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April 08, 2005
Ground Rules: What I learned in Kindergarten
Mr. Alan Mullaly, the President of Boeing Commercial Aircraft used to be the General Manager of 777 project in mid-90s while I was working as a consultant to develop senior executive development program. He used to operate his weekly project review meetings by a set of guidelines or ground rules every week. He is an inspirational person and I admire his passion, energy and how he brought his leadership skills wherever he want. Here is a small story of how Mullaly helped his kindergarden kid and his friends to create a set of ground rules in their class.
Mullaly's son goes to Mrs. deKlaver's class and one day Mullaly was asked to present to these kindergarten kids about what he does at work. He talked about his work and brought in the concept of ground rules and their importance and encouraged them to create their own ground rules. These are the ground rules they composed and everyday Mrs. deKlaver went through them for a while, I was told.
I believe that it is extremely important to create structures that work. Many of us react strongly to structures and most of the times it is negatively. Structures have an inherent value to organizations and meetings but many times people feel that they create walls around who we are. The reason I like ground rules and principles are that they provide grounding and make the foundation solid. That way, there is safety and security for everyone involved.
Wouldn't it be nice if we can create some such rules and read them every day and follow them in our work and home?
Look at the rules below and let me know what rules you want to create and follow� please also let me know other rules that you liked and that work for you. Use the comments section to input them�
What I learned in Kindergarten
Our message to the World
Composed by,
Mrs. deKlaver's Kindergarten kids 1993-1994
1. Love yourself.
2. It's okay to make mistakes ~ That's how we learn ~Plus, Mrs. deKlaver makes them all the time!
3. Give and get at least 4 Hugs a Day
4. Be Crazy and Silly ~ It's wild fun
5. Share
6. Laugh Alot! It feels great
7. Hug an Animal
8. Give at least 20 warm fuzzies a Day
9. Always remember that cold prickles are very freezing
10. Try your best for you ~ not for anyone else
11. It's what's inside that counts ~ not for anyone else
12. Keep our Earth clean
13. Smile ~ it's catching
14. Cheer sad people up
15. Don't forget snack time
16. Make Friends
17. Try new projects- They are awesome
18. Be thankful for what you have
19. Think
20. Watch out for your buddies at recess
21. Dance Alot ~ even sitting down
22. Talk about your feelings
23. A warm fuzzy is like a pillow or a blanket. It feels very soft and fluffy
24. Remember that everyone is special
25. You don't have to be perfect
26. Imagine Impossible things that you couldn't do ~like flying. That's neat
27. Be Nice
28. Dream ~ Good ones
29. Tell someone you like their new hair-do
30. Take your time ~ don't hurry
31. Sing some really cool songs
32. Build a city out of Blocks
33. Tell someone with your eyes and your voice and your words if you get a cold prickly. Use their name. They will probably say they are sorry
34. Try a Hula Hoop
35. Read a book or have your Mom or Dad or Teacher read one to you
36. End each day with a "Happy Thought."
I tried to type it in just as they wrote it down. Would you like to try to create your own ground rules for your family, work group or community?
Send me some of your favorite rules that would make life easier for you and others.
Posted by pkaipa at April 8, 2005 11:57 AM
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