[nfbmi-talk] they don't live up to this

Thu Sep 2 17:47:49 UTC 2010

Hi Dave,

Yes, there is a degree of personal accountability involved here.  You and
Christine and others were made examples of what happens when employees don't
toe the line.  All that being said, as you point out, we have limited
resources.  We need to use them as efficiently as possible.  We need to be
surgical in the way we go after the changes we want.  I am simply suggesting
that if we deal with Pat, we will automatically deal with the whole
organization. We need to remove all the cover he has.  He needs to stand out
there alone and defend himself, alone.  He made these decisions, the buck
stops at his desk.  He loves to hide behind others and scapegoat others.  We
need to prevent him from doing that. To me, that is the best use of our
limited resources.

I don't think we disagree on the issues.  I am only working to create a
focused and effective strategy.  I am not even disagreeing with anyone or
their approach, only trying to set a clear organizational strategy and
tactics.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of David Robinson
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 12:22 PM
To: 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] they don't live up to this

Dear Fred, 

   The question still remains in regards to what is the law and what is the
right thing to do.  Cannon may be the general in all of these illegal
actions, but he has had plenty of followers.  Perhaps they follow because
they are concerned about their job, but nonetheless, they made the choice to
protect their job while they sold blind people down the river.  They are
suppose to be the employees of the State that are hired to protect
blindcitizens and the program which the law makes available to us.  I would
disagree with ou on the decency of Zanger and Heibeck.  Both have found to
be manipulative and caught in lies.  How decent that.   I might remind you
that Heibeck was the other person to accompany Cannon to Hazell's cafeteria
to suspend her license.  We all have our good characteristics and our
shortcomings, but when someone demonstrates their bad side by destroying
programs and the lives of blind persons in Michigan, then we as the
organized blind can consider them only as instruments who need to be changed
or removed.  We as the blind of this State are the underdog in this fight
and we do not have the resources that Cannon has at his disposel,and he and
his foot soldiers are not decent, they only feel threatened because they are
doing what is right.  
   Let's stand strong for the blind of Michigan and not worry how someone
feels about the blind and how we express our rights. 

Dave

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of Fred Wurtzel
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 11:54 AM
To: 'NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List'
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] they don't live up to this

Hi Joe,

I was involved in writing some of this.  I know we (those of us who were
writing, like Sherri Heibeck and some others) were committed to sharing
information and using the web to communicate with the public.
Unfortunately, in the past year, especially, Pat has created a fortress
mentality in the Commission.  For my part, I was working for openness and
consumer involvement.  We did not know of all the requirements as you have
pointed out, but we would have worked to comply at that time.  None of us
felt threatened by consumers, then.  

I am feeling that, somehow, we need to reduce the threat level without
backing off on our demands for openness.  I think we need to reduce our
rhetoric with regard to individual staff members, not including Pat.  Some
staff have philosophies contrary to ours with regard to services, but even
they will, mainly, follow the direction of their supervision.  I will say
publicly, from my extensive experience, Connie and Sherri are decent people
who are not anti-consumer.  I understand that there have been a lot of
actions which do not support my opinion, but I reiterate, most staff,
including these individuals, will happily work to support their supervision.
Now there is the rub, they are following Pat's direction.  The clearest
example is when Pat personally went to the General Office Building to
illegally remove Hazell Brooks from her facility.  He did not send someone
else, he did it himself, in violation of MCB, Randolph-sheppard rules and
laws.

So, we need to have a conversation about how to, or whether, to work to
support staff to do the right thing and keep up and increase the pressure on
Pat to follow the law.

There is my two cents worth.

Warmest Regards,

Fred

-----Original Message-----
From: nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfbmi-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org]
On Behalf Of joe harcz Comcast
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 2010 10:44 AM
To: Jo Anne Pilarski MCB, Chair; Michael Geno MCB Vice-Chair
Cc: Michael Geno MCB Vice-Chair; nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org; John Scott MCB,
Commissioner; Margaret Wolfe MCB, Commissioner
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] they don't live up to this

June 23, 2010

Here is the Michigan Commission for the Blind Long Term Strategic Plan that
I downloaded from MCB's web site today. It was in the resources for staff
section of MCB's web site. How much of this "vision" has been facilitated? I
certainly like the part about sharing information on demand here.

Joe Harcz

http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154-28077_28313_28319_28324_32052-1458
65--,00.html

DELEG - Long Term Strategic Plan FY2004-2007

Long Term Strategic Plan FY2004-2007

M E M O R A N D U M

TO:          MCB Staff

FROM:     The MCB Planning and Quality (PAQ) Team

DATE:       August 29, 2003

RE:           MCB Long Term Strategic Plan

Over the past year, MCB's Planning and Quality (PAQ) Team has been involved
in designing and developing the Michigan Commission for the Blind's Long
Term

Strategic Plan which you will find attached to this memo. (Also attached are
the notes from the PAQ Team's last meeting, August 12.)  This team is
comprised

of members of the original Vision 2020 Process Design Team, agency
supervisors, consumers and other stakeholders.  As a result of numerous
planning activities,

the PAQ Team has designed a pilot planning process for determining short
term and long term objectives for the various programs within the
Commission.

The Long Term Strategic Plan is still a work in progress.   Many of us have
been invited and involved in designing and developing this plan over the
last

year.   It is an outline of the excellence we expect of ourselves as we all
strive to deliver quality services through the year 2007 and beyond.

We now ask you to do the following:

1.                 Every individual staff member needs to review the Long
Term Strategic Plan and decide what goals you will implement personally
toward

achieving the ideals outlined in the Plan.

2.                 Offices and program units should brainstorm a whole
variety of ideas, suggestions and objectives in developing their local
annual work

plan.

3.                 Managers and staff should work together with partners to
design collaborative commitments to include in the local version of the
annual

work plan.

4.                 Each office will produce a local annual work plan by the
end of October to be used in achieving MCB's long-term strategic goals.

This is an experimental system to create planning capacity, flexibility and
adaptability in Commission offices around the state.  It is a pilot process

to encourage staff in experimenting with new ideas.

The PAQ team will work to combine all the local plans to produce an annual
work plan for the whole agency by the end of the year.

Thanks to each of you for your active participation in this important
process which will help set the course for MCB in designing customer
responsive service

systems.

MICHIGAN COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND

LONG TERM STRATEGIC PLAN

Through 2007

August 29, 2003

FORWARD

The Michigan Commission for the Blind (MCB) began a quality systems design
process to redefine how MCB serves the community.   Commission staff
received

training through the Capital Quality Initiative (CQI) at Lansing Community
College.  In January 2000, Director Patrick Cannon and the MCB Executive
Management

Team directed a newly organized Vision 2020 Process Design Team with a
charge to create new quality systems for MCB.

The Process Design Team worked for two years in an inclusive process to
learn the priorities of customers, partners, stakeholders, and agency staff.
The

Process Design Team held meetings around the state to provide Commission
staff, customers, partners and stakeholders with opportunities to dialogue
regarding

the quality process.  Recommendations were gathered and published on the MCB
2020 listserv, which was created for the purpose of sharing information in

the MCB community.  The first set of recommendations was presented to the
Executive Management Team in the summer of 2001.

The Process Design Team learned that the Commission for the Blind should
create a customer responsive service delivery system.  In order to provide
such

a system, the team recommended a number of "tilting strategies" and values
that place emphasis on building relationships.  The Team recommended four
strategic

initiatives focused on developing customer responsive services:

1.  Visioning ideal systems and services

2.  Strategic thinking and planning

3.  Implementing quality systems

4.  Continuous learning approach

These initiatives were identified and proposed as an ongoing context for
further development of the MCB strategic plan.

The Vision 2020 Process Design Team was expanded to include managers,
supervisors and others to form the Planning and Quality (PAQ) Team.  In the
fall of

2001, the PAQ Team formed six focus design teams.  These teams worked with
customers and staff sorting through gathered information in order to
identify

the vital priorities for a short-term plan.  Additionally, the PAQ Team used
all customer and staff contributions to create a long-term strategic plan.

The Michigan Commission for the Blind community is grateful for the effort
of so many who have given their best thinking to this process.

What follows is our long-term strategic plan.  What we have learned is that
strategic planning is a continuous visioning and learning process that will

require the effort of everyone in our community in order to meet the
challenges of the future.

"CHANGING LIVES, CHANGING ATTITUDES"

The MCB motto is "Changing lives, changing attitudes."  The philosophy of
MCB envisions a world where people achieve self-sufficiency and independence
within

a society that understands and accepts blindness.  This reflects our intent
to become a place where all of our actions model what we expect of society.

PRINCIPLES AND VALUES

There are seven principles and values that encourage customers, staff,
partners and stakeholders to be mutually involved in the ongoing process of
strategic

thinking, designing, and planning for the future.

The principles serve as roadside markers on the journey to full inclusion of
people who are blind and otherwise disabled.  The goal is leaderful
empowerment,

independence, accountability and full inclusion into the mainstream of a
global society.  The MCB PAQ Team formally adopted the following "Tilting
Principles

and Values," as a reminder to keep people at the forefront of our thinking.

1.   CUSTOMER RESPONSIVE SERVICES:  Systems are the single most important
result.  Everything implemented in MCB must be designed to achieve the goal
of

creating a customer responsive service system.

2.    TRUST AND RELATIONSHIPS:  These values are at the core of everything
we do.  Every action taken will build trust and enhance relationships among
all

who participate.  We must ask ourselves: does the proposed activity build
trust?

3.    INVOLVING AND INFORMING EVERYONE: This is the process of sharing all
the information all of the time.  It creates a pool of new ideas and
strategies

shared with all constituents and communities.  It fosters a world that fully
includes people who are blind in all aspects of society.

4.   VISIONING AND TEAM LEARNING:  MCB stakeholders are focused on the
future, creating new capacities to meet the ever-changing needs of people
with vision

loss.  Team learning creates the energy and knowledge to keep customers and
staff at the cutting edge of the latest information and technology.

5.   IMAGINING INNOVATIVE POSSIBILITIES: Creating a whole systems mindset
helps us foster holistic thinking, collaboration, and team building.  We
consciously

explore possibilities and develop strategies for customer responsive
services.

6.   DIALOGUE CIRCLES: This is a process that encourages positive
conversations in an open organization.   In dialogue circles, participants
come to the

table as equals and listen, learn, share and ask questions.  This process
helps us focus on increasing agency capacities to serve our customers.

7.    TILTING: This is a symbol that reminds us to tilt toward customer
responsive services.  The stakeholders are shifting their perspectives from
vertical

to horizontal, from exclusion to inclusion, from client to customer, and
from customer to partner.

STRATEGIC DIRECTION: STRATEGIC GOALS

This list of six strategic goals provides the direction for all stakeholders
to follow as we work together to create a seamless service system for our
mutual

clients.

1.   LEADERSHIP RESULTS: Strengthen the values and mission to assure that
all needed services are being provided either by the Commission or in
collaboration

with other partners.

A.   Strengthen partnerships with the Department of Education, the School
for the Blind, the Library for the Blind, and Camp Tuhsmeheta.  Enhance
services

for blind children and adults consistent with Public Act 260.

B.  Continuously improve and implement customer responsive services.

2.   PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION: Plan, organize, staff, and position the
agency to deliver the best possible quality services.

A.   Use alternative human resources such as creative staffing methods,
interns, volunteers, and service clubs, as ways to supplement and augment
staff

to serve more people.

B.  Develop collaborative opportunities with partners to mutually improve
service delivery.

3.    RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT:  Secure adequate budget, staffing, and
technology resources to deliver exemplary client services.

A.    Increase MCB's share of Michigan'sfederal funds for rehabilitation.

B.     Increase state financial support.

C.   Secure foundation grants and substantial gifts to supplement state and
federal funds.

4.    CUSTOMER RESPONSIVE SERVICE SYSTEMS: Establish an improved customer
responsive service delivery system, which is user friendly and effective to
staff

and customers.

A.    Continuously improve the processes for staff recognition, increased
teamwork, pay equity, flextime, and meaningful work that will ultimately
benefit

clients through improved morale and quality services.

B.   Improve accountability and timeliness of agency services.  Staff,
customers, partners and stakeholders will increase communication and
understanding

of mutual expectations and responsibilities.

C.   Continue staff, customer, partner and stakeholder involvement in the
design, development and implementation of policies.

D.   Increase capacity of ALL programs to serve all customers who need
independent living skills.

E.   Develop a formal tracking system for better data collection to evaluate
all programs and improve customer responsive services.

F.    Develop improved methods of determining client satisfaction with
agency and partner services.

5.   TECHNOLOGY AND PROCESS MANAGEMENT: Increase the application of
appropriate innovative technology to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of people

and systems, and the full inclusion of people who are blind in the
mainstream of society.

A.   Provide premier technology training and equipment that allows customers
to develop competitive skills, to enter into employment, and to fully
participate

in employer training and other job activities.

B.  Provide state-of-the-art hardware, software and training that allows
each MCB employee to optimize productivity.

C.  Support collection, processing and dissemination of data and information
that allows decisions to be made throughout the agency that will respond to

changes and developments inside and outside the organization.   Provide
internal and external customers with information about blindness and the
progress

of the Commission on demand.

6.  OUTREACH, INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS: To better serve the citizens
of Michigan, strive to increase awareness of the agency statewide, improve
outreach

efforts in the communities, and enhance communication between MCB, its
customers, and community partners.

A.     Monitor increased visibility throughout the years as the state uses a
variety of methods such as new brochures, videos, speaking events, and the

Agency's 25th year anniversary celebrations to increase awareness.

B.  Increase MCB's accessibility through a variety of methods, such as an
easy-to-find phone number and continuous improvement of the MCB website and
other

communication strategies.

C.  Share "success stories" to demonstrate the accomplishments of people who
are blind so that employers and others will learn what a person who is blind

can achieve.

VISION AND VALUES

When this Strategic Plan is fully implemented, MCB customers, partners,
stakeholders and staff may be closer to realizing a vision that is shared by
many.

 This vision, first expressed by Director Patrick Cannon to the MCB staff in
1998, states that:  "Someday it will be said that if a person is going to

be blind, she/he could not be in a better place than Michigan. Someday our
state will be such a place because (1) Michigan's education and
rehabilitation

systems believe fully in the capacity of blind persons to achieve
independence and provides the finest array of education and rehabilitation
services in

the country, (2) blind persons in Michigan believe in themselves, (3) the
general public has a positive image of blind persons and their capabilities,

and (4) the state's employer community demonstrates its belief in the
capabilities of blind persons."  This is a corollary to Governor Granholm's
vision.

Governor Granholm's vision is to create a Michigan that is:

.         A positive and healthy high-technology state that is good for
people in jobs

.         A Michigan that is able to attract the most creative and energetic
individuals

.         A state with cool cities that offer the most livable and diverse
communities in America

The Governor challenges all leaders when she says:  "The

most important leaders in any organization are those who create

the culture of integrity, creativity, excellence, respect, inclusion,

and engagement."

Michigan Business One Stop
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