5 Management Lessons Learned at the Zimmer Children’s Museum

Originally publishedon www.cnmsocal.org.

I recently went to the Zimmer Children’s Museum to visit Belinda Vong, Associate Director of Play and Learning. While I was there, I saw lots of cool things for kids to do, but I also took away a few management lessons.

You leave a lasting impression.
One of the exhibits at the museum asks you to stand up against a wall. You press a button, there’s a flash, and voila – your shadow is captured on the wall! Kids mush themselves into all sorts of crazy shapes. (Ok, not just kids, Belinda and I tried it too.)

We nonprofit folks do important work, and we often get so focused on the mission that we don’t think about our management style and how we might be affecting others. Think about the shadow you are casting on your staff and colleagues. Is it one you want to stick?

Tikkun Olam is a message that all board members should learn.
While the Zimmer has roots in Jewish foundation, as it is also housed in the Jewish Federation building on Wilshire, the values that the museum hopes to teach young children and families are universal – compassion, respect, community, social responsibility, cultural appreciation and awareness, and more. One exhibit that promotes these values is the Giant Tzedakah Pinball that teaches the idea of Tikkun Olam – sharing your time, talent, and treasure to the world.

Anyone who sits on a board should take this message to heart. I wish I could take credit for this insight, but it was Belinda who said, “For an organization, we hope that members of the board can offer in some way, their time, talent and/or treasure to the organization” as she showed me the dollar, mirror, and clock that adorn the machine.

Lead by example.
Zimmer’s Water Ways exhibit allows children to splash around a bit. This shallow tub of water has mini water fountains in it and a slew of colorful tubes that kids can connect together to direct the water. On one side of the tub, kids who might have a little more dexterity and comprehension can engineer more sophisticated pipe systems, and the other side, younger kids can splash around!

The idea of keeping the tub as one exhibit, instead of dividing it up and placing it into age-specific sections, is a good one for executives that are looking to build up leadership within their organization. Keep emerging leaders around, show them how things work, and keep things transparent. They will make it to the other side of the table before you know it.

You can learn quickly in a controlled environment.
The Zimmer has a variety of real-life vehicles that kids can poke and prod, including an ambulance. Surfaces inside have been padded and there are buttons that light up. Kids can run amok inside without doing too much damage. Directly outside is a doctor’s table, an x-ray machine and other fun kid-versions of medical supplies. While they are having fun, they can learn about the body and health, and may even become interested in medicine.

When you are allowed to make mistakes and are supported through these mistakes, you learn much faster. Give your emerging leaders safe places to step out and try something new and help them learn from any missteps they make.

It’s important to play.
No one likes to be boring and no one likes to be bored. Don’t forget to have fun – with your board, with your staff, and in all the things you do.

Special thanks to Belinda and the Zimmer Children’s Museum for letting me visit. If you are interested in visiting, you can find information about that here.