At the most recent SPEC t-team meeting, the group agreed that communication remains as a major challenge, among staff.  Now that we are well along our way to informing staff about the very basics of SPEC, the party doesn't stop there!  The decision was made to devote the entire month of July to improving communication through several initiatives to include: e-mail blasts, the CHI Newsletter, a traveling poster presentation AND MARGARITA MONDAYS; an event where we hope to demonstrate to staff...

As I think back on our past three semesters (!) of the SPECs project, I am amazed at how much we discussed, dissected and learned....yet the surface was barely scratched!  What I remember most is the candor, the insights and REAL issues surfaced and discussed.  As I mentioned several times, for me, the class was truly a "relief" valve .... frustrations aired are still frustrations, but at least I was able to capture perspectives and suggestions from others.   I struggled with being a good...

Immediately prior to the hiring of the new CEO, Switchboard experienced the deaths of two staff members - one sudden, the other after a long illness.  These passings bookended the departures of several senior and other key staff members.  Until the new CEO came on board, staff were compelled to keep things afloat albeit without direction.  The transition time for the new leader was marked with budgetary and staff issues and yet another staff death.  Shortly after her arrival, the organization...

What do you remember most about your involvement in the course?

I had the pleasure of joining HSC in the summer of 2008 before the creation of our SPEC T-Team.  Having a clinical background and a strong interest in organizational change and development, I was thrilled to learn of the SPEC model. To me it was a therapeutic and holistic version of mental health for organizations, not just individuals. As a person who is passionate about the maintenance of mental health and work-life balance, I...

This video reponds to part one of the SPEC final guidelines

In this video you can see skits performed by staff and inspired by two values that HSC cherishes--leadership and self-empowerment:

Enjoy.

The Trust's "SPEC story" 

The T-Team is our hope for continuation of the SPEC work at The Trust.  Happily there is great commitment to the endurance of the T-Team among leaders beyond those of us who experienced the SPEC course series.

 Accomplishments:

• All-Staff meetings adopt World Café format with small group targeted discussions and reporting/discussing with large group
• World Café experiences build foundation for the All Staff Retreat
• Retreat leads to Values workgroup and adoption of Values and...

Community Health of South Florida Inc. (CHI), would first like to thank the University of Miami for allowing us to participate in the UM MIAMI SPEC Project. Our journey, which began in October 2008 has been fulfilling to say the least. We began as a little 4 member SPEC guiding team attending UM classes, and then we expanded to a 9 member CHI Transformation Team (T-team). We eventually chose as our SPEC project  educating our 600+ employee organization on the SPEC philosophy, and set our sights...

The UM SPEC class has been a unique opportunity for me for many reasons. Reflecting back on the last two and a half years' involvement in this program, I see that a primary lesson that I will take away with me is the great value had from sharing openly about challenges and listening to the feedback of others'. For much of my life I was intensely anti-confrontational. As a result, I felt that conversations that were difficult or tense should also be avoided. SPEC class and my subsequent...

My Individual Involvement in the SPEC Classroom 

What do you remember most about your involvement in the course?

Over the course of three years, so much can be discussed, but what I remember most stems from each year of participation.  At the end of the first year, I remember gaining an appreciation for the acronym of SPEC, and within each principle, how all can positively affect the outcome of the community at large.  At the conclusion of the second year, I saw the commitment on behalf of all...

Well, as Scott would say…..It's time for some reflections.

There have been some interesting and memorable moments since the SPEC'S introduction of John Snow and Muhammad Yunus. In the beginning, the literature seemed as simple, widespread practices. Some of the thinking was that the coursework represented a positive reinforcement into the general practices and believes already established by many businesses in the non-profit world. Much of my skepticism (in the beginning) was openly in the...