I agree with what Pine said -- it's worthwhile to consider keeping a record
of these conversations, at minimum for staff reference, even if making them
all public is not desirable.

Further to that point, I have found in many instances, involving a skilled
professional facilitator or mediator, who has no stake in the outcome, can
be an incredibly helpful in getting the maximum benefit from difficult
discussions. I hope that the WMF has considered hiring such a person for
Jimmy's visit, and to address any number of other aspects of the present
challenges.

-Pete
[[User:Peteforsyth]]

On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 3:58 PM, Pine W <wiki.p...@gmail.com> wrote:

> If I may make an even bolder proposal: these chats with Brion and Jimmy can
> be, with the consent of everyone involved in each particular meeting,
> video-recorded. Asking for the videos to be posted in public might be a
> step that's too uncomfortable for some people (although I think that the
> transparency would be refreshing and in the long run I would like WMF to
> exercise this degree of transparency), but I at least hope that the videos
> could be widely accessible inside of WMF.  I think that the videos would be
> instructive for the interim executive director, Human Resources, and other
> Board members to see, and might be helpful in discussing lessons learned
> and opportunities for organizational development.
>
> Pine
>
> On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 3:29 PM, Oliver Keyes <ironho...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Feb 26, 2016 at 3:00 PM, Jimmy Wales <jimmywa...@ymail.com>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I can't speak for Lila, nor should I try.  But I know that for people
> > > new to our world, it's really quite confusing.  You hear a lot of
> voices
> > > and if you've been around for long enough, you get to know which ones
> > > are important and which ones are going to complain no matter what, with
> > > little substance.  If you listen to those who are going to complain no
> > > matter what, you can end up fearful and burned by communication.  If
> you
> > > don't listen to those who are only going to complain when it matters,
> > > you'll miss important things.  Knowing the difference is... well...
> > > ambiguous even in the best of times.
> > >
> > > So to go back to your question - what can be gained from my visit to
> San
> > > Francisco... it's only for a few days, but it will be followed by more
> > > visits in the coming months.  And part of what I want to do is get a
> > > better understanding of the specific concerns that serious people have,
> > > so that I can be more helpful to whoever ends up being the interim ED,
> > > and whoever ends up being our next permanent ED.
> >
> >
> > Jimmy,
> >
> > A word of advice on language (from me, of all people. Yes, I know;
> > stopped clocks and all that).
> >
> > A substantial number of staff at the Foundation have spent the last
> > few months in utter, miserable hell. Not in an abstract way, not
> > watching it from the sidelines (I've spent kind of a lot of time
> > wishing I was a volunteer in the last 6 months :/) but on a 9 to 5
> > basis, going into a space that has been deeply unpleasant, for the
> > sake of the mission. Part of this unpleasantness - a small part of the
> > problem, but a uniquely insidious and damaging part - was a refusal to
> > give more than lip-service to the concerns of some employees. Indeed,
> > some employees were actively warned, or prohibited from speaking, due
> > to how they chose to raise concerns;[0][1] And in the end, increasing
> > transparency revealed that the concerns of "disruptive" employees or
> > "chronic complainers" were eminently justified.
> >
> > When I hear language about "ignoring those who are going to complain
> > no matter what" and, in an email premised on visiting and spending
> > time with staff, a distinction between the pool of people you'll be
> > talking to and the "serious people", with an implication that only the
> > concerns of the "serious people" will be taken, well, seriously, that
> > worries me. It feels a lot like what we're coming out of. It feels
> > like it will be a hindrance to progressing beyond this awful
> > situation.
> >
> > I appreciate this is almost certainly not what you were trying to
> > communicate - indeed , I fully expect you'll come back confirming that
> > it wasn't. But it's best to be aware of the language you chose to use,
> > within the context of what staff have been going through since 2015. I
> > of all people know that how you choose to contextualise a situation
> > with your words has profound implications for how people approach you
> > and the treatment you receive. It's best to avoid unintentional
> > ambiguities or implications. When you use language that implies some
> > people or their concerns are worth ignoring, it's going to resonate
> > very strongly with the dividing tactics recently found at the
> > Foundation: where some people found their worries and issues - which
> > were totally legitimate - dismissed.
> >
> > (As an aside from all of that, I entirely support Asaf's point about
> > group meetings, with note-taking. I think it's good to have a record
> > we can check what Everyone Knows against. Avoids FUD,[2] and at this
> > critical time, increases transparency.)
> >
> > [0]
> >
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User_talk:LilaTretikov_%28WMF%29&diff=prev&oldid=15301332
> > [1] No, I was not one of them)
> > [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> > https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> > New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> > <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
> >
> _______________________________________________
> Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at:
> https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
> New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
> Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l,
> <mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>
>
_______________________________________________
Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: 
https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines
New messages to: Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org
Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, 
<mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe>

Reply via email to