| |
As rich facility managers with dreams of retiring some day, we constantly
get great financial advice from people who want us to invest, invest,
invest. If we want ample return on our monies, we’re told, we shouldn’t
stash our cash in a savings account; we should gamble a bit by investing
wisely in stocks that will provide us the opportunity to turn a little into
a lot.
And so we do, because we have seen how well it pays in
so many cases.
If investing in the stock market is financially
rewarding, why don’t more managers invest in their staff? We all know that
hiring the right person is a bit of a gamble anyhow. Will he live up to his
resume; will he fit in and service our clients well; and question of all
questions, will he stay long enough to make it all worthwhile?
Opportunities for Education
We can invest in our staff in numerous ways but if you’re reading this
article, you already know one of the most advantageous methods is to
educate. We have at our disposal some of the best minds in the industry. We
can reap their expertise by enrolling our staff in some of the many IAAM
training programs: Academy for Venue Safety & Security, PAFMS at Oglebay,
Oglebay the Sequel, Senior Executive Symposium I, II, & III, etc. Any one of
those would provide a wonderful training ground for your staff. IAAM offers
a wealth of training opportunities.
Formal instruction in IAAM schools is certainly
invaluable; however, if the timing isn’t right or the cost too dear, the
education one gets in attending a conference, especially for inexperienced
attendees, is extremely valuable. Most have well-designed sessions taught by
experts. What newcomer (and some of us old jaded characters) hasn’t returned
from a conference full of passion and desire to turn the place around?
Learning new ideas or trends instills enthusiasm and
the self-confidence to carry it off. Beyond the info discovered in
informational and educational sessions, there’s the business of establishing
new colleagues. Through networking opportunities people often meet
associates who have worked through some of the selfsame problems and are
only too happy to share their insights. Making new friends and discussing
common challenges yield a sense of community.
A Way of Life
We at university venues are exposed to education as a way of life. Some of
us are lucky enough to be with facilities that encourage training for
full-time employees as well as the students. Granted, there might not be a
lot of funds available, but there could be, should be some to be spread
around a bit. It’s great that the executive directors and the general
managers have ready funds to attend conferences; it’s important to our jobs,
too. However, next time you are budgeting, build a little extra in for those
staff who don’t normally get to attend a conference. Share the wealth.
Investment in them makes staff feel worthy; they will
stay with you longer. In spite of all the groaning about pay (or lack
thereof), we learn that the true motivator is appreciation, a sense of
value. Recently I interviewed a number of highly qualified individuals for
positions available with our facility. Soon evident was a recurring theme:
they were seeking other positions because they felt unappreciated, even
though they were working 80-90 hour weeks. Some even admitted hunger for
additional training or opportunities to improve their value.
It’s as simple as this: If you spend money to show your
staff that you care about their career development — even if you reap the
benefits in the short run — you say to them that they have true importance
to you.
Finding a Way
Most of us work for universities, which have strict policies about what
benefits we can offer our staff. We cannot compete with private industry
perks, yet we can provide training. That can be a huge perk.
If you have a little extra money, but not enough to
send someone across the country to attend a week-long training session,
consider your district conference. If you need to spend even less, send
staff to the Mid-Manager’s Conferences. Those are well designed but are
priced so affordably that you can generally send two people for the price of
sending one to a district meeting (that is by design, you know).
If you’ve had a profitable year, go for the gold: the
IAAM Annual Conference & Trade Show is the prize-winning
conference opportunity. However, some people save their
conference dollars for the specialty meetings — AMC, ICMC, PAMC, UVMC, ISMC,
ICCC — whew, did I omit any “C’s”?
For you arena types, there is a humdinger coming up.
Not that I am touting it because it is in my hometown, but the AMC this year
s hould be pretty fabulous, just like all those that have come before it.
Admittedly, our music scene cannot rival that of Memphis, unless the roar of
engines is music to your ears. We are NASCAR country. You can’t spit without
hitting somebody who drives for or works on a race team, not north of town,
anyhow. But I digress.
If there isn’t much funding, check into scholarships.
Scholarships have taken me places I couldn’t afford to go otherwise.
Encourage your staff to investigate scholarship availability; perhaps you
might be able to help some toward expenses if they are persuasive enough to
be awarded a scholarship. District 5 has an extensive scholarship program;
perhaps your district does, too.
Other options for staff training: Chapter meetings and
e-training. As of yet, Chapter Meetings are not plentiful, but cost
prohibitive they’re not. If you can’t let the staff leave the building, the
very least you can do is e-training. Webtracks are relatively new for IAAM,
but available and inexpensive. On second thought, online training isn’t the
very least you can do; that would be nothing.
But then any investment broker will tell you that if
you put your money in a sack and hold it in your tight little fist, when you
open it again you will only have what you started with, no more. You know we
all want more. Spend some money to make some money. Both your facility and
your employees will profit. fm
Nina D. Simmons is the director of Halton Arena at UNC Charlotte and the
Recreational Facilities department. |
|
Back to Facility Manager
Contents