5 Things

When did I become the “OLD GUY” in the room? It wasn’t long ago that I was the young guy, but I blinked and suddenly I feel like I am one of the two old guys on the Muppet Show constantly making snarky comments.

A few weeks ago, a couple of us old guys were talking about the absence of Young YMCA Superstars. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few out there, just not as many knocking on the doors. As we compared notes, I came away with 5 Things That Young Super Stars have that Sets Them Apart.

1.       They Smile and Laugh: Work is fun to them and when they are at work, people gravitate to them because they give off such great energy.

2.       They Put Mission First: They know the mission of the Y and it matches clearly with their personal values. They take pride in helping people meet their goals and just making our community better.

3.       They Constantly Learn: I notice that in staff meetings, staff retreats, learning environments and at trainings, they take great notes and always return trying to implement something new and improved.

4.       They Build Trust: Trust is built by being accountable to everyone. Their work is completed on time, they are present at work and go beyond all expectations and they look for more responsibility.

5.       They Over Communicate: “It ain’t bragging if you back it up.” They are diligent about letting you know their successes and are not scared away from acknowledging failures.

If you are looking for the next leader or if you are wanting to be the next leader - I would take a look at these 5 Things. 

7 Qualities of the Best Staff

Several years ago, I circled up all the Executives and had them list their best staff. I asked them, “If you graded all of your staff on a scale of 1-10, who would you give a 9 or a 10?”

Out of 300 staff, we had about 15% that we would give a 9 or a 10. If you research, that is fairly standard. Statistically, 15% of your team are the high performers and 15% of your team should probably be shown the door. The other 70% are at varying degrees of average.

I brought our 9's and 10's together in several focus groups and we talked about why they were better. I was hoping that we could “bottle up” their spirit and hopefully move our number to 20% or 25%.

A funny thing evolved from the focus groups. They all said the same thing. It was uncanny how the traits of a “10 Lifeguard” were the same traits of a “10 Welcome Center Staff.” These 45 staff came up with the 7 Qualities of the Best Staff.

1.       Serve Others First: Their job was all about the members and participants. They help members, their peers, their bosses, etc. They are overly excited about people hitting goals and are innately aware of when members are absent.

2.       Act with Integrity: They go out of their way to make sure that every transaction is clean and transparent. When they say they will follow up, they follow up. They show up for work on time and are somewhat OCD about their timeclock management.

3.       Be a Part of the Team: The best staff know the importance of staff meetings, changing shifts with their peers, and helping in other departments on special events. These are the staff that take extraordinary pride in recognizing others for great work.

4.       Create New Ideas: When they visit other Y’s they always bring back ideas. The best staff suggest new and innovative ways to do their jobs.

5.       Be an Expert at the Job: It is critical to stay up on the latest skills and techniques of their job. You can see them practice and/or hungry to learn.

6.       Build Relationships: They know everyone’s name, birthday and special life event. They give these over the top welcomes. They are the staff that get the hugs. These are the staff that you see cornered up listening to a member’s story.

7.       Take Initiative: They don’t wait for a boss to say do something. They just do it.

How do you stack up?

GREAT LOVE SONGS

Three signs that I am getting old. First, a few weeks back I saw someone messing with my neighbor’s car while he was gone so I called the police. It turned out to be his friend playing a joke on him. My daughter Ryanne just laughed and said “Old Man!” Second, Saturday mornings are spent with a cup of coffee and watching my bird feeders and yelling at the squirrels. And third, when I drive I listen to talk radio.

I am not quite bad enough to be yelling at the kids to get out of my yard yet, but I may be getting close.

While driving recently, the talk radio show had a discussion on the best love songs. That is a hard question. Some songs remind you of that slow dance in middle school when you wanted the world to stop spinning and time stand still because it couldn’t get any more perfect. Kind of the Winnie Cooper and Kevin Arnold moment.

Then there is one of those dates in high school when the song comes on while you sit in her drive way and try and think of how you’re going to kiss her good night. When it happens and you get back to your car, and you really aren’t sure how you actually drive home.

Some songs bring back the memory of rewinding the cassette and playing that song over and over. You would just take roads and detours so you could play the song one more time.

And the songs that are some remote song on an album that elicit a sweet memory with your wife and only mean something to you and your bride. When it pops up on your play list the kids wonder why you start holding hands.

With all that, I wanted to list my top five (impossible) and then top ten (too difficult). So I settled on a top 40 (Too Many)…… but today I will share my top 20. Do you have any of the same?

20.   My Funny Valentine – Frank Sinatra

19.   One Hundred Ways – James Ingram

18.   The Closer I Get To You – Roberta Flack

17.   All of Me – John Legend

16.   Too Hot – Kool and the Gang

15.   After the Love is Gone – Earth Wind and Fire

14.   The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack

13.   God Only Knows – The Beach Boys

12.   You’re the First, The Last, My Everything – Barry White

11.   Back at One – Brian McKnight

10.   Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

9.       Just Once – James Ingram

8.       The Way You Look Tonight – Tony Bennett

7.       You Don’t Know Me – Michael McDonald

6.       Your Song – Elton John

5.       Here and Now – Luther Vandross

4.       Endless Love – Luther Vandross / Lionel Ritchie

3.       Have I told You Lately – Van Morrison

2.       Always and Forever – Heatwave

1.       Our Love – Michael McDonald

Mr. Poole

Mr. Poole died this week. For the past 30-years he’s told me to call him Bill, but he will forever be Mr. Poole.

Between the ages of 14 and 20, the Poole house was my home away from home. I probably spent the night there at least 30 times a year. I am thankful he never charged me and the entire crew for eating and drinking him out of house and home!

One weekend, he confronted our group about some missing Chivas Regal. I told him I didn’t “Know Nothing About No Buick Regal.” It took a while for him to let me live it down.

I also had a Bassett Hound who would wander the neighborhood and knock over trash cans. One morning early he found my dog with her collar stuck on the post that rolls the cans out to the road. He gently helped my dog loose and then kicked over the trash can for her and said, “Have at it!”

One thing I am so thankful to Bill Poole for is my love of Jazz music and Frank Sinatra. I guess I was about 15 years old when I walked in the house and he was playing Frank Sinatra and his Concert for the Americas. I may have been the only 16-year-old driving around with cassettes of Frank Sinatra, Earl Klugh, Grover Washington, Jr., Stanley Clark and George Duke. Now that I think of it, that may explain my dating history or lack thereof.

When I look back on my teenage years I am thankful for a wonderful neighborhood (Holly Tree), back yard football, hide and seek, riding my bike everywhere, learning to drive, dozens of friends, first kisses, broken hearts, big apologies, too many of William’s car accidents to count and being raised by a group of adults that weren’t my parents but then again were! Know what I mean?

Thanks Mr. Poole! ……..Bill.