StaffCentral Promoting from Within
Finding quality people is hard enough, but keeping them is even harder, which is why offering current staff members greater responsibilities makes a whole lot of sense
By Marc Hoberman
3. Vary the training of those who you now consider to be your elite. Usually, the counsellors who have been with you for a few years will be the ones who you realize can be promoted. Obviously, those who become educators will have free time in the summer to help you con- tinue a successful camp year after year. These are the people in whom you must invest. This commitment includes: money, prizes, bonuses, respect, training and, most importantly, time. Paying for certain staff members to attend camping conferences also speaks volumes to your commitment to your staff.
4. If you expect to find stakeholders in your business, listen to them! Finding the right people is hard enough, but KEEP- ING them is even harder. Money is not the only motivator. If people are given the opportunity to have their ideas heard and even implemented, they will see that they are part of an organization that is worthy of their time and effort.
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5. Let them experience responsibility. Perhaps you can create a mentor pro- gram and let counsellors see the jobs of senior staff first hand. They should also experience other parts of the camp com- munity and gain knowledge about the importance of all arms of the camping business. This will help create a future staff that is informed and prepared.
imply put, your staff is the key to your success. There is nothing better than a continuation of a full camp roster from year to year, and staffing is no exception.
Because most counsellors eventually leave to go into “the real world” it is important to retain those who will be able to remain in the camp industry for future years.
Below is a five-point plan that will help you determine, which staff should be given more responsibilities, and how to enhance their training.
1. Judge people by what they do when you aren’t looking. Too often, counsellors and other staff work exceptionally harder when they feel they are being watched by their superiors. This does not mean you should sneak up on your staff. It simply means that you should find ways to see
6 Canada Camps Winter 2011
how they interact with campers, peers and supervisors in a variety of situations. There is no price to be put on integrity and people who give 100 per cent — 100 percent of the time — are the ones who are worthy of your time and effort to pro- mote them.
2. Institute ongoing staff training during the summer for those you choose and those who request to attend. Counsellors often do not see the benefits of orientation training until it is too late. They later wish that they had paid closer attention during the sessions once they are confronted with problematic situations during the camp season. Creating non-mandatory training during the summer not only helps your staff learn on the job, but it also shows you those who are willing to give more to improve their own performance.
By following the above steps, you should be on your way to creating a powerful program where you can pro- mote people from within. Make sure that you support them once they are pro- moted so that help is always easily acces- sible. Promoting counsellors can be an arduous task, but the rewards are immeasurable.
CC
Marc Hoberman is the owner and direc- tor of Grade Success (
www.grade-suc-
cessinc.com), a premier camp training service provider that has been facilitat- ing workshops, seminars and courses since 1985. Its services include local and long-distance camp consulting on the phone, in person and in webinar. Marc can be reached at info@gradesuc-
cessinc.com.
Photo: Northway-Wendigo
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