Was nice to see and chat to all the old Lonehill Weekly Security Meeting stalwarts at Tony Platt's funeral last week. Nice show of respect from those who truly know what incredible efforts were put in by those serving on these weekly meeting forums.
Almost all those I chatted to were in 100% agreement with my comments in this blog calling for more OPEN participation of those residents who want to make things happen in Lonehill.
Last week I mentioned how Tony was 'looking forward to the day that he could get back into a contributing role when the security meeting process again opened up for the committed community contributors to participate in once again.'
Well, bless my cotton-picking socks and pick me up off the floor if I didn't read in the very next LRA email:
'Weekly Security Meetings - Residents, please remember that the weekly security meetings held at the LRA offices (81 Studio Office Park, Concourse Cresc) are open for anyone who is interested to attend. The meetings are every Thursday morning from 7.30am'
Hmmm... must have missed the original announcement that these meetings were now open to every concerned Lonehill resident to attend, once again. That's GOOD news! Maybe it also says something about the right messages not getting out timeously or clearly to the community. If I wasn't aware of this, with my high level of interest, how many others in this community weren't..?
The last time I attended such a security meeting - then CLOSED by the leadership in place at the time and moved to 10 a.m., which in my opinion was to make it doubly more difficult for any resident to attend - it was disbanded instantly by those in 'power' because I dared to arrive (after their ignoring my repeated email requests to attend) to ask questions. That became another indicator for me that something was 'rotten' in our structure at the time... ;-)
So, it's nice to see a continuing return to the OPEN transparent formats and processes that signified the best of this initiative in the early days. Gets more and more encouraging!
I've often wondered why it is that many in our society at community-level are highly critical of the lack of openness and transparency of ruling government players and their political machinations in Zimbabwe, in the U.K., in the U.S., and in our own country. Yet, the moment they find themselves in leadership positions in a community initiative such as ours they end up duplicating the exact same stupid, political, ego-driven games in their own community.
In our Lonehill Community Initiative we have the forum and platform to show that we want, and can deliver, openness and transparency of governance to an unparalleled standard of excellence - and we must protect this. It is surely the simplest thing in the world to involve everyone in our community to ask, answer, participate and deliver upon a simple question: What can WE do to make OUR Community GREAT..?
I'm looking forward to the OPEN LRA FEEDBACK session (7 p.m. Wed. 31st Oct.) of those now responsible for reinstating the OPEN community formats that worked so well before in this initiative. I am hoping that our current leadership will demonstrate their understanding of the key Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats within and facing our initiative, with a simple analysis of the pertinent NUMBERS behind all observations, projects and events.
They have called for input... and these are just some of the things that I'd like to see discussed (some being extracts from previous posts in this blog forum):
a.) To what degree of specific measurability are the LRA Directors committed...
1. ..to RAISE Standards... continually... especially those of service delivery, openness and transparency.
2. ..to unleash the Abundant Potential that lies within our community... open up to include everybody who wants to participate.
3. ..to facilitate a regular major indaba of all key stakeholders, decision-makers and interested contributors in this community.
b.) What are the Critical Success Factors needed to be adopted and Questions needed to be asked in these areas (note that I have only highlighted some examples of what a community should be asking if leadership does not lead with their own pertinent observations, proposed solutions, and feedback):
1. Strategy, Sustainability & Succession
e.g.
- What Does The LRA Community Initiative Do Well?
- What's Holding The LRA Community Initiative Back?
- What's The LRA Community Initiative Future Action Plan?
2. Participation, Communication & Marketing
e.g.
- What total no. of Households make up the Lonehill Community?
- What actual no. contribute in what specific breakdowns?
- What is required to close the gap - what is working, what is not?
Some numbers that we might like to know each month are (amongst others):
- The numbers of contributors by breakdown: individual households/complexes/enclosures/business etc.
- % of contributors vs. non-contributors related to total households in the LRA defined area
- % Revenue applied by contributor breakdown to PROACTIVE guarding force
- Possible vs. Actual contribution by total community households
- % allocation of community events revenues to reducing load on contributors
- Target revenue projections from special events/promotions/programs designed to reduce load on contributors
- % of emails that actually reach total no. of households
- etc.
3. Transparency, Governance & Accountability
e.g.
- What funds were raised at the Lonehill Fun Day (i.e. as for any LRA event)?
- Who were the key benefactors (what amount) - LRA, charity, individuals)?
- Were LRA directors, staff, service providers remunerated from this event (what amount)?
c.) How do the LRA Directors respond to a call (from a previous blog post) to:
1. Allow DISCIPLINED People To Flourish - these are passionate people who will align our community goals with their own goals and who can deliver. It means having people in management that do not need to be highly-managed. It means removing those in management who cannot or will not deliver. It means instituting SMART objectives and deliverables with accountabilities and responsibilities clearly designated. It means actively encouraging those with voluntary and/or vested interest desires to establish and drive mutually-beneficial community projects. It means allowing a process for all stakeholders to participate in developing and/or selecting the projects they want to see as priorities.
2. Create a culture of DISCIPLINED Thought. 'Create A Culture Where The Truth Can Be Heard'... where openness, transparency and fact are sacrosanct... and where opinion is widely sought and encouraged.
3. Allow the above people and culture to stimulate DISCIPLINED Action. Eradicate all bureaucratic hurdles - what Tom Peters' identifies as 'The Management Paradox':
d.) How do the LRA Directors respond to ideas-brainstorming, such as these from a previous post:
IDEA 1. Bring in enthusiastic specialists who have proven their ability to excel. Get back to OPEN TENDERING of mutually-beneficial community/business related projects. Allow the tender winner to win as the community wins. Attract the finest quality entrepreneurial thinkers to conduct their presentations and allow all stakeholders to participate in the selection process... as we did when we launched this initiative.
IDEA 2. Modernise Lonehill's image and attraction - it is no longer a '20th century rural horsy bridle-path village' as it was originally developed (the shopping centre and Summercon developments have seen to that) - let's get real and refocus its future vision to fit the 21st century. Make it a WOW statement to stimulate national and international interest and recognition. If only to ramp up the desirability of living in this area (good for our property prices). There are many concepts that can be brainstormed here.
IDEA 3. Provide Lonehill stakeholder security services FREE..!
IDEA 4. Treble to quadruple the proactive guarding force and reaction vehicles, and their quality and standard of pay (for performance incentive) and marry that with quality PROACTIVE surveillance equipment.
IDEA 5. Treble to quadruple the Estate Management/Environment function to uplift and beautify every area of Lonehill.
IDEA 6. Re-assess the actual benefit of the current LRA offices... is it really needed in it's current format... ... is it needed at all (freeing up funds for other projects)... and/or perhaps get back to the original idea for a community centre that will be of benefit to every contributing stakeholder (don't we already 'have' one at The Lonehill Village Church..?).
IDEA 7. Turn Lonehill Dam into a Bio-Diesel plant. This was almost my April 1 email subject-headline: 'Lonehill to build bio-diesel plant on local dam'. Purpose of this idea (and IDEA 3.) is to stimulate seemingly crazy ideas to approach solutions from a different perspective... no idea should be pooh-poohed. In all ideas lies the kernel of the next MASSIVE breakthrough.
Take a look at this blog link - GREAT Ideas - http://icgreatideas.blogspot.com/ - for more ideas on how to get get creative and manage ideas effectively.
See Ideas Are A Dime A Dozen... Or Are They? & Possibility Thinking - Managing IDEAS Effectively
IDEA 8. Share the ideas. Ideas can be expanded upon by the inputs of others. Ideas stimulate ideas. Provide a list of all the ideas submitted so that someone can get excited enough to take it to action and implementation stage.
IDEA 9. Bring important, enthusiastic, interested Lonehill stakeholders together in an eye-ball to eye-ball brainstorming indaba - already mentioned in previous post.
IDEA 10. Develop a competition to reward the very best ideas. Provide incentives. Give recognition. (Reminds me...as yet no follow through on the recognition program stated at the last open feedback meeting).
Hope those prove to be thought-provoking inputs.
Regards
Trevor Nel - 011 705-2790
Lonehill Resident
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