As The Prop Turns... Drama on the DZ
Examining DZ Culture If you own a drop zone, there’s a good chance there’s drama. As many say…”As the prop turns.” With it being October, and many seasonal DZ’s winding down for the year, many of you are probably looking forward to the winter break ahead. You’ve put in some long hours and have seen the same people over and over again…you’re ready for a break. It only takes one negative personality on your staff to create strife and tension. Who hired them and what steps did you go through when making the decision to bring them on board? The scenario that usually happens is this: 1). You’ve got a heavy tandem season ahead and you’re short-staffed. 2). You are desperate for help and will hire an instructor who has at least 500 tandem jumps and hasn’t killed anyone. Here lies the problem. DZO’s and DZM’s are not being true gatekeepers to their operations. Most DZs suffer from staffing issues and in a pinch let people in who only cause headaches and as a result, ruin the culture of the DZ. The happy place you envisioned turns into the place you hate going to the most. What Can You Do? 5 STEPS TO CHANGING YOUR CULTURE I. Identify Your Core Values What is important to you for your DZ? If you haven’t taken the time to think about this, it’s important that you do. Write down the values and desires of what you want for your DZ. Just like a hard deck, we need a baseline to make our decisions.* Identify your core values and have a guage to help make decisions on hiring and firing. II. Change the Way You Hire Instead of hiring purely on experience, put personality as the priority. The question should be, “How will this person enhance my culture?” If the potential new hire will only bring it down…don’t hire them. Be sure to speak to other DZO’s about this individual’s attitude. A person with a good attitude will have a willingness to learn and be adaptable to do things the way you want them done.
Examples of Good Questions to Ask During an Interview (as taken from The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn) 1. Who are your heroes? Why? 2. Why would anyone do more than necessary? 3. Tell me three things that you think would delight most customers / clients / consumers. 4. What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a customer? 5. What is service? Questions to ask yourself after an interview: 1. What do I remember most about this person? 2. What’s the most extraordinary thing he or she has ever done? 3. How badly would this person be missed if he or she left his or her current position? III. Communicate and Communicate Some More Even if you hire the absolute best people, they can still suffer from burn out. During the long days of a season, the best attitudes can sour. Understand that everyone wants to feel like they have a voice and are working towards something that is bigger than themselves. Be sure to communicate with your staff. Have short meetings or huddles on your busiest days to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to express concerns. Everyone needs to be heard. IV. Celebrate, Acknowledge and Build Up DZO’s and DZM’s are like coaches for athletic teams. The season is long and your players need to be recognized for their efforts. Imagine what kids respond to after a hard game whether it be a win or loss…a trip to the local pizza place to celebrate! This builds team morale. Take every effort to highlight staff on your company website, Facebook page, a free jump for a job well done and an occasional pizza party. Make people feel that they are important. V. Identify What You’re Tolerating What are you tolerating? What is causing stress? Write these things down and actively work to eliminate them. If it’s accounting issues, take the necessary steps to alleviate that. If it’s a sour grape on your staff, write their name down and begin to actively search for their replacement. As 2013 slowly comes to an end, it will be time to start planning for the 2014 season. Make a promise to yourself that 2014 will be the best year for your DZ both in profitability and in culture. * Example of CORE VALUES from Zappos.com. Zappos is renown for their great culture and has been identified by Fortune Magazine as one of the Best Places to Work in America. • Deliver ‘WOW’ Through Service • Embrace and Drive Change • Create Fun and A Little Weirdness • Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded • Pursue Growth and Learning • Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication • Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit • Do More With Less • Be Passionate and Determined • Be Humble