A Malay proverb says “clapping with the right hand only, produces no noise.” When it comes to being effective in our day-today work, how can we make sure we make noise, ie produce effective results that make a difference?
One way is by working together better. Team-building is an essential part of running any office. In Amman we promote a One Team ethos and have a committee dedicated to promoting collaboration between the various different sections of the Embassy: visas, consular, trade, corporate services etc. Team-building was therefore the central theme of the Away Day we held recently. We got all the staff – almost 100 people – together, divided them into teams and shut the office.
We started in the King Hussein Park. Our first task was to pick up litter. This was a good thing to do in its own right, to make a contribution to the health and welfare of the city where we live. But it also encouraged us to work in teams, since there were prizes for the team that brought in the most rubbish.
Then we did a quiz around the Royal Automobile Museum and the Children’s Museum, looking for answers from the items on display. They are wonderful museums and the quiz forced us to examine the displays for clues to answer the questions. We then all gathered for the prize-giving and a barbeque.
Was it worth it? Everyone thought so. It was fun and people from different parts of the Embassy met each other and talked about all sorts of things other than work. For me, one of the most important lessons was the realisation that some members of staff from different sections don’t know each other. It is important for everyone to know where they fit in the overall picture and who does what. We broke down some of these barriers during the day.
Part of the benefit of the day was that it was practical: people met and did things together. The benefits of collaboration were immediately visible and tangible. We dispensed with the management theory and consultant-speak. Our approach was far preferable to sessions where you have to endure a series of talking heads spouting management jargon, ploughing through Power Point presentations or drawing wiring diagrams.
The practical approach showed that good collaboration is not just about meeting other colleagues. It is about listening and respecting the views of others, sharing knowledge and information and helping each other achieve a common set of objectives. It is about delegating and empowering people – not pushing all decisions to the top. And it is about breaking down walls and barriers between people and sections – not compartmentalising. These methods produce better results and help bring our teams towards the goal of excellence.
The emphasis on excellence was also the theme of an event organised for the Jordanian public sector by the King Abdullah Centre of Excellence this month. All public administrations need to make constant efforts to improve the way they serve the public.
Our aim is to build a collective team spirit and encourage collaboration. That way we can become a better embassy and better public servants. It also ensures that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing. Together the two hands can make noise.