BUILDING CAP’S TEAM... FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW Everyone Is A Retention Officer Putting Member-Centric Leadership & Mentoring Into Action Everyone Is A Retention.

BUILDING CAP’S TEAM ... FOR TODAY AND TOMORROW

Everyone Is A Retention Officer

Putting Member-Centric Leadership & Mentoring Into Action

Lt Col Darin NinnessNational Recruiting & Retention Manager

Lesson Objective

By the end of this presentation, you should understand:

1. The definition of member-centric leadership

2. How leadership affects retention

3. How members, not just leaders, can improve retention.

• Leadership Definitions & Priorities• Responsibilities• The Volunteer Paycheck• Mentoring• Person-to-person Connection• Social Aspects• Recognition & Satisfaction• Communication• Some Negatives

High Points

Leadership Defined

“a process of social influence in which a person can enlist the aid and support of others in the

accomplishment of a common task.”

• Military leadership priorities as

“Accomplish the mission, welfare of the troops.”

• Member-centric (volunteer) leadership turns this on its head a little bit:

“Welfare of the troops, accomplish the mission”

Without the troops, you can’t accomplish your mission. Your troops are your mission!

Leadership Priorities

Member-Centric Leadership Defined

“Doing those things that maintain your volunteer membership force to accomplish your missions

and retain members”

Remember: members make a conscious choice to be here. They could be someplace else.

Why is this important?

Top three reasons people exit CAP:

“I didn’t have anything to do”

“Bad leadership”

“I didn’t know what was going on, nobody ever talked to me.”

If you don’t TAKE CARE of your people, you won’t HAVE your people.

If you people don’t think you care if they’rethere, they will stop coming. Doesn’t matter toyou and the unit, doesn’t matter to them, either.

So the Bottom Line Up Front?

Ask yourself• Why are my members here? What is their

interest/motivation?• Why do people stay in CAP?• What are your member’s paychecks?

As a Leader

Its Not Just The Commander

• It is not solely the commander’s responsibility for leadership & retention.

• You’re an officer, right? You should be exercising leadership in this regard, too.

• If you see an issue, act. Talk to the commander, too. An opportunity to mentor? Take it!

• Again, that person-to-person aspect of leadership can and will keep people.

Colonel Ed Phelka from GLR has a great talk about what he calls “The Volunteer Paycheck.”

• Basically, what does the member get out of their participation? If you’re at a paid job, you get $. If you’re a volunteer, you don’t get $.

• In many ways, however, you still get a “paycheck” from your volunteer participation.

• That “paycheck” varies from member to member.

The Volunteer Paycheck Concept

As a leader, you should understand what your individual member’s “paycheck” is.

• Some are here for recognition• Some are here for satisfaction• Some are here for service• Some are here for the bling-bling or bottle-caps• Some are just here for the donuts

Think about why YOU are here.

That may not be why THEY are here.

The Volunteer Paycheck Concept

• #1 exit survey complaint :

“I didn’t do anything.”• We are a complex multi-faceted organization. • Difficult to toss a new member into a job and get

them up to speed without mentoring.• You’re doing your members a disservice when

you make a new guy your “[Something] Officer,” email him a link to the prescribing directives and say “go for it.”• Ham Radio calls a mentor an “Elmer”

• Get people together and get them working

Mentoring

• Ask an infantryman “What are you fighting for?”• The answer is not “mom, America, apple-pie,

the flag, etc”• They’re fighting for the guy on their left &

right• Encourage people to connect with one another

(more on this later)

Person-to-Person Connection

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

• The Squadron/Group/Team that plays together stays together.

• Some of this can be formal • Cookouts, team building activities

• Others are informal member-to-member activities• “After-meeting meeting.”• People becoming “friends on the outside.”

• Frequency varies, but keep it light and more informal

Social Aspects

• Always, always, always recognize the effort your staff and members are putting together.• A simple recognition in front of the unit• A certificate or challenge coin kind of thing• A medal/award or promotion

• If you know what your member’s “paycheck” is, this gets easier.

• As a leader, know what “pays” your member.

Recognition

• Are your members satisfied in their jobs?• Do you have an IT guy doing IT who is sick of

doing IT in the evenings after doing it all day long?

• Are they satisfied in their participation?• Are they spinning their wheels/drowing in

minutae without help?• Nothing kills satisfaction faster than thinking the

boss knows you’re in over your head and doesn’t care.

Satisfaction

• Many people leave because nobody is communicating to them• Expectations• The plan or schedule

Communication

• Concentrating on compliance over membership• Chasing your numbers at the expense of your

membership• Transferring people out of your unit so your

[insert report name here] looks good.

The Bad & Ugly

STOP!

• Concentrating on compliance over membership• Chasing your numbers at the expense of your

membership• Transferring people out of your unit so your

[insert report name here] looks good.

The Bad & Ugly

STOP!

Questions?Feedback?

Ask now or email [email protected]

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