Foundations of Effective Management Certificate Celebration

October 20th marked a day of celebration for the Managers and Supervisors who successfully completed the Foundations of Effective Management Certificate Program-Justice Institute of BC. The celebration was held at the Inn at the Quay in New Westminster and consisted of a morning of speeches, good food and lively conversation.

In recognizing the need for developing Leaders at every level within MAPCL, the training first commenced with a group of Managers attending, including, Jan Wood and Jordan Thurston. During that experience, we quickly realized how valuable the training was and wanted to ensure that the Supervisors were afforded the same wonderful opportunity. Our Supervisors hold a pivotal position within the agency as it pertains to communication. Further, we rely on our supervisors to demonstrate the spirit of Leadership to the staff teams they guide, as well as to the many families and other stakeholders they encounter.

As the group(s) of supervisors proceeded in their classroom work, they began to dialogue with Managers about many of the issues staff were experiencing on the front line. Several key areas were identified within these team discussions such as, staff recruitment and retention as well as areas related to communication throughout the agency. In addition, although MAPCL employees remained willing and open to making a difference in terms of joining together to meet the financial efficiencies, it was clear that the added stressors of stretching key people over too many areas was taking its toll.

MAPCL recognizes the value in providing staff with training and education and encourages people to attain new skills and experience different challenges. Within a broader context, we encourage each other to remain open and responsive to multiple perspectives with regards to creative service delivery and support others to develop resources both internally and externally that will create a culture of excellence. Over the past few years, our commitment to provide educational opportunities for our staff has been limited, however, as this was also identified as a concern for many, we began to dialogue about ways to address this deficit.

Having completed the classroom work, (98 hours in total), all participants within the course were responsible for participating in various project initiatives, each of which would tie into an area within the agency identified as requiring change or improvement. As a result of the combined efforts of 38 participants, and over the span of the past 3 years, several strategic processes are underway. Five Team Leaders were introduced into the existing mix of what were previously called, “Regional Managers,” bringing the total number to 9. This includes Kavita Kamat, Team Leader for our Laurel Program as well as Louise Blackwell, Team Leader for Family Care. It is hoped that by increasing the numbers of Team Leaders and decreasing the numbers of programs that fall under each of them, the staff teams and supervisors will receive the level of guidance and support they were seeking.

Another strategic change that has occurred is the creation of a new position; Continuing Quality Improvement Officer. David Livingstone was the successful candidate in this new role and has been instrumental in rolling out Core Training Modules for all of our staff. In addition, David’s position will provide the direction and support to meet our CARF Accreditation mandates and has already introduced an improved planning format for the persons we serve.

Ann Walsh has been hired into a new position as well. Ann previously supervised our Aegis Life Skills Program and is now using her highly tuned skills to coordinate MAPCL casual staff.

Several other individuals who did not participate in the JI training have also been instrumental in pushing the many projects forward. Supervisors like Bree Marshall-Sera as well as Barbara Youngstrom and Eric Bergstrom, started their positions after the training was underway, however, jumped into the group work with both feet and a great deal of energy. Other individuals like Daniele Hart, Wendy Moore, and Fernando Coelho have also been invaluable in terms of the response and support they have offered each of the group participants. This has truly been a team effort.

Throughout the next few years, we anticipate making a number of improvements, all strategically designed to respond to the issues and concerns raised by our staff and supervisors. Key areas, such as Communication and Staff Recognition will be a focus of energy as will developing performance reviews that tie into our core competencies. In addition, we are exploring methods to improve the Orientation process for staff who are new to the agency.

In recognition of the level of work already accomplished and in anticipation of what lies ahead, it seemed timely to regroup on October 20th, to acknowledge the efforts of many and to mark the occasion by receiving the long awaited JI certificates! Shelley Rivkin, Director of the Centre for Leadership and Community Learning, JIBC was present as was Sandra Rice, Coordinator for the CLCL, JIBC. Georganne Oldham who was one of the key instructors/facilitators, throughout the course was present, however, Patricia Galaczy was sadly not present having missed her ferry connection from Saltspring Island to Vancouver. We will forever wonder how someone with a Master’s Degree could possibly miss her ferry……..

Congratulations to all of the participants who completed the course and received their certificates. It is truly an accomplishment to be proud of!

You can download a PDF of the entire Foundations of Effective management poster series here.

Or you can view each individual poster by clicking on the links below: