Fred Whitman contributed this article going around the
Burning Man organization... A
Culture of Appreciation
Diverse talents, perspectives, ideas and creations of
individuals are at the heart of Burning Man. From these
individual sparks, collaborative efforts are initiated
and executed in ways that make ours a uniquely connected
and accomplished community. Burning Man strives to create
a culture where everyone recognizes and appreciates
the skills and contributions of others, however, sometimes
each of us get caught up in a new project or are striving
to meet a deadline and we forget to take the time to
appreciate ourselves, others, and the amazing experiences
that we share together. There are times when each of
us may, for one reason or another, whether real or perceived,
feel unappreciated. This document examines the nature
of appreciation and outlines some ways that we can make
appreciation an integral part of our daily lives and
our interaction as a community.
What
is appreciation?
1 a: a judgement that is critically favorable b: sensitive
awareness; especially: recognition of aesthetic values
c: an expression of admiration, approval, or gratitude
2: increase in value
Why
is appreciation important? It makes people feel:
• Like
valued members of the Project.
• That
their ideas are needed, wanted, and welcomed.
• They
are contributing to a higher cause and community.
• Their
artistic expressions are valid and enjoyed by their
peers.
• Others
are sensitive to their feelings and needs.
• Their
hard work is recognized by others and is making a difference.
• They
are honored as individuals.
• They
are respected.
In
order to understand appreciation, it is important to
understand that there are times when any of us may feel
unappreciated. It is important to watch body language,
facial expressions, signs of stress and other clues
that someone is feeing unappreciated. When people feel
unappreciated there are immediate and long term effects
on the larger community or organization.
What
are some reasons that make people feel unappreciated?
(The key is how the individual perceives the situation,
regardless of whether it is actually true).
• Only
receiving negative feedback
• Feeling
that information is being withheld
• Feeling
dumped on instead of delegated to
• Implications
that they are expendable
• No
celebration of successes
• Feeling
misunderstood
• Perception
of insincere appreciation
• When
reinforcement is random
• When
rewards are inconsistent
• Feeling
taken for granted
What
are the impacts and possible costs of people feeling
unappreciated?
• Volunteers
may walk off the job and/or not come back again, leaving
someone else to pick up the pieces, possibly staff or
other volunteers, or projects may not get completed.
This takes the time of other team members who could
have been working on other projects.
• People
may become apathetic and unmotivated, causing their
contributions to decrease in quality and quantity.
• Artists
may become uninspired and may stop making art for Burning
Man.
• Participants
may not come back to Burning Man, they may discourage
their friends from attending, or they may choose to
not get connected to their regional group. Or perhaps
they do come back, but they are pissed so they leave
trash and are disrespectful to the community.
• Surveys
show that a lack of appreciation and recognition is
a primary reason why people quit their jobs. In the
corporate world, it is estimated that it costs approximately
$30,000 to hire an employee, between the administrative
overhead, time spent by other employees during interview
process, trainings required, etc. A similar effect occurs
for Burning Man.
Who
should be giving appreciation and who should be receiving
it?
• Burning
Man’s culture necessitates the multi-directional
flow of appreciation.
• Appreciation
should flow down through all levels including the BM
staff (paid or not), managers, volunteers, and to the
ticket-buying participant.
• Appreciation
should flow up through all levels as well.
• Appreciation
should also flow equally throughout the BM infrastructure,
among BM teams, to artists, participants, and to the
playa alike.
• Basically
appreciation should flow everywhere to everyone and
be a regular part of our daily interactions with others.
• (A
lovely diagram was here which can't be easily reproduced.
Basically it shows "direction of appreciation between":
Board
Senior
Staff
Other
staff (paid & not) APPRECIATION
Project
Managers DIRECTION FLOW
Volunteer
Coordinators
Volunteers
Participants
Artists
Community
Now
that we have an understanding of appreciation, reasons
why someone may feel unappreciated, possible impacts
on our community as a result, and the flow of appreciation
throughout our community, it’s time learn how
to cultivate a culture of appreciation.
HOW
IS A CULTURE OF APPRECIATION CREATED AND MAINTAINED?
A number of infrastructure improvements have contributed
significantly and will continue to foster an appreciative
culture. The creation of job descriptions, establishment
of clearer reporting structures, expansion of communication
efforts, public forums, and investment in management
training are great steps towards recognizing the needs
of individuals throughout our organization and community,
but, as managers, leaders, and individuals, the rest
is up to us.
As
the previous diagrams illustrate, in order to foster
a culture of appreciation, appreciation must flow in
all directions and between all members of our community.
Given the complex relationships and roles and shifting
dynamics, there is no single approach to appreciation.
Instead, individuals must choose tools, methods, and
mindsets for each situation and relationship to let
others they interact with know they are appreciated,
and remember to do it on a daily basis.
The
following categories of recommendations, reminders and
suggestions contain some of the ways that each of us
can build an ethos for a culture of appreciation:
Foster
the big picture
Create
and maintain effective infrastructure
Adopt
an appreciative management style
Initiate
check-ins
Manage
workloads
Reward
and recognize contributions
Invest
in people
Foster
the big picture:
Acknowledge,
remember and remind team members we are all important
to the creation, survival and evolution of the Burning
Man Project (each person, department, and team).
As
much as you can, be aware of the parts that others play.
Promote
the ethos that the Burning Man community cannot function
effectively without any of its parts (teams) - all teams
and individuals make up the whole.
Increase
and promote understanding and awareness of other departments
and the role they play in the big picture.
Appreciate
and support the people you work with by respecting their
deadlines.
Introduce
yourself to people on other teams unrelated to your
department and find out what they do, and encourage
team members to do the same.
Start
from a place of valuing people’s contribution
(give them the benefit of the doubt!) even if you may
not understand their role or they haven’t been
involved for as long.
Wherever
possible, share “big picture” information
with your department or team so they feel part of the
bigger vision. Explore setting up infrastructure or
systems to do this (see next category).
Organize
and encourage interdepartmental outings and activities
to encourage appreciation of other teams (take your
team on a “field trip”).
Create
a Big Picture, Latest News, Appreciation Newsletter
that reaches all team members – highlighting achievements,
efforts, newbies, oldbies, and more.
Create
and maintain effective infrastructure:
Create
a clear organizational structure within your department
or team.
Clearly
define reporting structures, oversight and accountability.
Create
infrastructure to systematically share information –
discuss and design this with your team.
Actively
share information with team members and the people you
manage so they have what they need to do their job effectively
and see the bigger vision.
Adopt
an appreciative management style:
Foster
a sense of responsibility/accountability, autonomy and
empowerment on your team (through delegation, positive
reinforcement, training, and mentorship).
Delegate
tasks when possible (try to avoid micro-management and
directing). Empower your team by allowing them to own
their tasks, with your support. Continue to develop
your own delegation skills through training or research.
(Training material about delegation is available from
the Volunteer Resource Team, and on the web.)
Be
supportive and positive in your communications (one
on one and publicly).
Address
difficult issues privately (not in a group setting).
Be
mindful of your communication style when discussing
a difficult issue. Keep your voice calm and your emotions
checked. Use active listening and offer constructive
feedback rather than criticism. Try to understand the
other person’s point of view.
Personalize
your praise and feedback – it feels better than
generic appreciation. Go out of your way to mention
particular things that someone did or the specialized
way they did them. Let them know you notice their individuality
(special-ness, particular skills, dedication, etc).
Weave
appreciation in to your daily interactions: add appreciation
pieces to your job description and other job descriptions
you create.
Develop
a system/method to show appreciation that works best
for your team or staff. Be consistent in its application:
make appreciation a regular part of your work, keep
records, don’t leave anybody out, and follow up.
Include
an appreciation section (agenda item) in meetings.
Include
an appreciation section in staff reports.
At
the same time, be aware of the pitfalls of giving public
appreciation and acknowledgement (at public events,
for example). It’s easy to leave someone out without
knowing it, which can cause them to feel unappreciated
and resentful.
Remember
that as a leader your role is to inspire and motivate
as well as to supervise your team – empower and
help them to shine, and everyone benefits.
Initiate
check-ins:
Initiate
regular check-ins with people that do work for you and/or
with you. Identify topics in advance if possible.
Choose
or develop questions that work best with your team.
(remember different people hear things differently).
Check-in questions may include.
?
How's it going? ? Are there any issues that I should
know about? ? Have you encountered any roadblocks and
how can I help? ? Do you have any ideas you’d
like to bounce off me? ? Do you have what you need to
succeed? ? Are there other tasks or parts of the organization
that interest you? ? Would you like to discuss anything
else?
Actively
listen to what the person has to say and follow up as
needed.
Ask
for feedback, ideas, and ways to enable.
Let
people know that you value their ideas and welcome input
(even if not ultimately acted on).
Manage
workloads:
Try
to be aware of the number, complexity and size of tasks
on the plates of the people you manage or work with.
Remember
that people may be doing work for other teams and managers,
and that work may not already be on your radar.
Help
prioritize tasks when assigned and reassess priorities,
deadlines and projects as needed
Recognize
and respect people’s bandwidth and help them to
not over commit.
If
someone finds that they have more tasks than they can
handle, work together to come up with a solution.
Reward
and recognize contributions:
Recognize
that value of work and personal sacrifices are often
greater than any compensation we are able to provide,
if any at all. Acknowledge this at an individual level.
Let them know it is appreciated and their contributions
are valued.
Develop
a wish list with the individuals on your team and work
together to find ways to make them feel appreciated.
Have
thank you celebrations when tasks are completed or when
people are overworked and need a break.
Offer
recognition and rewards with consistency at the individual
and team level and across departments.
Offer
creative rewards and recognition to team members.
Invest
in people:
Remember
that with your support, your teammates are valuable
resources for the future of Burning Man – proactively
educate and develop them.
Take
the time to really listen to what people would like
to do and give them opportunities to try new things.
People
are the most valuable asset you may ever find. Train
them and treat them as if they are priceless! The payback
will be huge.
Increase
your own skills as a manager. Continue learning how
to delegate, actively listen and communicate effectively.
Mentor
people you believe in and teach them what you know –
cultivate their skills and efforts.
Create
internal training programs. Bring in outside training
and development as appropriate.
Make
limited funding available to individuals who want to
expand their skills (using books, classes, seminars,
etc).
Create
growth paths and work with and support your people to
find the journey that is right for them.
Great!
How do we get started?
A number of the recommendations and reminders listed
above describe a mindset which should be adopted by
every member of our organization, especially those managing
staff, volunteers, artists and theme camps. This starts
with you. Each of us can probably find a few items in
the lists above that we already do really well and we
should keep doing those. In addition, each of us can
probably find some areas where we can do better. Identify
a few areas you would like to improve on, and develop
some methods or use some of the suggestions above to
let the people around you know that you appreciate them.
Pretty soon, these items will become a vital part of
our day-to-day interactions. |
