1. BUILDING STRONGER tEaMs
Linda K. Slocum

2. Strength in team

3. You want the right employee
How to hire and maintain the right staff:
Focus on the role
Value each employee
Communicate
Set goals
Celebrate successes and failures
Know each other

4. Focus on the role Spend more time recruiting the right person
Shared vision & mission of your organization
Work together to carry out the shared vision
Talking points – Don’t just hire a warm body = first person you interview. - You don’t want your organization to be know as revolving door company. – it will cost more money by hiring the wrong person because you were in a hurry to
hire someone. – Mediocre hiring is not acceptable. – It’s a step by step process -

5. Value each employee
Each person brings something special to your organization
Each employee should feel like their position matters
Talking Points – Each staff should feel that their job matters. – Treat others the way you want to be treated.

6. Communication
Learning to use positive language with your employees takes time
It helps to guide employees towards choosing and maintaining positive attitude at work
It keeps a level of transparency with everyone
Talking Points – Keep a true level of transparency. – Having week staff meetings. – If weekly staff meeting are impossible you can always have team meeting with a small group at a time.

7. Set goals Setting short and long-term goals with staff
Being enthusiastic about the outcome and always motivating each other
Having milestones and deadlines in place
Understanding the BIG picture
Stay positive at all times
Talking points – Making sure everyone knows the goals of the team. – How to make everyone feel a part of the goals that have been set.

8. Celebrate successes and failures
When everyone works hard together great things happen
When someone does a great job give them a shout out in front of the team
Never throw anyone under the bus
Giving your team equal responsibility to put their heads together helps them to figure out the next solution
Talking points – What are ways would you like someone to celebrate your successes? – You could give out award certificates – Have weekly or monthly staff person awards. For failures talk about how to make it better and come up with a new plan. – Failures are a part of great growth.

9. Know each other Have an open door policy
Spend time together outside of work
Recognize achievements “Thank You”
Support them with clients (they need to know that you have their back)
Talking Points – Spending time with staff helps to grow a family environment at work.

10. Positive Relationship with Parents
Communication
Involvement
Encourage
expectation

11. Communication Greeting parents with a smile
Have positive things to say about their child
Welcome them into your program
Reach out to them by calling them on the phone
Help them to become the positive role model for their child at home
Stay positive at all times
Talking Points – Making sure that the staff stays positive at all times. – Communication with parents helps to ease their anxieties. Providing the parents with monthly or quarterly newsletters.

12. Involvement Create a parent involvement program
Get new parents involved
Special projects
Talking Points – You can have an parent ambassadors program. – Having special events for parents like a dinner. -

13. Encourage Encourage staff to see the parents as their customers
Encourage the staff to meet the needs of the parents
Encourage the parents to take a part in your program
Talking Points – Making sure that staff is building good relationships with parents by using encouragement is away of nurturing a relationship.

14. Expectations
Expect parents to get their child to your program each day on time
Establish a baseline for professional and courteous exchanges between staff and parents
Talking Points – Need to set expectations at the beginning of your program. Parents should know the expectation of your program at all times.

15. Picking the right outside agencies for your organization
Your local community groups
Schools
Social services, Parks and Recreation
Places of worship
Talking Points – The agencies must align with the needs of the children and families that you serve. – Is there a cost for their service -

16. Getting children excited about your program
Do your research and make a plan
Leverage your resources
Be flexible
Show the benefits
Make them so excited about your program that they will recruit others
Talking Points – Set your program up so kids are saying Pick me Pick me I want to be in your program. – Understanding the children your server. – Being able to adjust you plan to to fit their needs, - Having fun with the children daily. – Knowing something special about each child.

17. Team building activity
Silent team building activity. Each team will be given 15 solo cups, 1 rubber band, 4 pieces of string. Without talk they will need to build a tower using these item. They are not allowed to use their hands to stack the tower. Once the first team is done the activity is over.
Talking Points – Was it easy to build the tower without talking. There will be times when a team member is having a hard time with a work project
And without talking you know that they need help. With silence you can help your team to be strong.