Smart Dubai has launched a ‘Train the Trainers’ course for its Happiness Champions on FuelBox, with the initiative conducted in collaboration with FuelBox founding company, Fuel It AS. Utilising the FuelBox tool, which is used to strengthen people’s relationships and create better conversations, the training course took place at the Smart Dubai Office on Monday, June 24, 2019.
‘Train the Trainers’ followed the Smart Dubai initiative from November 2018, which saw a tailor-made training programme titled ‘Designing Cities’ held for its Happiness Champions in Copenhagen. The intensive five-day course included several visits to leading smart technology companies involved in citizen happiness, wellbeing, and design thinking. During the community engagement session, the Happiness Champions used FuelBox to engage with Danish citizens.
In collaboration with Fuel It AS, Smart Dubai developed a tailor-made version of two types of FuelBox titled ‘Team’ box and ‘Leadership’ box respectively. The two versions were translated into Arabic and supported with an additional set of questions around ‘happiness’ and ‘tolerance’ to accommodate Dubai’s and the UAE’s vision of embracing these two values within the community.
The training course sought to introduce the tailor-made versions of FuelBox to the Happiness Champions, with CEO of Fuel It AS facilitating the workshops. The seminar focused on how to best utilise and implement the tool in the Happiness Champions’ organisations and stimulate deeper, more meaningful conversations among leaders and members within their teams. The idea was to prepare the Happiness Champions to be able to train others in their organisation on the use of the tool and promote collaborative thinking and brainstorming. To date, Smart Dubai has certified 30 Happiness Champions as official FuelBox Tool Trainers, in partnership with Fuel It AS.
As a result of a recent Happiness Agenda MoU collaboration between Smart Dubai and the Ajman Government, Smart Dubai has also certified an official trainer from each of seven Ajman government entities as FuelBox trainers.
FuelBox is designed to engage leaders and teams in sharing their stories, knowledge, experience, and ideas with each other in order to develop themselves, their teams, and their organisations. It consists of a collection of carefully constructed questions – printed on cue cards and placed in a box – that serve to steer conversations and help team members better express themselves in meetings and discussions.
Smart Dubai’s Director General, Her Excellency Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, said: “Smart Dubai is the government entity tasked with transforming Dubai into the happiest and smartest city in the world. Our wise leadership has long championed collaboration among all stakeholders in the private and public sectors as the key to accomplishing these aspirations. With this in mind, Smart Dubai fully understands the value of communication - we are always open to new and creative ways to foster better connections, both internally and with our partners.”
“FuelBox is a powerful, game-changing tool offering a blueprint that stimulates and steers constructive conversations among leaders and teams,” H.E. Dr Aisha added. “In creating our local version of FuelBox, we were committed to adapting and customising the content to the UAE’s vision, values, and aspirations. We therefore introduced themes such as happiness, which is our main objective at Smart Dubai and a primary goal of our wise leadership, as well as tolerance, which has become a central theme and key value in the emirates, with 2019 designated as the Year of Tolerance.”
‘FuelBox Leadership’ is a tool to develop and strengthen leaders and leadership skills in an organisation. This version of FuelBox is designed to promote reflection and conversations that challenge managers’ personal leadership skills, as well as the leadership structure in an organisation. Questions are grouped under nine categories: Vision, Values, and Culture; Strategic Leadership; Personal Leadership; Team Leadership; Employee Development; Change and Innovation Management; Administrative Regulations; Happiness In The Workplace; and Dialogue Among Leaders.
Similarly, ‘FuelBox Team’ also comprises nine question categories, namely: Me; Me At Work; Our Team; Communication; The Workday; Vision, Calues, and Culture; Change and Innovation; Happiness In The Workplace; and Predicting The Unlikely. The questions are designed to help colleagues to engage with one another, creating an opportunity to connect on a personal and professional level. The objective is to create a sense of belonging, trust and security in a team, which, in turn, empowers them to achieve and innovate in their respective organisations.
Fuel It AS is the company behind the brand FuelBox – The Box of Great Conversations, which seeks to spark and facilitate connections in personal, professional, and public settings. FuelBox is a creative communication and connection catalyst that develops and strengthens people, relations, and organisations through sharing, learning and growth. Fuel It AS also offers programmes and talks for organisations and individuals to motivate people to be more curious about themselves and the people around them.
