Being a supervisor over staff within campus rec is like being a coach of a football team. It involves organizing people based on their strengths, meeting their needs and rallying together to work toward a shared cause. A lot is expected when managing other positions, but a lot can be gained as well.
“Watching football announcers talk about the coaching styles and techniques made me think about aligning the needs of my staff,” said Mikki Showers, the director of Recreational Sports and manager of the recreation center at Carleton College. “The Miami Dolphins hardly have any of their regular players because of injuries, but they were still successful because of the coach.”
While injuries on an athletic team and vacancies for professional positions are inevitable, there are still preventative measures you can take to keep staff on your team. In an industry where many rec departments don’t have a lot of say over the benefits employees receive, Showers emphasized being aware of your leadership style. When employees like and get along with their manager, it can make going to work a lot easier.
Some things to reflect on include:
- How you respond to feedback.
- Communicating with your team.
- Trusting one another.
- How you empower staff members while continuously improving on yourself.
Creating a culture employees want to be a part of and where they feel appreciated begins with the leader.
“Community and belonging have always been a core value of campus rec,” said Showers. “Employees like to be appreciated, and how you appreciate them is not going to look the same for everyone. As a supervisor and leader, it’s important to empower and give them the ability to have ownership over their responsibilities.”
EXTRA CREDIT: Best practice strategies for recruiting professional talent.
Letting staff be a part in operations and department improvements can improve loyalty to their positions. One way Carleton Recreational Sports does this is through a biannual evaluation. Staff submit feedback and leadership is made aware of any support employees may need.
“These evaluations have helped us understand ways we can be more flexible and meet students and staff where they are,” said Showers. “Helping staff understand what they’re gaining from this experience and the skills they’re building on ensures they’re engaged and invested.”
A typical highlight for many campus rec staff is connecting with the students they’re serving. At the University of Massachusetts Amherst, one of the goals for Ruben Sança, the executive director of Recreation and Wellbeing, is to recruit staff with a variety of experiences who can relate to the continuously diversifying student body.
“We want the students we serve to have someone on staff that looks like them or shares similar experiences,” said Sança. “Especially in collegiate well-being and counseling services, it’s important to have staff students can associate with and relate to. We want them to have as few barriers as possible when reaching out for our resources and services.”
This also applies to a candidate’s background and what specified fields within the industry they might be familiar with. However, it’s difficult to attract the potential staff Sança wants in his department as wellness experts are in high need in multiple industries.
Extra Credit: Five things to consider when it comes to hiring and retaining quality employees.
His advice for this problem is to be open to candidates who may not have every qualification or experience you want. Bringing in someone who is passionate and open to learning and growth could prove more beneficial in the long run.
“It’s important for us to actually get to know candidates’ lived experiences and not rely only on their resume,” said Sança. “Some of the greatest leaders may not have experience in higher education. But that may be a benefit because they can bring things to the table we’re not used to.”
Along with promoting genuineness from the interviewee during the hiring process, Chris Suriano, the director of Wellness & Health Promotion at the University of North Dakota, emphasized showcasing an authentic look into your team and work environment. Just as a candidate aims to leave a good impression in an interview, ensuring they have an enjoyable experience could help them make the decision to accept an offered position.
“What has been positive for us is we’ve heard candidates say they’ve had a great experience and got to know our great team,” said Suriano. “To me, that tells us we’re doing a good job of just being authentic, transparent, answering questions and demonstrating who we are.”
EXTRA CREDIT: Defining a world-class employee experience.
From there, a thorough onboarding process allows new staff to ease into their responsibilities. Suriano explained how there are two sides of the process where new staff learn about university processes and department procedures. Having a structure for the later stage ensures onboarding is effective and intentional.
“A great way to build value into these positions is a good onboarding experience,” said Suriano. “We can do that by setting up an effective process and structured organized approach so that we’re thorough and making sure staff feel they’re learning at a good pace.”
This stage is also where new team members become familiar with their culture of support. Being a part of an uplifting community has increased employee retention.
“We have a culture of working hard and enjoying your work,” said Suriano. “We enjoy our environment and our teammates, but we also know we can make mistakes and grow from them. The work of campus rec is very purpose-driven. When people find themselves in this career path, you have to have a servant’s heart to do this work. When staff begin to understand they have an impact on the students and the campus community, they find their why.”
