Advice on Managing Gen Y. Please give me a break..

In the interest of full disclosure, I am somewhere between Boomers and Y, generally in the X era, where we loved grunge, coffee, made mix tapes and spent most of our lives listening to people say how our generation wouldn’t amount to much. 

Now I find myself in management, watching this whole generational relationship thing play out.   I have been stewing on this post for quite some time because it frustrates me.  There is a whole cottage industry who I assume make a good deal of money professing to know the best way to “manage” the generations.  Here is a Business Week article:

article link http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/dec2008/sb2008122_338569.htm

The author puts forth some tips such as “Don’t give just one way to solve a problem” and “Gen Y thinks physical meetings are ineffective”.

I don’t want to discount any of the hard work that has been put into researching whether listening to Britney Spears changes employees’ view of upper management, but there is NO secret sauce.  Every time I read something about the best way to handle this generation or that generation, I always go back to the best (IMHO) management book ever written, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  In it, he lists the following fundamental techniques: (referenced via Wikipedia)

• Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.
• Give honest and sincere appreciation.
• Arouse in the other person an eager want.

And if I could add one more – Respect.

It doesn’t matter if they are 7, 17, or 70 – treat people right, treat them with respect and they will do well.  You can’t win them all.  You also can’t change the entire makeup of your organization because the conventional wisdom is that Gen Yers don’t like meetings.  That is hogwash.  You know what is right.  You know how your organizations runs best. 

This does not mean that you should not be open to new ideas.  It does however mean that you can’t go chasing every idea an “expert” says is the new hipness.

I think it was Ghandi who said “Be the change you want to see in the world”.  On a smaller scale, BE the change you want to see in your organization.

Great New Blog

Andrew has added a great new blog over at Waterpark Leadership .  He has extremely well written and insightful posts. 

I am excited to see this side of the industry getting more exposure.  It has been looked over for quite some time.  In my opinion, solid leadership on the HR side makes safer and better run facilities.

Please welcome Andrew.  I look forward to his posts!

Your team is only as good as the Middle

This time of year, everyone is “building the team”.  If you are like most in charge, you will be giving a lot of thought to how the team is put together.  How do team members fit into the puzzle? How will they interact?  Who will be good? Who may fade off?

There is much study on teams, and how teams work together, and what works and what doesn’t.   I have heard both that a team is only as good as the leader, and have also heard that a team is only as good as it’s “weakest link” (I held back and didn’t do any tv show references).

I would propose this – this lifeguarding industry, and any industry that relies on large numbers of young folks to be the face of your organization – we are only as good as the Middle.   

There is sometimes a tendency to overlook those in the middle.  The thought is that if you have a good team at the top, and a good team at the bottom, then everyone else isn’t as important. 

You are top.  Do your job well, lead your team well.  The middle is where the leaders are, and where the future leaders are.  The middle is where the next the leaders in your organization are.  The middle is where the work is done. 

Don’t cheat on the middle.

Social Media Matrix

This is an interesting breakdown of some of the more popular social media sites.  I am not sure who did this, I would love to give credit for it.

Can a tough economy help seasonal recruiting?

I have noticed a trend lately.  Many of my former employees, who I thought had “moved on” have been coming back around.  It turns out that some of the paths that they were on track to follow have become more difficult in this challenging economy.

Some of the challenges we have faced in the past are not as much of a factor in this current economic climate.  There are fewer internships available, and fewer paid ones at that.   America has less disposable income, and that filters down to the children of America. 

What effect do you feel the economy will have on recruiting? Help or Hurt?

More thoughts on recruiting campaigns

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is a time of year when many people who work seasonally are evaluating how last season went, and getting ready to launch into a new season of marketing and recruiting.   C.C. Chapman has a great podcast and post at Managing the Gray .  If you have the time, please click over and listen to the podcast.  He does great stuff.   Here are his notes:

I talk about this much more on show, but the basic outline for success in your marketing campaigns in my mind is:

1. Clearly define a measurable goal
2. Develop a strategy to reach that goal
3. Set up a team that is dedicated to the strategy and then empower them to work towards the goal. Trust them!
4. As setbacks arise, don’t let them take away your focus on the goal. Deal with them and move on.
5. Build a community and constantly feed them so they don’t burn out.
6. When you reach the goal celebrate and make sure the community takes part in the party.
7. Set a new goal and start over.

So often, people continue to do what they have been doing, “because it works”.  Take some time over the next week or two, step back and rebuild your campaigns, as if you weren’t involved.  If you knew nothing, if you were just starting out, how would you do it? How would it look?

Good Luck!

Recruiting lifeguards in tough circumstances

A reader wrote in asking for some suggestions for a recruiting situation that is tougher then some.  Here are some highlights from his post:  (slightly edited)

Hello. I was wondering if you would be able to provide tips on recruiting lifeguards. I work at a high school natatorium. Due to the laws affecting school district hiring, all of our staff members (full time and lifeguards) are required to submit information for background checks. These checks cost upwards of $80 and take up to two months for information to be returned.

We have been exploring ways to combat this lengthy process.  We are not permitted to reimburse the cost of the background clearances, and everyone, including minors must go through this process.

I’ve had people approach me for an application, and hand it back to me or tell me it isn’t worth the trouble, time, or money.

Here we go.  That is a tough situation, but I think there are some things you can do to work with what you have. 

1. Cross training.  You mentioned that there is a challenging and sometimes lengthy background check process.  There is no question that can make things difficult.  The first thing I would recommend is looking at employees that are working in the district who have already completed this background check.   Many times teachers or other support staff are looking to pick up additional hours (especially in this economy, everyone is looking to help make ends meet).  So I would look at EVERYONE across the organizational chart to see if there are potential part time employees lurking out there for you.
2. Retired Personnel – many times aquatic facilities are able to find a few regular users of the facility that are willing to step up and help out because they have a vested interest in making sure the facility continues to operate.
3. Internships – I think there may be a college near you?? Internships are always tricky because the staff needs to develop the plan in advance so that the intern can gain valuable business experience, but they can also help fill some staffing needs as well.
4. Survey your current staff – Oftentimes we as recruiters/ staffers THINK we know what is important to our employees (Example – They always complain about money, money has to be the most important thing to them).  That might not always be accurate though.  Talk to your current staff, ask them what they like and don’t like about the job.  Fix what you can, and use what they like to attract new staff to the team.
5. Talk to your team – you mentioned that the facility does a lot of programming, and being a school district, possibly has one or more swim teams?  Gather your key staff and user group heads (aerobics, swim team, diving team, etc) and explain the situation.  Together you can reach more potential employees then you can by yourself.  Tell them that the facility is in dire straights, and explain how it could affect them.  Each group may have one or two team members that are looking for a job, and are at the facility anyway.   
6. Do it again – The economy, which I brought up before, has been challenging for most people, but can sometimes help part time employers because there are more people out there who need to make a few extra dollars.  Revisit anything you have done before.  Many people I have spoken to recently have said that recruiting methods that haven’t worked – sometimes in years, are seeing new life and working again.  Don’t gloss over methods that haven’t produced for you in a while, and don’t forget to do all of the traditional methods such as contacting your local job service, online postings like Craig’s list, and things like that.

I hope this helps!  Any other readers have some ideas?

 

ROI and Marketing

Gary Vaynerchuck has a great video on ROI and marketing.  Perfect for anyone who has pointed to a lack of budget as the reason they can’t compete for market share or talent.  Video HERE

Question –

Do you feel the economic downturn has helped or hurt your recruiting and staff retention efforts?

Lifeguards – one of America’s lowest paying jobs.

In a recent article/survey on AOL that listed the 25 lowest paying jobs, lifeguarding came in at #15 (article HERE)  listing average hourly earnings of $8.85/hr.  This is just above cashiers and home care aids, and below parking lot attendants. 

Of the 25 jobs on the list, some do require additional certification (child care workers, home care aides) but none require first responder training, or even fit into that category.

The debate about lifegaurd pay and classification is not a new debate, but what are your thoughts as we finish up another summer?