Leadership & Staff Management
I.
Performance Management Tools
a. Set clear standards
i. Key Responsibilities
ii. Interpersonal Behavior Standards
iii. Your own expectations
b. Small Dose Feedback (SDF)
i. Complete SDF twice during the summer at minimum
1. Deadlines: By Sunday of Weeks 3 & 5
2. This is the absolute minimum. It is ok to do more and it is
expected if there are performance issues
ii. Teach your staffers how to complete the SDF form
1. Explain what types of things go in each of the four boxes
2. Have staffers fill it out ahead of time
3. Remind them to refer to their Key Responsibilities and
Interpersonal Behavior Standards
iii. Prepare your SDF form
1. See samples
2. Reference Key Responsibilities & Interpersonal Behavior
Standards
3. Use behavior request model, p. 21 in Influencing Skills
4. CDs don’t have the option of “accepting” poor performance
of another staffer. It is your job to influence
5. Include no more than two major improvements; offer lots
of specific praise
6. Small dose AOIs should be major and they shouldn’t come
as a surprise – you should be addressing these as you go
7. Use examples of past behavior, desired future behavior and
connect requests to the big picture (your staff, V’s, ASP,
etc.)
8. Write full sentences, not bullet points
9. Send your small dose forms to your PM to get feedback
iv. Conduct small dose
1. Find a space where you can speak confidentially
2. Have your staffer review with you what they wrote and
then share with them your feedback
3. Discuss strategies for improvements and set goals to be
revisited
4. Give staffer a copy of your completed form and keep a
copy of theirs. Store all copies in a confidential place (not
on Dropbox)
v. Your Program Manager will complete SDF with you during two of
their visits
vi. Turn in all SDF forms toy our PM at Wrap-up
1. PMs may check SDF forms during visits too
2. SDF forms will be saved in each staffers’ personnel file
Leadership & Staff Management
c.
d.
e.
f.
3. SDF forms could be used as documentation if necessary
Performance Improvement Plan
i. Sections of the PIP:
1. A: This is every time you confronted a staffer about their
performance either verbally or written. There should be at
least 3 but there could be more. Write them as you go so
you don’t have to re-remember verbal communications
2. B: This is where you will put Key Responsibilities or
Interpersonal Behavior Standards that they are not meeting.
Corrective action needed will be the behavior request
3. C: Next step would most likely be termination – a strict
deadline is needed to review performance and if it has
improved
ii. A PIP will be put into place by the CD after speaking with your
PM – your PM can coach you through the process of delivering the
PIP
iii. Be extremely honest with whether or not the staffer is improving –
this is just not the right job for some people and dealing with a
staffer who is unwilling to improve can lead to more difficulties
with the staff, volunteers, etc.
iv. Review example PIP
Positive recognition
i. Sincerely acknowledge your appreciation of specific actions or
behaviors
ii. Let them know exactly what you want them to do again
iii. Verbally or in writing (SDF, Warm Fuzzy, etc.)
iv. Reward staffers who are doing a good job by allowing them to be
pseudo CD for a few days or a week
1. Should happen the second half of the summer
2. CD still has ultimate decision-making power
3. This should be privately known within the staff and not
affect volunteers
4. Examples of things CD-in-Training can do: lead nightly
staff meetings or morning check-in meetings, check in w/
PM
Behavior request – p. 21 in Influencing Skills Book
i. Use “I” (not “my staff/ASP/Admin”)
ii. Be specific (and respectful, empathetic, and genuine)
iii. Be positive – explain what you want, not what you don’t want
(unless absolutely necessary)
iv. Share the impact – “what’s in it for me?”
Clearing the swamp
i. When to clear the swamp:
1. It is a tool to use anytime – perhaps at the end of the week
as you complete surveys of volunteer groups
2. You can ask your PM to facilitate this during a county visit
Leadership & Staff Management
3. Definitely do one at Midsummer
ii. How to clear the swamp:
1. Lead your staff in brainstorming obstacles to staff
performance
2. Do not address individual job performance or interpersonal
issues; these should be covered in SDF or in individual
conversations
3. Ask your staff to consider each obstacle and whether it is
something you can influence. If you can, is it worth it?
Decide if you’ll:
a. Accept – Meaning that you 100% accept and it
shouldn’t be a point of future discussion unless you
are willing to influence it then
b. Influence – Make a behavior request, change your
own actions, etc.
c. Remove – This is a very last resort and requires
discussion with your PM
4. Make sure that your staff follows up on everything that
they’ve decided to influence
5. Sample swamp
iii. Confrontation without conflict
1. Definition: confrontation is a respectful request for a new
behavior or behavior change
2. Confrontation options – see p. 47 in Influencing Skills
a. Accountability request (highest risk)
b. Behavior request
c. Discrepancy confrontation (lowest risk)
3. Example: One of your staffers is regularly eating dinner in
the staff office instead of with volunteers. How would you
confront this using each of the tree options?
4. Share the importance
a. Examples: demand, expect, need, want, prefer,
would like you to, would like you to consider,
wonder if you could
b. Referred to as “Degree of Choice Words” because
the higher you move up the list:
i. You’re giving the other person less choices
ii. You’re exerting more control and risking
they become defensive, less agreeable
and/or non-compliant
iii. You’re conveying how important it is that
you get a “yes”
iv. You’re using position power more than
personal power, thereby possibly eroding
trust
Leadership & Staff Management
II.
Able vs Willing
a. Staffers can be able or unable, willing or unwilling to do a task. There are
four combinations of ableness and willingness and four responses:
i. Unable & Unwilling  Confront (behavior request). Hopefully
this doesn’t happen!
ii. Unable & Willing to learn  Teach. Review & TEACH key
responsibilities
iii. Able & Unwilling  Counsel, problem solve. Bring in a chaplain,
program manager, etc.
iv. Able & Willing  Assign tasks and follow through, delegate,
praise. Reinforce positive behavior with examples
b. When you aren’t sure what the root of the problem is, consider whether
you need to teach the staffer so that they can become able, or confront the
staffer and discuss the root of their lack of motivation.
c. Be flexible in your leadership. Being a good manager doesn’t mean
“bending people to your will,” but adapting your management style to fit
the needs of your staff. Different staffers will be at different levels at
different points in the summer. Don’t pigeonhole people – allow them to
improve and don’t rely on your able/willing staffer to always be that
person
III.
Managing and utilizing support staff
a. CD’s responsibilities
i. Manage support staffers as another staffer when they are at your
county. Ensure that they are given a list of specific responsibilities
ii. If new staffers no longer need additional support on runs, it can be
a waste to send SLs on runs. Have them get the center in order or
pick up supplies you know you’ll need the next day. Some SLs
need more direction, which will mean more time on your part, so
plan ahead.
iii. If you have a new staff liaison keep in mind that they might need
extra guidance or may not know to just pick up tasks without being
asked. Be prepared to teach a bit.
iv. If you simply don’t have time for a support staffer, call your PM
before they come to your center so they can be used somewhere
else.
v. Call your PM to talk about how to better manage a particular
support staffer
vi. Keep in mind as a CD, you are managing their daily tasks but you
are not their manager. If you have major concerns about the
performance of a support staffer, contact your PM - be prepared to
provide specifics.
b. Things support staffers can do:
i. Dump runs
ii. Gravel runs
iii. Leading morning devos
Leadership & Staff Management
iv. Help lead and/or prep for EGs and GL meetings
v. Fill in for staff on a day off or in case of emergency
vi. Help set up facilities (hang black plastic, supply room, etc.)
vii. Run errands (grocery shopping, picking up mail, etc.)
viii. Help with picnic prep
ix. Help a chore group
x. Supply inventory
xi. Go on runs and be supportive
xii. Play wake up music for volunteers and do announcements
xiii. Go on hardware runs
xiv. Send “no” letters
xv. Wait at the center for the food delivery
xvi. Do laundry for staff if the facilities aren’t available at the center
xvii. Be a listening ear
c. Things support staffers can’t do:
i. Construction (this is not covered by workers’ comp), unless they
are demonstrating something to volunteers
ii. Distract the staff from doing their job, including during staff
meetings
iii. Complain when asked to do an undesirable task
iv. Procrastinate or refuse to do a task (unless it is against the rules or
it is unsafe)
v. Deviate from their schedule w/o permission from their PM
vi. Gossip
vii. Overlook staff rule breaking
d. Dump Truck Driver
i. He will be travelling around and be on call for centers as needed.
Hopefully you will be keeping up with your dumpsters so he
should really only be utilized for major projects.
ii. Meg will be his supervising PM and will send him where he is
needed. If he is not needed for specific counties, she will send him
in a rotation
iii. Can serve in a liaison capacity in the evenings and mornings
iv. During the day, he can do dump runs or haul gravel or railroad ties
v. Make sure volunteers are on site to help load the dump!
vi. Inform them of the hours of the dump/transfer station and provide
them with directions if necessary
vii. You should almost always plan to send a staffer with the DTD
unless something comes up.
e. Chaplains
i. They are there to meet with staffers one on one to discuss spiritual
matters and/or to provide counseling
ii. They will have a schedule but are on call at all times for
emergencies
iii. They are expected to give you feedback on your EGs
iv. They will provide a devo for your staff meeting
Leadership & Staff Management
v. Margie will be their supervising PM so contact her to request your
chaplain on a day they are not scheduled to be at your center
f. Construction Consultants
i. They will spend 1 day a week in your county serving as technical
advisors They should see all of your projects at some point, not
just your larger projects. CCs may ask to see certain projects
ii. They are authorities on construction
iii. Refer to the ‘Working with your CC’ session for more information