To understand Hoi you first need to get yourself some stroopwafels to go with your coffee
On Sat, Feb 11, 2017 at 9:50 AM, Anna Stillwell <[email protected]> wrote: > On Fri, Feb 10, 2017 at 11:52 PM, Gerard Meijssen < > [email protected] > > wrote: > > > Hoi, > > Anna I absolutely loved what you write. > > > Gerard, I'm feeling the love, dude. > (A fellow co-worker and I were talking the other day and she said that she > even calls inanimate objects dude. I deeply resonated. So "dude" for us is > not a gendered pronoun.) > > > > It is very much uplifting to see > > that you want to move forward and want to do this based on the facts on > > the ground > > > Yes. Keep in mind that *we will make mistakes*. A lot of them. I promise > you. I'm probably making one right now. > > > > and not so much on our convoluted history that is spread out so much that > > even someone like me who has been involved for the longest time has given > > up on yesterdays arguments. > > > > I agree with this statement. We need to build relationships for the future. > > And, "Rogol" wasn't talking about the past. He was inquiring about a > product roadmap, which is all about the future. And his questions were > fair. > > > > > Some will say but.. but ... and from their position they may be right. > They > > forget that there are over 280 languages, more in the pipe line and even > > more projects and as it is we do not consider this at all. English > > Wikipedia is less than 50% and as Asaf said in a recent presentation less > > than 50% of the people in this world have English as a first or second > > language. Arguments from the past mean that the diversity we are is less > > important than the incumbency of the present talking heads. > > > > Yes. Think of all of the places we could go and things we could do. > Remember to offer your important ideas in the movement strategy > conversation. It's about a strategic direction, a theme for the next 15 > years. A general layer of meaning that sits right below the vision and > describes the theme of the next 15 years. Might that not help coalesce our > efforts? > > > > > When arguments are based in the past, the reality check if the arguments > > still fit the present is typically left out. When arguments are of high > > quality, they should still convince and do not need to consider their > > legacy. > > > > I often forget to reality check if an argument still fits. Good reminder > for me. It would be so much easier if reality would just let us make up our > minds once and for all. lol. > > > Thanks, > > GerardM > > > > p.s. I know this may sound really ignorant, but what does "Hoi" mean? > That's how you've started every email that I can ever remember. > > > > On 11 February 2017 at 02:34, Anna Stillwell <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > > > On Sun, Feb 5, 2017 at 10:03 AM, Rogol Domedonfors < > > [email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > > > Anna, > > > > > > > > > > > > > As you may have noticed, threaded discussions become difficult for > me > > > to > > > > > visually navigate after a while. Thus, the color. > > > > > > > > > > > > > Sorry, colour doesn't come through on the mailing list. > > > > > > > > > > Thank you for explaining that. I appreciate you teaching me the rules. > > > After I posted, I also had a number of wiki elves simultaneously ping > me > > on > > > a number of different channels to let me know the very same thing. A > > bunch > > > of gardeners just tending to the commons. It was delightful. It felt > like > > > an entrance into a different world. I was wondering when the hobbits > > would > > > show up with second breakfast and above all: ale. I want some ale. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Call me naive, but I’m excited by the prospect of the movement > > strategy > > > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017 > >. > > I > > > > know > > > > > that many other things will need to happen to arrive at the state > > that > > > > you > > > > > speak of, but thinking together at that scale is likely a good > start > > in > > > > my > > > > > mind. It might even be a necessary but insufficient pre-requisite > > for > > > > the > > > > > kind of collaboration you speak of. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Let us hope that it does what is both necessary and sufficient. > > > > > > > > > > Yes. > > > > > > Sometimes I wonder if hope isn’t at the base of it all. Perhaps hope is > > > necessary but certainly not sufficient for it all to transpire. Hope is > > not > > > a strategy. But maybe it's a foundation. > > > > > > Besides, I could use some. Hope, that is. It’s looking bleak out there. > > > It’s tough to wake up in the middle of your life and realize that it > > looks > > > like most of the world thinks a regression back to nationalism and > > > censorship and white, straight power is a good idea. Not as tough as > > > needing knowledge and food and health every single day and not having > > > access to it, but tough in a Maslow’s-hierarchy-kinda-way. There is so > > > much work to do on so many fronts. > > > > > > I wake up thinking about and feeling unsure about the future. > > > > > > > > > > > The current notion being instantiated in the proposed Technical > > > > guidelines > > > > > > is very much about a wise and benevolent Foundation steering its > > > ideas > > > > > > through a reluctant community. That is frankly insufficient. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Would you direct me to those Technical guidelines? I don’t know the > > > > > reference and I should. > > > > > > > > > > > > > They are at https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Technical_Collaboration_ > > > > Guidance > > > > which is currently under discussion. This appears to be a successor > > > > project to https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/WMF_product_development_ > > > > process/Communities which is described as stalled. > > > > > > > > > > Thank you. I have not yet read these because I spent a lot of time this > > > week clarifying Joady’s and my role with KM and JL. We all wanted > clarity > > > on which problems we were solving and which ones we were not. My JD is > at > > > the end of the email if you would like that clarity as well. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Maybe not. But if it could strike a deeper cord around > > > transparency, > > > > I > > > > > > > wanted to show up for that conversation. Talk openly. Let > people > > > know > > > > > > that > > > > > > > we are listening, that we believe in transparency… that’s why > we > > > all > > > > > > fought > > > > > > > for it. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To be clear, I have no sense whether it did strike a cord > around > > > > > > > transparency, but I enjoyed the conversation nevertheless. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > My experience of the Foundations notion of Transparency has been > > > patchy > > > > > at > > > > > > lest -- and that's a polite way of saying breathtakingly awful. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > That good? All jokes aside, I take this very seriously. I’d like to > > > hear > > > > > your notion of transparency, but first I’ll offer this one that I > > > > recently > > > > > heard because I have the sense that it will resonate with you. > We're > > in > > > > the > > > > > final stages of an org-wide conversation on our values > > > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Values/2016_discussion/Framing>. > We > > > > > invited some current and former community-selected board members as > > > well > > > > as > > > > > volunteers beyond the board to these conversations. I enjoyed them > > > very > > > > > much. > > > > > > > > > > Normally, I would attribute this quote, but these conversations > were > > > > > anonymized, so I don’t have permission to reveal my brilliant > source. > > > > They > > > > > talked about how transparency was likely not the right word for > what > > > they > > > > > really wanted. They wanted a way to join in. They wanted to know > > where > > > > they > > > > > could plug in. Is that a notion of “maybe more than transparency" > > that > > > > > resonates with you? > > > > > > > > > > That’s the problem that I’m chewing on. And so your ideas around > > > > > collaboration are interesting to me. So I’m thinking about them. > What > > > > they > > > > > would mean, how it could be done, the myriad of constraints that > make > > > it > > > > > seem quite difficult to orchestrate. > > > > > > > > > > > > > The difference between Transparency and Engagement is indeed what I > > have > > > > been concerned about. But genuine engagement cannot take place on a > > > basis > > > > of asymmetric access to information. So transparency seems to be the > > > > prerequisite > > > > > > > > Cool. I think we’re thinking in some similar directions. It seems > like > > > we're interested in similar problems. I still don’t know what to do > about > > > it. It's not as easy as it looks, but it definitely looks like that is > > the > > > direction we should go in. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > What has changed in the last fortnight to make me expect that it > > will > > > > be > > > > > > different this year? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Look, if there’s one thing I think I’ve learned throughout my > career, > > > > it’s > > > > > all of the things that could go wrong. Sometimes it feels like > that’s > > > > all I > > > > > have to offer: what not to do. > > > > > > > > > > I also don’t think grand pronouncements are the way to go. So I’d > be > > > > happy > > > > > to explain some of the things that I do think have changed, as long > > as > > > > you > > > > > know I’m not trying to convince you of anything. I’m just > > legitimately > > > > > answering your question from my partial point of view. > > > > > > > > > > Leadership has changed. I see more people internally looking to > > involve > > > > > relevant stakeholders in their work (New Readers and ORES come to > > > mind). > > > > > I’m also hopeful about the movement strategy process. It looks > like a > > > > good > > > > > faith effort on everyone’s part to come together and discuss the > > future > > > > in > > > > > open, inclusive, documented discourse > > > > > <https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Strategy/Wikimedia_movement/2017 > >. > > > > > > > > > > I see progress, not perfection. > > > > > > > > > > > > > I see confusion. In the last fortnight was a reference to the ED's > > > public > > > > pronouncement that she thought it waste of her time to engage with > > people > > > > like me directly on her Meta talk page. Her predecessor had not > > thought > > > > that. > > > > > > > > > > I don't have time to investigate this statement and work to piece > > together > > > what happened, and since I don't have that time, I will not comment in > > any > > > way on this particular instance. > > > > > > Generally, I am thinking about community service training across the > > > organization. I would love your help with that. I can do little about > the > > > past. I can address the future. To properly address the future, ad hoc > > and > > > particular solution sets won't suffice. We'll need coherent and general > > > solution sets, with enough particulars to keep the solution set honest. > > > > > > > > > > > > > In the middle ground, there is the > > > > > > > > issue of the current product roadmap and its delivery. > Perhaps > > > an > > > > > > > > indication of what that roadmap is may help to refine and > > revise > > > > the > > > > > > plan > > > > > > > > that will have to be drawn up for executing the work that is > > left > > > > > > hanging > > > > > > > > by these events. > > > > > [...] > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I don’t have enough information. > > > > > > > > > > [...] > > > > > > > > > > > > Is any of those close to the truth, do you think? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > I do not know. > > > > > > > > > > > > > I want to be polite here. > > > > > > > > > We're cool. > > > > > > > > > > It is very unusual for an organisation like the > > > > WMF not to have the sort of Roadmap that I describe, > > > > > > > > > I didn’t say that we didn’t have a Roadmap. I said that I did not > know. > > > > > > > > > > and extraordinarily unusual that a person at your level in the > > > > organisation should not know of its existence and be able to confirm > at > > > > least whether or not it exists. > > > > > > > > > Agreed. > > > > > > One caveat: I am a Director in Talent and Culture. Please allow me to > > > explain. You may have noticed we’ve had some talent and culture > > challenges > > > as of late. I’m sure you can imagine how those challenges could keep me > > > (one of two senior leaders in a department of 10, 5 of whom are solely > > > dedicated to recruiting and 1 dedicated solely to employee benefits), > > > relatively busy. Although I agree with you in principle, I’m just > asking > > > you to see how under those circumstances it could make sense that a > > > Director in T&C might not be up to date on what is going on relative to > > > Product Roadmaps. > > > > > > However, I am here now. > > > > > > > > > > You must be aware that your answer suggests at a bare minimum the > > > > possibility that you, as an officer of the WMF, are evading the > > question. > > > > > > > > > > That possibility genuinely never occurred to me. Evading the > > > question? Quite the contrary, Rogol. I have answered in the most > exposing > > > and real way possible. I have said, "I don’t know", on a public mailing > > > list. Talk about a total lack of spin! I think that is in the > > > Wharton-Business-School > > > <http://executiveeducation.wharton.upenn.edu/for-individuals?gclid= > > > CMGp9YTnhtICFURqfgod_AYI_g&slx=NAM_BRAND&ef_id=WFbx6wAAAN1GRt7g: > > > 20170211003858:s>-what-not-to-do > > > manual... admit that you don't know something in public. > > > > > > To be any more transparent, I would have to wear a body cam. I trust > the > > > NSA is working on it. > > > > > > If I may be so bold, it seems that your interpretation of my words > lacks > > > even basic faith. It seems to be the penultimate worst possible > > > interpretation (the worst being lying, the second... evading). > > > > > > But your nearly automatic interpretation may point to a deeper issue. I > > > hear you saying that you don't take me at my word. That you may not > take > > us > > > at our word. And I imagine that we have done some things to earn your > > > distrust. I hear you. > > > > > > But I assure you that I am telling you the truth now: I do not know. > > > > > > I work to identify general problems. Once identified, I seek to > > understand > > > which problems are my most important problems. I don't think in terms > of > > > priorities. I think about my most important problems because the > wording > > > helps me get to and stick to the heart of it. > > > > > > Then I like to debate my most important problems because someone could > > see > > > information that I can't. Why those problems? What is the rationale? > > > Potentially > > > I revise my most important problems based on input or reading or > speaking > > > to other knowledgeable people. > > > > > > Then I decide which problems I am going to work to solve. Then I think > > > about the best way to solve them. Then I try to imagine all of the > things > > > that could wrong. Then I remember that no plan survives its first > > > engagement with reality and that I have to get started experimenting. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > You've helped me see some new possibilities for how we might > > organize. > > > > > Thank you. > > > > > > > > > > > > Thank you, > > > > > > > > "Rogol" > > > > > > > > > > Ok. How do you pronounce your fictitious name? I asked around, “Hey, > how > > do > > > you pronounce Rogol’s fictitious name”? Everyone pronounced it > > differently. > > > Some had a hard g. Some had a soft one. Some placed emphasis on the > first > > > syllable. Some on the second. > > > > > > I couldn’t stop laughing. I said to them, “But he’s made up…. how can > you > > > be *so sure*?” > > > > > > It made me want a fictitious title for myself that no one could > > pronounce. > > > Perhaps that’s why my new title, which someone else came up with, > sounded > > > so fun to me: it’s a fictitious title that almost no one can pronounce. > > For > > > example, when I first said it to Guillaume, he winced at my > > pronunciation. > > > He tried not to. He really did. He put in a good faith effort. > > > > > > But that made me wonder, does Rogol even know how to pronounce his > > > fictitious name? > > > > > > > > > THE JD > > > > > > Chargé d’Affaires > > > > > > Collaboratively build a culture and organization for the future. > > > > > > - > > > > > > In partnership with the executive team, think and act in service of > > > talent and culture needs for the future of our projects and movement > > > (e.g., forecast future talent needs—individual and collective > > > competencies). > > > - > > > > > > Co-design (with Joady) the vision and execute a leading-edge, > > > comprehensive talent management strategy. > > > - > > > > > > Co-define and co-execute (with Joady) a coherent, inclusive > philosophy > > > across the employee lifecycle. > > > - > > > > > > Champion our values, embed them throughout the employee lifecycle. > > > - > > > > > > Champion special projects and ideas worthy of support. > > > - > > > > > > Represent culture and organizational design at executive team. > > > > > > > > > Collaboratively recruit high-level roles for the future: > > > Board of Trustees, Endowment Board, executives, and special projects. > > > > > > > > > Engage leaders in their own development: > > > > > > - > > > > > > Roll out a leadership framework, a central architecture of > > > accountabilities at different levels of leadership throughout the > > > organization, sync JDs. > > > - > > > > > > Drive and evolve our cutting-edge leadership program. > > > - > > > > > > Drive adoption of our leadership practices. > > > - > > > > > > Develop, drive, and evolve manager training (hiring, orienting, > > > performance management, development, succession planning). > > > - > > > > > > Drive adoption of management practices. > > > - > > > > > > Lead the people side of succession planning. > > > - > > > > > > Manage and evolve cultural orientation. > > > > > > > > > Be an ambassador (Charge d’Affaires) > > > > > > > > > - > > > > > > Make WMF a creative, generative, well-regarded culture to work > within. > > > - > > > > > > Develop and represent the public profile of the Wikimedia Foundation > > as > > > an employer and culture leader, including writing, external > > networking, > > > and > > > representing the foundation at public engagements. > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/ > mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." - > Margaret > > > Fuller > > > > > > Anna Stillwell > > > Chargée d’Affaires / VP > > > Wikimedia Foundation > > > 415.806.1536 > > > *www.wikimediafoundation.org <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>* > > > _______________________________________________ > > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > > New messages to: [email protected] > > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > > wiki/Wikimedia-l > > New messages to: [email protected] > > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> > > > > > > -- > "If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it." - Margaret > Fuller > > Anna Stillwell > Chargée d’Affaires / VP > Wikimedia Foundation > 415.806.1536 > *www.wikimediafoundation.org <http://www.wikimediafoundation.org>* > _______________________________________________ > Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/ > wiki/Wikimedia-l > New messages to: [email protected] > Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, > <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe> _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l New messages to: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, <mailto:[email protected]?subject=unsubscribe>
