count the most. The many thank-yous. The smiles on people’s faces. The notes and words of appreciation and encouragement. Every organization is accomplishing things that may not have seemed possible when we embarked on this wild journey.

I don’t know how this will end. I’m not wise enough to know what the impact this crisis will have on our teams. Will the strain have long-term affects? Or will they emerge better than ever? There will be many studies done to evaluate how we handled COVID-19 and what can be learned to benefit our world, communities, organizations, and teams moving forward. The MHS team is already thinking about how we can help members de-brief and use this experience to fuel future growth and success. However, maybe it’s just a matter of returning to the words of Andrew Carnegie. Possibly we just need to continue our focus on teamwork with a common vision, clear objectives and incredible results.

Tags April 2020

2020 April

Dare to Lead

By Karen Lehman

As a way of getting to know each other, learning to work together and building a culture of trust, the staff in the MHS Goshen office decided to start a book club. You simply can’t go wrong if your first book in your new book club is the national bestseller, Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead!

We barely got started reading Dare to Lead when everything in our country shifted and changed due to COVID-19. The idea of spending time discussing a book felt frivolous to me and for the first weeks into our decision to work from home, I found it hard to concentrate on anything that required a great deal of processing and detail.

Now in the fourth week of home office and the mandatory stay at home order, it is clear that there is no going back to how it was. For the foreseeable future, our way of work and our very way of living is not going to go back to “normal.” With that awareness and acceptance, the question now is how to live and work within these parameters?

In order for us to have any sense of connection with each other as people, to grow as a team, and to interact as colleagues, we need to find virtual ways to have meaningful conversations, interaction and discussions. So the MHS team had our first virtual book club discussion and while we’re learning how to navigate using a workbook along with discussion, we know that this way of connecting is going to work for all the purposes that I mentioned; to know each other better, to learn to work together and to build a culture of trust. When we selected Dare to Lead we had no idea how perfect this book would be for this time of uncertainty, risk, emotional exposure, vulnerability and courage.

A book club is just one idea for building a cohesive team. It is not as much how you work at team building, it’s that you’re always working on it in one way or another. Those of you working on the front lines of this pandemic are, by the very nature of your work, demonstrating courage and vulnerability, cornerstones for building trust within your teams. For the rest of us, we’re needing to be a bit more creative in finding those ways of connecting and relating. I encourage us all to find the ways that can work for you – and find hope and joy in doing it!

Find more information at Brené Brown’s Website.

2020 April

Slack is Anything But

By Twila Albrecht, Member Services Associate

In response to stay-at-home orders, MHS staff have taken to their bedrooms, back porches, and basements for work. As for me, my living room has been transformed into an office complete with a standing desk, two monitors, and all of my two files from the MHS office.

I feel fortunate that I have everything that I need to do my job well from home.

I feel fortunate that I have a job.

And, despite the anxiety that accompanies this crisis, I’m grateful for a team that quickly embraced the necessary changes. While some MHS staff typically work remotely, our office adopted some additional tools to help us navigate the unforeseeable future.

In addition to more frequent Zoom meetings, our team adopted Slack – a digital workspace that allows teams to chat, share files, create various channels for projects, and connect email and calendar notifications. We can also create custom emoji’s, which, quite frankly, is really cute and fun.

Yes, I do miss being in the office with my co-workers. Yet, Slack has been an awesome resource for us, and there are so many aspects of it that we have yet to tap into. It’s a tool that we’ll continue to use even as we change our status back to “in the office.”

Slack goes beyond serving as an infrastructure for communicating remotely. As their blog makes evident, team building isn’t just an aspect of their work, it’s at the center. I’ve enjoyed some recent articles, and would encourage you to check them out as a resource for your team!

2020 April

CARES Act – Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) Update

Post author By Chris
Post date April 22, 2020
No Comments on CARES Act – Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) Update

This update follows MHS attendance at a meeting held April 21 by MHS sister health & human services association, the Jewish Federation, at which Senator Marco Rubio provided updates on the Paycheck Protection program loans.

On Tuesday, the Senate approved an additional coronavirus relief package, which provides $310 billion more in funding for the Paycheck Protection Program. The bill is expected to be signed into law later this week. Senator Rubio estimates the actual need to be upwards of $1 trillion. The proposed second round extension is unlikely to meet the totality of this need. It is possible that a third round of funds may be approved in the future.

As most banks have learned how to process the Paycheck Protection Program loans, we can anticipate that this loan process will move more quickly than the first round.

If you did not receive first round funding and/or have not heard from the bank on your loan application:

Contact the individual you normally do business with at your bank and ask them to advocate with the SBA loan department for you.
Ensure that your loans are complete with all necessary documentation.
Check with the bank to make sure your loan has moved to underwriting and will be processed now.

For more information on how to apply, please visit www.mhsonline.org/nonprofit-loans/cares-act. Paycheck Protection Program loans are intended to prevent layoffs and keep small businesses solvent.