There is a general consensus amongst young adults that returning to Anguilla after completing University or traveling abroad somehow limits your options and opportunities for growth.
I guess I was defying the odds when I came home in August and, after living in the United States for almost ten years, made the decision to split my time moving forward equally between Anguilla and the U.S.A/rest of the world.
Personally, I have always viewed the Caribbean and by extension Anguilla, as a place of opportunity for growth and development. I started my company DREAMSUPREME Media Group a few years ago while I was still completing my studies as an accounting and marketing major at the University of Houston. This year at DREAMSUPREME, we solidified our focus to creating solutions that use technology and communications systems to facilitate GROWTH (economic, social, cultural, educational) and TRADE throughout the Caribbean Region.
I’ve always had a passion for reading and learning, and in January of 2013 I made a commitment to reading 2-3 books per month. I wanted to really grow and expand my mind on a wide variety of topics. Earlier this year I read a book called DRIVE by Daniel H. Pink. This book absolutely changed my life. It gave me the courage at 24 years old to go all in and give my all to pursuing my dream of running a successful business that helped people and gave back to the community that serves us. The book really got me thinking and researching, it completely reshaped my warped view of what success really was.
From my readings and my general disposition I created the Employee Motivation Program DRIVEN. My observation of customer service in the private sector and public service alike made me ask some important questions. Questions like, why are employees so dispassionate and unmotivated? Why is the bare minimum perceived as more than enough? Tourism aside, the success of any country, business, project, is contingent on your ability to effectively communicate a positive VIBE with the people you interact with.
Our program DRIVEN focuses on the theory of DRIVE. It suggests that human beings are inspired, not by financial and material gains only, but rather by fulfilling their intrinsic need to create, their need to master a task, their need to have autonomy(control) over their life; their need to live out their own passions and dreams.
While employees may not have a checklist of their needs and how they are being met, these are intrinsic to human beings. It is important for the organization to understand the needs of their employees and create an environment and culture in which those needs are met within reason. Helping employees to meet those intrinsic needs/desires is motivation for them to give back and produce at a higher level.
The overall objective of this program is to boost employee moral, productivity and company profitability by:
Building detailed profiles of your employees: (their likes. dislikes. grievances with the organization)
Identifying the motivations of your employees.
Identifying ways in which their intrinsic desires can be fulfilled within the organization.
Helping employees to capture the vision of the organization and internalize and personalize that vision.
In its most rudimentary description, DRIVEN is about the employer taking the initiative to say, “Hey, I care about you, it’s not just about me and mines. You matter too. Tell about yourself and how I can help you achieve what it is you desire”. Relationships in every facet of life are places you should go to give. This extends not just to the employee coming in and giving their best effort, but also to the employer giving back things like RESPECT and COMMUNICATION. Life in itself extends beyond the DOLLAR; Driven goes beyond the dollar.
On December 3rd we officially Launched DRIVEN as a part of the 2013 Tourism Week. At DreamSupreme our mission (the mission statement) is to CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR OTHERS TO LIVE THEIR DREAMS, whatever those dreams may be. I chose this as our universal company motto/mission because of my gratitude and how I could truly relate to that sentiment. In Anguilla and everywhere I go in the world there have been incredible people that have come into my life and showered me with love and confidence. They have facilitated every dream I have ever dreamed and to them I am eternally grateful. Particularly folks like my parents Donna and Bankie, my cousin Geordie, my brothers and sisters (hey serena!),my aunts and uncles, my cousins and my friends.
On this project in particular I would like to extend thanks to Mrs. Candis Niles of the Anguilla Tourist Board for giving me the opportunity to present this program to employees of the ATB, Immigration, Social Security, AASPA & Sunset Villas. As a young entrepreneur, opportunities like this really help to propel myself and my company to realize our dream of helping others to realize their dreams. I’d also like to thank Ms. Brenda Gumbs for all her support every step of the way, right up to when I gave my opening remarks.
From it’s conception, Driven was created to be a fun program that allowed employees to express themselves, their concerns, build teamwork and have a blast while doing it all. At the beginning of the program I always give the disclaimer that I am by no means a trained psychiatrist but rather I possess the ability to communicate well with people and facilitate free and open communication amongst groups. More than anything else I LOVE TO HAVE FUN and I think that energy is very important to meet the programs’ goals.
At the end of the 7 Hour program I asked participants to submit anonymous reviews about what I could do to improve. Below are some of things they had to say:
“Motivating Program. Interactive & Brings out Communication Skills”
“Very Helpful”
“Great Programme…..should be done with more organizations”
“Programme helps you to look at life positively and helps you to grasp all of life’s opportunities”
“Great Program. Should be done by the bosses as well”
“Well put together….effectively beneficial to all that attended”
“Everyone was able to express their views”
“Very educational”
“It reinforced the importance of communication”
“Enlightening”
“One of the best training courses I have ever attended”
“You are an inspiration to society. I wouldn’t change anything about this program”
“Opened doors about more progressive ways of thinking to achieve my goals”
“….It addressed real life scenarios and experiences in the work place”
DRIVEN is one of those things in life that just come to you spontaneously. Unlike some of my other projects, Driven was not a year of brainstorming and indecision. It came about organically from my natural passion to help people. I’m excited about the opportunity to deliver the Driven Program across the entire Public Service, Private Sector and Schools here in Anguilla and across the region, eventually the world. I want people to feel good about themselves, feel some level of control over their destiny, their life. Passion is directly related to productivity. When people are passionate about their lives, that energy, that passion, is injected into everything they do. A more passionate society is a more productive society. The world itself has placed a lot of pressure and limitations on young people and older folks alike. There is this status quo for what success is. That status quo has left a lot of people feeling unmotivated and dispassionate because of the reality that we are not all alike, we are unique beings and it is unrealistic to measure your individual success by that of another man. At DreamSupreme we’ve removed those limitations. Success to us, is essentially happiness, and we believe that that happiness is found in the freedom to live YOUR dreams. Get DRIVEN: Explore your life without limits.
Tahirah K-A Banks
Entrepreneur/Artist
ww.idreamsupreme.com
