{"id":3131,"date":"2011-07-12T02:51:43","date_gmt":"2011-07-12T02:51:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pepyempoweringyouth.org\/sharing-pepy-methodology-the-dream-manager-program\/"},"modified":"2011-07-12T02:51:43","modified_gmt":"2011-07-12T02:51:43","slug":"sharing-pepy-methodology-the-dream-manager-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pepyempoweringyouth.org\/sharing-pepy-methodology-the-dream-manager-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharing PEPY Methodology: The Dream Manager Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tby Jacqueline Kronk<\/p>\n

\n\t\"Dream
\n\tPEPY staff intensely pursue their goals as Vey, our Dream Manager, cheers them on!
\n\tPhoto credit: Chris Lewis<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\tOne of the things we believe at PEPY is that sustainability, if taken seriously, should not only inform the way we run our programs—it should also impact how we manage our employees. It's unsustainable to buy staff satisfaction with higher and higher salaries. Money isn't the solution to everything. We need to find other ways to make sure PEPY staff are thrilled to be a part of our team, and because we work in a developing country and our mission centers around education, we think that while our staff members are achieving goals at work, they should also be fostering and furthering their dreams in other areas of their life.<\/p>\n

\n\tLuckily, a roadmap for how to put this concept into practice already exists. Matthew Kelly wrote a book called The Dream Manager<\/a>, in which he makes the business case for reducing turnover and increasing productivity by helping employees set and accomplish goals in their personal lives. He holds that when employees start reaching their personal goals and accomplishing their dreams in their own lives, they start performing better at work. They stay longer and love their jobs more. The book isn't aimed at NGOs—it's simply an approach to better business. The idea is that companies who practice the Dream Manager concept will reap the benefits of developing a committed and enthusiastic workforce.<\/p>\n

\n\tAt PEPY, where we view education as the key to change in the world and in our own lives, we have long since been committed to supporting the educational dreams of our staff members by offering all full-time staff scholarships to university and job development trainings<\/a>. We decided that a "Dream Manager" approach was not only an excuse to give a staff member a very cool title, but also a way to expand our personal development approach at PEPY. We hired a staff member whose job it is, among other things, to meet with all employees on a regular basis and help them define and pursue goals in the following areas (adapted from Kelly's book):<\/p>\n