A publication by the Association of YMCA Professionals
Inspired Leadership for the YMCA Professional Vol. 6 No. 4 Aug/Sept 2016
FEATURE Five Things Good Leaders Avoid Page 22
FEATURE Letting People Go with Dignity Page 28
MIND THE
End the worry about retiring Baby Boomers by attracting — and keeping — your Millennials.
GAP
Congratulations to the newest graduates of the 2015 YMCA/JCC CRI Training Coach program.
Learn, Grow, Succeed Education and Training For YMCA/JCC Professionals Most Recent Alumni Jean Fry Jennifer Brownlow John Binnie Joseph Granza Justin Noel Karen Buckley Katelyn Szafir Kathy Dew Kelli Holder Krystal Snider Kyle Britton Lincoln Huth Lisa Becht Lisa Horton
Luke Brookner Matt Sallinen Maureen Wilcox Megan Brazill Melanie VanderHorn Melissa McGlynn Melissa Wright Meredith Frazier Patrick McGahan Peta McMillan Peter Christenson Peter Rana Robyn Cohen Santiago Prada
Sarah Faulkner Seth Hazen Shannon Hughes Sharon Allen Shelley McCarty Stacey Hatch Tim Cedrone Tim Lebling Travis Randle Trevalyn Bell Troy Henrich Valerie Prenzlow Victoria MacKenzie Wade Messner
Since its inception, Cybex has hosted over 300 YMCA/JCC professionals, representing over 600 branches at our world headquarters for a unique learning experience, the YMCA Training Coach program. This four-day comprehensive workshop combines classroom instruction with practical hands-on training. Topics covered include anatomy, kinesiology, biomechanics, and motor learning. The program was created to help further the participants’ education in exercise science. It also provides cardio and strength product training to equip their staf with safe and efective ways to better serve their members on the wellness floor. In 2016, the Cybex Research Institute (CRI) Training Coach team, led by Dr. Paul Juris, will once again ofer YMCA and JCC health and wellness professionals this highly personalized and exclusive opportunity. Availability is limited. For more information on attending one of the 2016 sessions, contact Al Rousseau at +1.860.621.8888. Visit cybexintl.com to learn more.
“The workshop provides the education and training for our staf to be experts for our communities and members.” Bobbi Wiliams Associate Executive Director Merrimack Valley YMCA
Scan the QR code to see what people are saying about the YMCA Training Coach Program.
© 2016, Cybex International, Inc.
Aaron Mayfield Christina Patel Abel Albanes Colleen McLain Adrian Sadowski Collette Cosby Alex Ciambrone Craig Lewis Alex Shelton Dan Chambers Amber Nelson Dan de Saussure Andrew Jefrys David Trubiani Ann Johnson Fiona Kriaris April Hix Harriet Shirley Bonnie Livingston Heidi Zarder Brandon Brugger Hiliary Nichols Bryan Einwalter J Morgan Carlos Garcia Jamie Lyell Carma DeVillers Jayne Miller Morgan Catherine Santamaria
perspective
Following in Their Footsteps Past leaders point the way in solving modern-day problems. I had the distinct honor to be part of the National YMCA Hall of Fame inductions ceremony at the General Assembly earlier this month. It was incredibly humbling to read the extensive biographical backgrounds and achievements that lead to the preparation of a candidate for the Hall. The 12 inductees to the class of 2016 are all amazing YMCA leaders whose shoulders we are fortunate enough to stand upon. John Wannamaker helped Northern YMCAs develop the U.S. Christian Commission to support the enlisted men of the Union Army and Navy during the Civil War. Harry Crowe Buck (SC 1917), born in 1884, is considered the father of modern physical education in India. Having founded the PE profession as a Y ambassador from Y in the USA, he then spent his entire career in India. I was especially moved by the work of Jesse Alexander (GW 1958) who was inducted for what is as relevant today as it was back in the late 1960s. He joined the National Staff in 1969 to serve as an executive for racial minority concerns. Alexander organized the National Conference of Black and Non-White Laymen and Staff, which supported the efforts to overcome racism in the Y, an issue that is extremely relevant at this point in our nation’s history. In fact, Kevin Washington, Y-USA president and CEO, wrote to the movement in July that in light of
Natalie Norton President and CEO, AYP
the tragedies in Baton Rouge, the Twin Cities, and Dallas, we must look at what we can do in our local communities to continue the work that Jesse Alexander and many others have started. “As a movement, we have an opportunity and obligation to model our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility during challenging times,” stated Washington. “Y-USA understands that many of you are looking for immediate ways to facilitate positive dialogue and action in response to societal inequity, tension, and polarization.” He offered these suggestions: Set aside space for staff, volunteers, and members to share thoughts, their concerns, and emotions.. Ensure a clear commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity. Explore local partnerships to bring your community together in service to unity and the common good.
The Y-USA Diversity & Inclusion team, led by Lynda Gonzales as vice president of national diversity and inclusion, is available to help you navigate these challenging times. We have a responsibility to provide hope to others, and our YMCAs are a great place to make that happen. We are the safe haven — a place “for all,” as it says right in our mission. Let’s be the beacon of hope in our communities for dialogue, conversation, and a place to be welcomed no matter who we are.
National YMCA Hall of Fame Inductees – Class of 2016 John Wannamaker (1838-1922) Richard c. (Dick) Kautz (1916-2003) Harry Crowe Buck (1884-1943) Adrian Lyon (1869-1950) Jesse Alexander (1928- ) Dr. Lawrence A. Golding (1926 - ) Dr. David Epperson (1935-2011) Ron Kinnamon (1937 – 2015) Robert K. Masuda (1939 - ) Peter B. Post (1936 - ) Jerry Prado-Shaw (1942 - ) Leonard H. Wilson (1940 - ) See bios at www3.springfieldcollege.edu/ homepage/designer.nsf/YMCA-Hall-OfFame.
share wares “We have an opportunity and obligation to model our core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility during challenging times.” Kevin Washington, in a July message to the YMCA movement about how YMCAs can respond to community tension
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 1
Interested in contributing to AYP magazine? Contact Carla Kalogeridis at 313-884-0988 or ayp_edit@networkmediapartners.com.
Custom Publishing Services provided by Network Media Partners, Inc.
Advertising Contact: Holly Klarman hklarman@networkmediapartners.com 410-584-1946 AYP magazine is published bimonthly by the Association of YMCA Professionals. ©2016 by the Association of YMCA Professionals. All rights reserved. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Address copyright queries to ayp_edit@networkmediapartners.com Annual subscription to AYP magazine is $35 (international is an additional $75 a year) and is included in the membership dues for AYP members. If you are unsure of your subscription status, please contact Josh Cruz at josh@ayponline.org or call 413-748-3884. Statement of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the authors alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of the officers or members of AYP. AYP magazine connects, inspires, and advances the leaders of the YMCA through an exploration in leadership arts, thereby inciting creativity, strength, and strategic thinking.
Association Media & Publishing 2015 Silver EXCEL Award, General Excellence 2015 Bronze EXCEL Award, Design Excellence 2012 Silver EXCEL Award, Most Improved, 50,000 or fewer APEX 2014 Award of Excellence, Magazine, Journal & Tabloid Writing 2013 Award of Excellence, Magapaper & Newspaper Writing 2012 Grand Award, Design and Illustration 2012 Award of Excellence, Design and Illustration 2012 Award of Excellence, Magazine & Journal Writing Printed in the United States of America
2 AYP magazine August/September 2016
16
Mind the Gap By Thomas Marcetti End the worry about retiring Baby Boomers by attracting — and keeping — your Millennials.
n
ye
es
Fulfll t he M i
ssio
e nt
Op
m on vir En
plo
ty
s Stren gthen the Community
dM
Em
a li Supp ort Crit ica lS erv ice
an
ers
age
Qu
b em
Eng
Change
aS afe ,
s? no
Fos ter
tive Posi
Wh y
iver De l
re Reachi e h w y r e v ng O E s A ut t C M oK Y e ro r A
ize tim
u Yo
rce rkfo o rW
Maximize Your Budget
NUR TUR E YOU R W ORKFO RCE , GRO W YOUR MISSION When it comes to delivering on your mission, your workforce is at the root of your success. With the right human capital management partner, you can trim costs, grow efficiency, ensure workforce compliance, increase employee engagement, and cultivate the meaningful member experiences you care so much about. Kronos® partners with a growing community of YMCAs to help better manage their largest expense and most valuable asset — the workforce. With intuitive, easy-to-use tools, YMCAs can control costs, streamline processes, and help employees get back to what they do best — delivering on your mission. Learn more at www.kronos.com/ymca.
©2016 Kronos Incorporated. Kronos and the Kronos logo are registered trademarks and Workforce Innovation That Works is a trademark of Kronos Incorporated or a related company. All other product and company names are used for identification purposes only and may be the trademarks of their respective owners. All specifications are subject to change.
AYP National Board of Directors Chair Sandy Morander, YMCA of Greater San Antonio Chair-Elect Sal Cisneros, Channel Islands YMCA Treasurer Kelly Kay, YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City Secretary Kimberly Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Immediate Past Chair David Byrd, YMCA of Greater Kansas City Theresa Hillis, Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA Harry Rock, Springfield College Kim Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Tracy Miller, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Michael Bright, YMWCA of Newark and Vicinity Ted Wenta, YMCA of Snohomish County Craig Heinrichs, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Terri Radcliff, YMCA of the USA Lisa Ramirez, YMCA of Greater San Antonio Ebony Young, YMCA of Greater New York Jon Agnew, Philadelphia and Freedom Valley YMCA
EAF Board Chair Eric Ellsworth, YMCA of Greater Indianapolis Chair-Elect George Romell, YMCA of Greater Rochester Secretary/Treasurer Bob Hastedt, YMCA Retirement Fund Teresa Rogers, Volusia-Flagler YMCA Karen Leslie, YMCA of Greater Providence Rig Riggins, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh Dick Bennett, Lake County (Ohio) YMCA Krystal Canady, YMCA of Eastern Union County Joan Lovell, YMCA of the USA Jim Havlick, Association of YMCA Retirees Tracy Miller, YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Andy Vamis, YMCA of San Francisco Rob Wilkinson, Kishwaukee Family YMCA Sean Elliot, Philadelphia and Freedom Valley YMCA Alan Hostrup, YMCA of Greater Los Angeles
AYP President and CEO Natalie Norton
AYP Editorial Advisory Group
1 6 8 10
14
The Association of YMCA Professional inspires, connects and empowers Y leaders to achieve personal excellence to support the movement.
AYP Fundamental Principles Innovate, Lead, Support — these guide the AYP focus and Its leadership Data Driven, Defined Outcomes, Relevant, Network Plus — these shape the development, delivery and direction of AYP experiences
4 AYP magazine August/September 2016
28
feature
Notes from the field
Letting People Go with Dignity
postings
How can you do something that’s fundamentally wrong in “the right way?”
News from AYP chapters and members
32
marketplace
34
spirituality
got a minute? Angela Wallace, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South
findings
Wisdom
Open Devotions, Open Minds What a Jewish Community Center taught one YMCA director about the Christian Mission
How a Rising Minimum Wage Impacts the Nonprofit Sector
the science of...
Items of Interest from vendors and partners
36
body, mind, spirit How to define a healthy diet and a rebus to test what you know about failure
Studies on intelligence vs. wisdom find new clues in the heart
Association of YMCA Professionals
AYP Mission
Share Wares
Insights gained from looking at how the minimum wage hike could affect YMCAs
Kimberly Moser, Peninsula Metropolitan YMCA Theresa Hillis, Kandiyohi County Area YMCA Richard Bennett, Lake County YMCA
Stitzer YMCA Center, 2nd Floor Springfield College 263 Alden St. Springfield, MA 01109 www.ayponline.org Tel: 413-748-3884 Fax: 413-748-3872
perspective
22
feature Leadership Lost Make sure you aren’t succombing to these five leadership killers.
CORRECTION In AYP ’s June/July 2016 issue, Julie Stuart’s name was misspelled in the cover story on performance reviews. Stuart, an executive coach, was interviewed regarding her work with the YMCA of the Central Bay Area in California. AYP apologizes for the error. More information about Stuart can be found at www.juliestuart.com.
PERFECTING THE ELLIPTICAL YOU KNOW AND LOVE TfififiEFX®fififififi’sfisfifififimfififififififififi280,000fiufififisfifififi115ficfiufififififisfififififififififififififisfififififibfifififififififisfifififififififififimpfififififi yfiufififififififisfifipfifixpfifififificfififififififimfififi.fiTfifififififi-fifififiExpfifififificfi™fiSfifififisfiEFXfifisfififiufififififififififiufifififififipfificfifififififififififififi fififipfififififififififififibfifififiy,fifififififififififificfififififififiufifisfififikfififificfififififififififimpfififififififififificfifisfifififififififififififififimfikfififififififififisfifififi fifificfififififififififimfififififififi.fiYfiufififixfificfisfifisfififififififififififififififimfifififipfifisfififififizfififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififififi fififissRfimp®,fifififififififififikfiufififixpfifififificfifififififififififififikfifipfifififimficfimfifififibfick.
Refresh your cardio success: precor.com/efx © 2016 Precor Incorporated
postings AYP news Join the Wait List for AYP’s Northeast Regional Conference Subscribe to the wait list for “Charting Your Course” at the Hyatt Regency Newport in Newport, Rhode Island, on March 28 – 30, 2017, so you don’t miss a thing. By joining the wait list at http:// ayponline.org/nec-2017-get-allthe-updates, you’ll be immediately informed when registration goes live, and you can catch the early bird savings.
SPREAD THE WORD
Your News is Our News AYP members and chapters are encouraged to submit personnel announcements and promotions, YMCA news, and other stories to Thomas Marcetti at ayp_edit@ networkmediapartners.com.
6 AYP magazine August/September 2016
Members of the Y-USA Government Relations and Policy Team, from left, Neal Denton, senior vice president and chief government affairs officer; Kristin Hurdle, senior director state advocacy; and Jim McGowan, senior manager of state advocacy.
CHAPTER 42
Minnesota Jim McGowan, a past board member of Chapter 42 and current member, was recently named senior manager of state advocacy for the Y-USA Government Relations and Policy Team. McGowan was executive director of the Minnesota Alliance of YMCAs. He now works with a team dedicated to guiding YMCA State Alliances in a wide range of state advocacy best practices and strategies. “We work to build, strengthen, and support YMCA advocacy networks, proactively working with YMCA State Alliance leadership to increase their government relations capacity to advance the YMCA mission,” McGowan says. “We help to identify state policy trends, key issues, and potential initiatives; share model practices with YMCA advocates nationwide; and develop training, tools, and resources to support state alliances and local associations in implementing effective government relations activities in their states and communities.”
James Scherer is the new president and CEO of Southcoast YMCA.
CHAPTER 4
Eastern Massachusetts In April, James Scherer began his tenure as the new president and CEO of Southcoast YMCA. “Jim is an energetic leader with an unparalleled commitment to community and development,” says Peter C. Bullard, chair of the Southcoast YMCA board of directors. “We are confident that Jim will provide the leadership to guide the Y as it continues its mission of ensuring that all members of the Southcoast community will have the opportunity to live, grow, and thrive.” Scherer is a passionate career professional with 33 years of experience in the Y. He has served in six different YMCA associations in key leadership positions, including four years as CEO for the Wallingford YMCA (Connecticut); eight years as COO for the Greater Hartford YMCA, where he oversaw the development and construction of several new branches; as well as working with the Corporate Board on Strategic Planning as a Trendsetter Y for Living Our Cause. He and Gina, his wife of 28 years, are blessed with five boys and two girls. “The Y makes a tremendous impact in the lives of our neighbors every day, and it is an honor for me to be a part of that,” Jim stated. Scherer took over for Gary R Schuyler who retired after 28 years.
CHAPTER 26
Tennessee Congratulations to the 2016 AYP award winners for the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South. During the spring conference, five people were recognized for their outstanding service. The winners were: James Corrigan – Director of the Year Brian McLaughlin – Service Award Steve Barnas – Director of the Year R osemary Dworak - Leadership Excellence Angela Talley – Rookie of the Year The five received their awards at the May 11-13 conference at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Appropriately, the conference’s theme was “Changes in Latitude. Changes in Attitude,” and as the song suggests, participants “Took off for a weekend … Just to try and recall the whole year.”
Patchogue Family YMCA Wellness Director Stephen Lee and Lifestyle Coach Ellen Chiappetta stand with a visual prop they use for their YMCA Diabetes Prevention Program.
CHAPTER 1
New York City and Long Island
Chapter 82 members take a moment to enjoy the view during an AYP social event in San Francisco.
CHAPTER 82
Northern California, Reno, Hawaii Inspiration can always be found at AYP Chapter 82 social events. On Wednesday, May 18, more than 80 YMCA professionals from the San Francisco, Silicon Valley, and East Bay associations converged at Google’s headquarters overlooking the postcard views of the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. The view wasn’t the only inspiration for participants. Chuck Collins, CEO of YMCA of San Francisco, spoke about finding new ways to engage with our communities and with each other. “Martin Luther King Jr. didn’t say, ‘Only in the darkness can you see the light.’ He said, ‘Only in the darkness can you see the stars,’” Collins said during the event. Pizza, beverages, and connecting with other Y professionals rounded out a night of enthusiasm and insight. Follow the chapter on Twitter @AYPChapter82 and learn more about its 2016 fall conference at www.ymcasf.org/association-ymca-professionals.
The Patchogue Family YMCA received a special member testimonial for its Diabetes Prevention Program. “I want to thank you for the privilege of taking the Diabetes Prevention Class at the YMCA in Patchogue. I do see it as a privilege. It’s not every day that you get a chance to change to your life for the better! This class has given me the tools and know-how to make significant changes in my life,” the woman wrote. “(Through the class) I have lost 50 pounds. … Because of the daily exercise, a knee replacement is no longer necessary! … I really feel this class has given me a new lease on life. … I am very grateful for Steven (Lee) and Ellen (Chiappetta) for their time, effort, dedication, and sincere caring for each and every one of us to succeed.” The center’s Executive Director Donna M. Boyle says the letter sent in by a recent participant in the yearlong program is a great indication of the positive effect the Y is having on the community. “It’s always rewarding to be even a small part of changing someone’s life!” she says.
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 7
got a minute?
angela
WALLACE Vice President of Marketing and Communications YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South — Chapter 26
Your idea of perfect happiness? All my friends in one place Your greatest fear? Being forgotten The living person you identify with most? Amy Poehler Your favorite real-life heroes? Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sheryl Sandberg Your greatest achievement? Playing collegiate basketball Favorite plant? A fake one Favorite food? Can I say all of it? Greatest extravagance? Concert tickets Your ultimate vacation? Australia/New Zealand What tops your bucket list? Seeing a NFL and MLB game in every stadium Trait you deplore in others? Judgmental people On what occasion would you lie? “Are you ok?” Which talent would you like to share? Woo factor If you could change one thing about yourself? Don’t overthink everything What you like best about your YMCA co-workers? Extended family
ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY MORROW
What you like best about your YMCA’s members? Loyal Your dream occupation? ESPN color commentator Your most obvious characteristic? Smile Quality you like most in a co-worker? Follow-through Quality you like most in a man? Sense of humor Quality you like most in a woman? Independence Quality you like most in a child? Resilience Your favorite writer? Jenny Lawson What keeps you up at night? My thoughts Your favorite names? Aunt Ang and Wallace What do you dislike more than anything else? Inequality The most important thing to secure the viability of the YMCA movement? Being open to change What is your motto? “Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark.”
findings WORKFORCE
How a Rising Minimum Wage Impacts the Nonprofit Sector While YMCA workforces are somewhat unique, insight is gained from looking at how the minimum wage hike is affecting nonprofits in general. By Scott W. Allard As the income inequality discussion continues to simmer across the country, municipal minimum wage ordinances have become hot topics of conversation in many cities. In January 2016, Seattle implemented its second step-up in the local minimum wage in 9 months, reaching $13 for many employers in the city and edging closer to a $15 an hour minimum that will apply to most firms by 2019. San Francisco will reach a $15 an hour minimum by July 2018. Cities as diverse as Birmingham, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Louisville have enacted or proposed similar minimum wage laws. It is too early to discern true impact of these local wage ordinances, but speculation abounds regarding whether or how the higher wage will affect organizations and the earnings of low-wage workers. Less prominent in the debate and discussion about the minimum wage is the potential impact that higher minimum wage rates may have for nonprofit organizations like YMCAs. YMCAs and other nonprofits perform many critical functions in our communities — often serving the most at-risk and disadvantaged. Yet, fiscal constraints can place a low ceiling on what many nonprofits can pay frontline staff. As a result, many different types of nonprofit organizations — child care centers, home health care
10 AYP magazine August/September 2016
organizations, senior care providers — pay staff at rates near or below the targets set by the recent crop of local minimum wage laws. Our popular image of a minimum-wage worker is the teenage cashier at a drive-through window or the sales clerk at a retail store in the local strip mall, but many workers in these “helping professions” are being paid low wages, too. Increases in the minimum wage are occurring at the same time that many nonprofit service organizations are confronted with fixed or declining revenue streams. Facing fiscal pressure, nonprofit service organizations may pursue one or more coping strategies. In addition to reductions in staffing or hours, some nonprofits may cut back on services offered, scale back service areas, or favor communities that can afford higher fees. Such responses could reduce the amount and quality of the services provided to vulnerable populations. For example, elderly populations on fixed incomes may have fewer options for home care. Working poor parents may find higher child care costs prohibitively expensive. Employment service organizations may find it harder to place hard-to-serve jobseekers in jobs due to more competitive applicant pools. At the same time, higher minimum wages could have positive consequences for nonprofit staffing and capacity. Higher wages could reduce employee turnover and increase staff morale and productivity (see sidebar, “Workforce Challenges Facing the Y”). Organizations may not have to grapple with the contradiction of serving low-income persons, but paying modest wages.
partner program
AYP Partners support our community The AYP Partner Program is designed to help connect Y professionals with vendors and suppliers that have made a commitment to AYP. AYP Partners want to support the Y movement and provide you and your facility with the best products, services, and solutions. You can find AYP Professional Partners featured in AYP magazine, at www.AYPonline. org, and at AYP events throughout the year. Consider supporting the companies that support your association — just look for the AYP Partner logo.
MOTIVATE YOUR MEMBERS OR SOMEBODY ELSE WILL To start building a stronger, more resilient business, get in touch with a member of our team today.
1.844.LESMILLS info.usa@lesmills.com lesmills.com/us/relationships
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 11
NEW TERRITORY FOR CITIES WORKFORCE CHALLENGES FACING THE Y CHALLENGE: Young professionals using the Y as a stepping stone to other careers. YMCAs have a unique workforce, with most employees working on an hourly basis and one-third of them under age 25. New employees must be shown that they can achieve the growth and advancement they are looking for by moving to other YMCAs and in different geographical areas when that makes sense strategically for their careers. CHALLENGE: The new minimum wage. It’s not just the increasing minimum wage for hourly workers, but also the added challenge that when the minimum wage workers get an increase, so must the people who have been at the Ys long before them. CHALLENGE: Baby Boomers aren’t retiring. Many Ys are finding that Baby Boomers are not leaving until their 70s. These seasoned Y professionals feel protective of the initiatives they have helped create and shepherd. And while that doesn’t sound like a bad thing, it could challenge a Y’s succession planning with a delay in when leadership positions will open up to rising leaders. CHALLENGE: Millennials not moving up. Many Millennials like what they do and don’t necessarily want to move up into positions left by retiring Boomers. Millennials like to be hands on and don’t always want to move up into a role where they motivate others instead of do the work themselves. — Carla Kalogeridis, AYP managing editor
12 AYP magazine August/September 2016
The most recent set of wage ordinances take cities to unknown territory. Anticipating potential negative effects, Chicago has exempted individuals in subsidized employment programs from its recent minimum wage ordinance. The city of Seattle has set aside funds to help nonprofits meet the higher local minimum wage, but many nonprofit funding streams are beyond the city’s control and are not seeing similar adjustments. In the coming years, more research on how local nonprofits are affected by local minimum wage laws needs to occur. We should expect there to be a mix of positive and negative effects within a particular nonprofit organization and across different types of organizations. Nonprofit organizations should be engaged as stakeholders in debates around higher local minimum wages. And, nonprofits should actively engage in research efforts to document the impact of higher wages. In particular, nonprofits should work to compile data that can compare staffing, service delivery, and program outcomes before and after wage laws phase-in. Such data could provide important insight into the impact of local wage ordinances. We also should be careful not to confuse other challenges confronting the nonprofit sector with the impact of higher minimum wages. For example, private philanthropy to human service nonprofits has failed to keep up with rising need and declining public sector revenue streams in most communities — realities that may pose more serious challenges than minimum wage laws, but ones without an obvious scapegoat. In the end, ongoing debate around local minimum wage ordinances should provide us with the opportunity to re-examine how we support communitybased nonprofits as a society and assess whether that support fits with all that we expect the nonprofit sector to accomplish for children and families in our communities.
Scott W. Allard is a professor in the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy and Governance with expertise in the areas of social welfare policy and poverty. His primary research interests are in work and safety net program participation, spatial variation in the delivery of social welfare programs, food security, and the role of nonprofit organizations in the safety net.
W H E N THE RE ’S A N E E D, WE HAVE
THE WAY Since 1904, AYP members in need have found financial support and caring through the
Emergency Assistance Fund of AYP. It is only possible through your contributions.
The next person in need might be you.
Please send your EAF pledge today.
www.ayponline.org/donations
the science of... WISDOM
Where to Find Wisdom in the Body? Studies on the difference between intelligence and wisdom finds new clues in the heart. By Jill Suttie
A
ccording to a new study, people with higher heart rate variability are wiser — when they make an effort to be objective. Many cultures consider the human heart to be the seat of wisdom. Now scientists are finding some evidence for this, though the reality may be more complicated than it seems. Previous research has suggested that higher heart rate variability (HRV) — the variability in the time between our heartbeats, which is a measure of heart health — is associated with better cognitive and emotional functioning. For example, higher HRV has been linked to better working memory and attention, higher levels of empathy and social functioning, and better emotional self-control. Could heart rate variability be linked to better moral judgments, as well? Researcher Igor Grossmann, from the University of Waterloo, Ontario, and his colleagues at the University of Western Sydney in Australia, looked at how HRV interacts with moral reasoning and judgment — or wisdom — in a series of experiments.
14 AYP magazine August/September 2016
To measure wisdom, 186 participants were asked to select a social or political issue that they felt strongly about — such as climate change, unemployment, taxes, etc. Then they were asked to discuss their insights into the issue and how they thought it might play out over time using one of two possible viewpoints: 1. a “self-immersed” or subjective, more personal perspective, using first-person pronouns like “I” or “me”; or 2. a “self-distanced” or more objective, third-person perspective, using pronouns like “he” or “she” when possible.
The researchers wanted to see if directing people to take the perspective of others (versus thinking in a more egocentric way) might play a role in wise reasoning, and how that interacted with HRV. Past studies had found that wisdom might not arise simply from higher levels of cognitive functioning (which is linked to HRV); a self-distanced perspective might also be needed to facilitate insight. Observers blind to the experiment coded the participants’ discussions, looking for evidence of wisdom — defined as a recognition of one’s limits of knowledge, the possibility of change, and others’ perspectives, and an attempt to integrate these different points of view. Participants were then asked to make judgments about a fictitious person who engaged in morally ambiguous activities, such as returning (or not) a wallet, or keeping change (or not) when a roommate gave them money to buy pizza. Observers rated these judgments for bias based on whether participants considered dispositional and situational factors in making their judgments, or if they relied only on one or the other. For example, participants were considered biased if they said that keeping a wallet signified that the person was dishonest, period (relying on dispositional explanations alone), without considering the possibility that circumstance — e.g., the person was poor and needed the money — played a role. Analyses showed that having high HRV was connected to wisdom, but only if individuals had been instructed to take a self-distanced perspective. Participants with high resting HRV (recorded before and after the experiments) who were assigned to the “self-distanced” perspective were significantly more likely to display wise reasoning and less biased judgments than those with high HRV assigned to the “self-immersed” perspective, while those with low HRV did not seem to reason or judge differently based on their assigned perspective. This suggests that having high HRV is not enough to improve one’s moral reasoning or to prevent bias, even if it has been tied to better thinking and emotional regulation in past research. “The efficient processing of information or a lot of prefrontal cortex activity alone does not necessarily make you wiser. You also need to step beyond your own immediate self-interest for that,” he says. Though HRV may play a role in wisdom, Grossman believes there isn’t a lot one can do to change it — it’s more a matter of individual differences. But, he says, we may want to consider training people in impartial, third-person perspective taking to help them be wiser in life, whether they have high HRV or not. He is involved in a number of projects aimed at helping others be more objective in social, political, and intergroup conflict situations. “I don’t know exactly what the nuances of this intervention would be, but I hope to tell you in a year,” he says.
Jill Suttie, Psy.D., is Greater Good‘s book review editor and a frequent contributor to the magazine. Reprinted with permission from the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley. For more, visit greatergood.berkeley.edu.
Keep up the good work. Get a discount on select Sprint monthly service simply because of where you work. #MoveForward
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
Discount for employees of
YMCA
22%
off select regularly priced Sprint monthly data service.
sprint.com/ymca Mention this code for your Sprint Discount Program. Corporate ID: NYMCA_ZMB_ZZZ Activ. Fee: Up to $30/line. Credit approval req. SDP Discount: Avail. for eligible company employees or org. members (ongoing verification). Discount subject to change according to the company’s/org’s agreement with Sprint and is avail. upon request for select monthly data svc charges. Discount only applies to data svc for Better Choice Plans, Sprint Family Share Pack and Unlimited, My Way plans. Not avail. with no credit check offers or Mobile Hotspot add-on. Other Terms: Offers and coverage not available everywhere or for all devices/ networks. Restrictions apply. See store or sprint.com for details. © 2016 Sprint. All rights reserved. Sprint and the logo are trademarks of Sprint. Other marks are the property of their respective owners. N145632CA
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 15
MIND THE
End the worry about retiring Baby Boomers by attracting — and keeping — your Millennials.
16 AYP magazine August/September 2016
GAP
By Thomas Marcetti
T
he numbers can be a little startling. By 2025, Millennials will make up 75 percent of the global workforce, but currently, less than 5 percent of them hold a position of director or above. Only about 35 percent are in positions of management with direct reports, according to Future Workplace, a consulting firm which focuses on Millennials. What does this mean for the YMCA movement? With more than 20 million Baby Boomers expected to retire by the end of the decade, the question popping up more and more is whether Millennials will be ready — or even willing — to fill vacancies in YMCA leadership positions left by Boomers.
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 17
WHEN HIRING Millennials, don’t just tell them what the job is — show them why the job matters. Show them what it does for the community. Lee Ellis Author and Leadership Consultant
Award-winning author and leadership consultant Lee Ellis says organizations and current leaders are not doing enough to be ready for this generational shift. “It is coming a lot faster than people anticipated, a lot faster than people still anticipate. In part, it is because of the retirement of Boomers, the shortage of Gen Xers, and the expansion of technology. Organizations have to have the latest technology to be relevant, and Millennials are experts in technology,” Ellis says. But only 7 percent of organizations report having leadership training for Millennial leaders, according to Dan Schawbel, research director for Future Workplace and author of Promote Yourself: The New Rules for Career Success. “Companies are not engaging Millennials, not supporting them,” says Schawbel, who is himself a Millennial. “We can’t afford to do this. Organizations need to prioritize leadership development. They need to help shape Millennials’ careers if they want to be a part of them.” Schawbel says his studies have found that while 93 percent of Millennials have leadership aspirations, only 16 percent want to lead at the company where they currently work. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2014 report shows that Millennials, on average, are staying only two years at each career job, compared to the national average of 4.6 years for all ages. Make no mistake, Millennials will be taking and creating leadership positions. The real test for organizations making the high-wire walk from one generation to another is how to find the necessary balance and not take a plunge. “Millennials are more entrepreneurial, they are more assertive than other generations — or rather they are more assertive at an earlier age. Other generations were told to shut up and do their jobs. Millennials are interested in having their ideas listened to,” Ellis says. “They are going to be part of the conversation, or they are going to start their own.”
FINDING A PLACE THAT MATTERS
ORGANIZATIONS ARE not engaging and supporting Millennials. We can’t afford to do this. We must help shape Millennials’ careers if we want to be part of them. Dan Schawbel Research Director, Future Workplace
18 AYP magazine August/September 2016
In many ways, the YMCA is already well positioned to attract, engage, and grow these emerging leaders. “The Y stands for youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility because our mission is to make a difference in our communities. That’s a mission and a place this generation can stand behind. They can make an impact working for the Y,” says Missy Huppert, marketing coordinator of YMCA Greater Twin Cities in Minnesota and regional representative for AYP Chapter 42. “Many of our Ys offer leadership development programs for our teen members and participants,” Huppert says. “These programs not only provide our youth leadership skillsets but also allow them to witness what the Y does and stands for.” For the latest generation to be saddled with the age-old “kids these days” cliches, Millennials are more charitable than they are given credit for. According to the Millennial Impact Report, 84 percent of Millennial workers donated to charity in 2014. More than 70 percent of them volunteered at least one hour that same year. Research for the Millennial Impact Report is conducted by Achieve, a research and creative agency for causes. “It’s not that this generation doesn’t care. In fact, it’s just the opposite. They care in a different way. Millennials aren’t as attracted to money or hierarchy; instead, they aspire to be leaders that collaborate, empower, and transform,” Huppert says.
“They want to be in a leadership role but not as leadership roles have been defined in the past. They value open, transparent, inclusive leadership styles. They want to know that their work is making an impact and a difference in this world.” This is an important distinction for Millennials. While a mission is vital for them, seeing the results of their work can be even more important. Ellis says that while the generation can skew a little idealistic, they are also very concerned with consequences and justice. Being able to see they are doing right or doing good can make the difference between them sticking with an organization or moving on. This is something that can start even before day one on the job. “When hiring Millennials, don’t just tell them what the job is — show them why the job matters. Show them what it does for the community,” Ellis says.
ATTRACT FIRST, THEN KEEP Jason Dorsey, co-founder and chief strategy officer of the Center for Generational Kinetics, a Millennials research company, agrees the show-them-why-it-matters approach is key to building a strong and lasting relationship with Millennials. “Our research indicates Millennials, who are currently age 21 to 39, have a strong desire to positively impact their communities and their world,” he says. “Service organizations and nonprofits, particularly those with a physical presence and local impact, are well positioned to attract Millennials to leadership.” He says the challenges for organizations is learning how to attract Millennials and then how to keep them. YMCAs should be very worried if they’re not successfully attracting and keeping Millennials in leadership roles, Dorsey says, because the situation is only going to get worse unless organizations adapt — and quickly. Speed and flexibility will be important for the Y moving forward, says Jill Doerner, vice president of sales and membership services community operations of YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago. “If the Y wants to be competitive in the Millennial job market — the Y will need to consider the aspects of the workplace that are valued by this generation — which include environments of continuous learning, flexible scheduling with telecommunication options, work-place perks, savvy technological tools, and a supportive work-life balance philosophy,” Doerner says. “Since the Millennial generation actively and naturally engages with technology — it will be imperative for technology to be a brand of Y culture.” She says this generation has an abundance of self-confidence and thrives in challenging environments. They are task, not time, orientated. They are hungry to interface with upper management — and not only want to have a voice but also to be heard. Tapping into and reinforcing these strengths should be no problem for the Y, Doerner says. “The Y can expand the portfolio of a Millennial at the rate and speed in which they are accustomed,” she says. “The Millennial’s power to build an individual development plan, coupled with experiential learning opportunities at the Y, allow them to plan for a varied career path within the same dynamic organization. It is essential we keep them intrigued by exposing them to different lines of business to expand their portfolio, help them source a mentor for professional dialogue, and allow them to take part in professional organizations like AYP to network and build leadership competencies.”
SINCE MILLENNIALS actively and naturally engage with technology — it will be imperative for technology to be a brand of Y culture. Jill Doerner Vice President of Sales and Membership Services Community Operations YMCA of Metropolitan
WE ARE ON THE RIGHT track and are preparing this generation well. Andrea C. Vignali Senior Manager, Talent Management YMCA of the USA
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 19
THE MISSION OF SERVICE that YMCA is based upon does appeal to Millennials, but that mission must be represented in a more relevant and timely way through channels Millennials trust, such as social media, peer-topeer gatherings, and new storylines that fit Millennials’ life stage. Jason Dorsey Co-Founder and Chief Strategy OfficerCenter for Generational Kinetics
20 AYP magazine August/September 2016
She sees many Y programs that target Millennials and give them opportunities to grow such as AYP, various mentor-mentee programs, an environment of continuous learning, networking groups, and fitness programs such as fluid running. Andrea C. Vignali, senior manager talent management at YMCA of the USA, is encouraged by the promising Y programs that engage Millennials.“We are on the right track and are preparing this generation well,” she says. “More work needs to be done, and we are continually introducing development resources and trainings to engage this generation is a way that is accessible and motivating for them.” She points to the success of the Emerging Leaders Resource Network and the Employee Resource Networks. The networks are employee-led and geared toward mentoring, sharing knowledge, personal and professional development, and providing consultation when needed. “The mission of the Emerging Leaders Resource Network is to cultivate and prepare a diverse group of emerging leaders to fill critical roles within YMCAs across our nation to ensure the sustainability and success of the Y movement,” she says.
ONE FOOT IN FRONT OF THE OTHER Ellis says he became interested in Millennial leadership about 15 years ago when he was working with various senior executives and C-level leaders on long-term planning. He says, in a lot of ways, connecting with Millennials is not any different than what good leaders are already doing. “A good leader makes people feel cared for, valued, important, and that their work is useful,” he says. “It’s about learning together. You have to be authentic. Admit what you don’t know, what you want to learn. They will be attracted to that. Tell them, ‘I want to get better. I want you to get better, too. We are going to grow together.’” Being able to grow with an organization is crucial for Millennials. Dorsey, who is a Millennial, says the YMCA is often viewed as a legacy organization. Based on his research, this can be good and bad. Good, because the group has name recognition so there is some existing idea of what the group stands for. But it can be bad because many times a legacy organization’s mission is not fully understood and therefore doesn’t seem like a fit for a Millennial. There is even sometimes the belief the organizations don’t want Millennials in leadership roles. “YMCAs should absolutely make it a priority to re-introduce the organization nationally and locally to Millennials and Millennial influencers so this huge generation of 80 million reconnects and supports such an important organization that helps so many people,” he says. “This can start as small as local, informal gettogethers with influential Millennials or as big as awards for young professional leaders in the community.” Dorsey says the goal should not be just to engage Millennials, but to get them to take action, post the action on social media, or some other measurable outcome, and then involve their friends to create momentum in support of the YMCA brand. “The mission of service that YMCA is based upon does appeal to Millennials, but that mission must be represented in a more relevant and timely way through channels Millennials trust, such as social media, peer-to-peer gatherings, and new storylines that fit Millennials’ life stage,” Dorsey says. “Keep in mind that Millennials are now the parents of today’s kids, so this is a great time for them to connect
with YMCAs, whether that is a program for kids that brings in Millennial parents or volunteer opportunities for Millennials.” The opportunity to have a positive effect on their community through the YMCA can be a very appealing prospect for Millennials, especially for the ones who might only need a little reminder of its impact. “It’s not so much that something should be done about Millennials and their over-hyped sense of entitlement, but rather how can YMCAs adapt to attract and retain the best this huge, diverse generation has to offer,” Dorsey says. “Keep in mind many Millennials around the world had their lives changed because of programs such as YMCA. I know that is true for me. I attended YMCA summer camps as a kid and it profoundly impacted my life.”
Thomas Marcetti is a freelance writer based in Florida.
MILLENNIALS ASPIRE to be leaders that collaborate, empower, and transform. They value open, transparent, inclusive leadership styles. Missy Huppert Marketing Coordinator YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities
RenoSys... Your Pool Problem Solver. We have renovated over 100 YMCA projects and thousands of others. FREE Chloramine Evacuation System with Every New Indoor YMCA Pool!
Ask for Details.
PVC Pool Shells
Gutters & G G Grating i
PVC Flooring
Stainless Pools
800.783.7005 www.renosys.com • info@renosys.com
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 21
LEADERSHIP
LOST
By Carla Kalogeridis
Struggling with people’s lack of response to your leadership? Make sure you aren’t succumbing to these five leadership killers.
W
hen Helene Mogridge joined the Keene Family YMCA team as CEO, one of the first things she did was redo the organization chart. Mogridge began by putting herself at the bottom of the chart and then having the team grow upward and outward like a tree so everyone could see that leaders and managers were in a place to push up and support their teams. Her philosophy, she says, is grounded in servant leadership. “If our goal is to support our staff, our members, and our communities, we should reflect that in everything we do,” she says. “It’s all in how you look at leadership. If you get caught up in the hierarchy, it’s easy to get stuck in the chain of command. Instead of thinking about your commands, you could be thinking about expectations and reaching goals.” Leading a team — whether it’s a team of one or 100 — isn’t easy, as anyone who’s done it can tell you. And sometimes, despite your best efforts and intentions, certain characteristics of your behavior or management style can actually harm your leadership potential or discourage those you are trying to lead from actually respecting you as a leader.
WHEN YOU ALLOW others to become part of your vision, you have to let go of some parts of it. You have to trust them with it. Helene Mogridge CEO Keene Family YMCA, New Hampshire
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 23
Take a moment to reflect on your current, leadership — think about the kind of leader you want to be some day — and ask yourself if you are vulnerable to these leadership killers.
Leaders who won’t give up control. This leader will recruit people with great
WHILE IT IS PERFECTLY fine to be friendly, you cannot act as their friend or they will not take your input seriously. Steve Giglio International Executive Development and Leadership Trainer
potential but then won’t allow them to have ownership of something important like a major YMCA project or new initiative. Mogridge admits she can understand how people might be afraid of the part of leadership that involves giving something up. But the fact is, if you hire good people, they will do the job well — even if they don’t do it exactly as you would have, or exactly matching the picture you have in your head as to how the work should be done. Furthermore, she adds, the really talented people won’t stick around anyway if you don’t let them put their talents to good use. Mogridge says Y leaders need to recognize that when their people shine and succeed, it makes them look good, too. “A leader is only as good as the people who follow them,” she says.
Leaders who aren’t interested in ideas other than their own. This leadership killer builds on the preceding one — hiring great people but then not letting their voices be heard at important meetings. “When your team knows they have no voice, that’s when things start to go wrong,” Mogridge says. Mogridge recalls trying to recruit a 27-year-old as a board member. The person was highly qualified, actively engaged in the community, and the Y. She says they were a perfect fit — but they had reservations about accepting her offer to participate join the board. “The person said, ‘Helene, I’ve been on other boards. They say they want me there, but then when they ask me for my opinion, they ignore me,’” Mogridge recalls. It’s a feeling that’s familiar to Mogridge. “There were times — especially when I was younger — where I was shot down for offering an opinion,” Mogridge says. “It was clear they just wanted me to keep my head down. So I did. I thought, ‘If this is the way it is, that’s fine, but this is not the place for me.’ So I started looking for another place.” Based on her own board experience as a younger professional, Mogridge says she learned what not to do as a leader and how not to make people feel. “Some really great, really talented people will leave your Y team if they feel they have no hope or there is no point to them being there,” she says.
Leaders who have a fear of conflict. Some leaders believe that the sign of a solid team is when everyone is in agreement, meetings are calm, and everything is on an even keel. However, disagreement and debate is healthy for your Y — as long as the leader does not allow a healthy debate to turn personal. “Some Y leaders struggle with a fear of conflict and a lack of trust,” Mogridge says.
24 AYP magazine August/September 2016
TWO SURE-FIRE LEADERSHIP KILLERS Steve Giglio, international executive development and leadership trainer, has been coaching and developing leaders for many years and during that time, he has found two behaviors that are leadership killers. “They are acts that consistently, no matter who the leader is, weaken their position in the eyes of their reports and lessen their ability to lead,” says Giglio. These leadership killers are (1) wanting to be a friend and (2) orphaning instead of confronting. Friendly, But Not Friends Giglio says that it’s important for a Y professional to realize that to accept the responsibility they have as a leader, they must convey their observations, especially those that are focused on areas where their Y teammates can improve. “Many times, I see the leader’s desire to be accepted by the direct report, to be considered a comrade and a friend, as something that stands in the way of delivering those observations,” says Giglio. “While it is perfectly fine to be friendly, you cannot act as their friend or they will not take your input seriously. You are the leader they are following into battle and as such, you must separate yourself so that they count on you for honest, direct input that isn’t mired in emotion. Don’t Leave Them Orphaned Providing job- or performance-related input can be difficult. As a result, Giglio notes that some leaders will avoid the tough conversation with a direct report. “Avoiding this conversation sets a precedent,” he points out. “It says, ‘It’s okay to keep doing what you are doing, it’s fine’…when it’s really not. In a sense, you are orphaning your direct report by not interceding and letting them continue on a path toward failure without your guidance “People you coach can be just as skeptical, jaded, and fearful of being led as you are to lead them,” he continues, pointing out that it takes courage to lead. “But the big question is whether you will deliver frank, constructive input that will eventually help them achieve their goals, and those of your department, or will you simply set them to sea without a compass?” If you constantly choose the latter, Giglio says you can expect to develop a team that will not take your input or direction to heart and will time and time again blaze their own trail — and that’s usually a recipe for disaster. “Keep interceding. Give them what they need, even if it’s not what they want. You will become a stronger leader and people will thank you for it,” he advises.
PRODUCTS INCLUDE: • Metal Lockers
• Storage Solutions
• Wood Lockers
• Cell Phone Lockers
• Plastic Lockers
• See-Through Lockers
• Specialty Lockers • Locker Benches
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 25
PLAIN AND SIMPLE, you will kill your leadership potential and/or your reputation if you can’t learn to trust others. And once you do trust them, get out of their way.
Just as important is that people on the team must know that healthy debate and disagreement are OK, and that no one will be penalized in any way for bringing up an idea that disrupts the tranquility of the meeting, so to speak. “When I say or hear challenge, it’s not a fight — it just is what it is. It’a an opportunity to improve what we’re doing,” she says. “It’s a challenge in a positive sense. But you have to be comfortable admitting there might be a better way. If you insist on always being right, on always being the one with the answer — you will be the only one with the answer, but not in a good way.” Mogridge says too often she has young, emerging leaders who are surprised that Mogridge not only allows people to speaker their minds — she encourages it. “They are shocked that they, or anyone really, can sit in a meeting and argue and disagree. They are even more surprised when those people are heard, those ideas are acted upon, or at leas considered. People really should not be surprised to be allowed to participate in the organization they are working for,” she says. Mogridge has seen morale suffer at some YMCAs because people are afraid to speak up and introduce a conflicting opinion because the leader clearly prefers to avoid disruption. “They are afraid there might be some backlash if they offer an opposing idea,” Mogridge says.
Leaders who have a lack of trust. Plain and simple, you will kill your leadership potential and/or reputation if you can’t learn to trust others. “When you allow others to become part of your vision, you have to let go of some parts of it,” says Mogridge. “You have to trust them with it. There has to be a willingness to let them help shape it. I don’t feel like I’ve lost anything in this process. Those who are not willing to do this, it’s my perception that they lose the respect of their employees and of their community.” You have to give trust to receive it. If your employees know you don’t trust them, why would they trust you? For Mogridge, this comes back to her drive to servant leadership. “I’ve always tried to lead as a servant,” she says. “Leadership should always be about serving the community, both internally and externally. If my goal is to be a servant first, then my focus is on what’s best for the staff, what’s best for the members, what’s best for the community. People will see you are invested in them, and they will want to invest in you.”
26 AYP magazine August/September 2016
Leaders who micromanage. And once you do trust them with parts of the vision, get out of their way, Mogridge adds. They may not do it exactly like you would — in fact, they might even do some parts better. Bring people into the planning process. Train them and step aside. Mogridge says she commonly hears from other Y leaders that they can’t go on vacation because things will fall apart without them. However, she points out that the sign of a high-performing team is one that functions without the leader around. “A leader should empower people, show them how to succeed on their own,” she says. “I suppose some people are afraid of that. They are afraid if things don’t fall apart when they go on vacation, it means they aren’t needed. Maybe they are afraid for their position,” she says. “It should be the opposite. We should be afraid of what happens if we don’t empower people. If you don’t let people be accountable, be empowered, then they are not. If they are not, then things will surely fall apart.”
J OI N OTH E R Y M CA S
Reduce Chlorine in Your Pool
PARTICIPATORY MANAGEMENT Mogridge’s brand of servant leadership and her philosophy of empowering people can be achieved by avoiding these five leadership killers. In fact, for Y leaders who want to inspire this type of leadership throughout their entire organization, Mogridge advises starting with participatory management. For example, she recommends bringing people into the planning and decisionmaking processes. “Be transparent and open. Training people or showing them how different positions operate is key to this. It also provides a great training opportunity for future leaders.” As for those Y leaders who worry about job security if they give their team too much power, Mogridge says, “I’m cultivating someone right now to take my job. The board might decide tomorrow that she is better than I am. Yes, I guess that’s a risk, but if we don’t start preparing people now, how can we expect to be ready when we need them?”
Effective, healthy pool disinfection Up to 70% less chlorine
Carla Kalogeridis is managing editor of AYP magazine.
Destroy Cryptosporidium Better than UV, ozone and salt We found great results. A lower chlorine level and less pool smell. Keith W., YMCA VP of Facilities
303.872.4477 info@clearcomfort.com
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 27
LETTING PEOPLE GO
WITH DIGNITY By Ben Horowitz
S
o much of the success of an organization is dependent on how it treats its people. This means being mindful of more than just what happens day to day, but also what happens on their last day. It’s important to let people go the right way. This may sound nutty — how can you do something that’s fundamentally wrong in “the right way?”
Shortly after we sold Opsware to Hewlett-Packard, I had a conversation with the legendary venture capitalist Doug Leone, of Sequoia Capital. He wanted to hear the story of how we went from doomed in the eyes of the world to a $1.6 billion outcome with no recapitalization. After I took him through the details — including several near bankruptcies, a stock price of $0.35 per share, unlimited bad press, and three separate layoffs where we lost a total 400 employees — he was most amazed by the layoffs. He said that during his over 20 years in the venture capital business, he’d never seen an organization recover from consecutive layoffs and achieve a billion-dollar-plus outcome. He said that he would bet against that every time and wanted to know how we did it. Since my only experience was the great exception, I needed more information. I asked him why all the other organizations failed. He replied that the layoffs inevitably broke the organization’s culture. After seeing their friends laid off, employees were no longer willing to make the requisite sacrifices needed to build the organization. He said that although it was possible to survive an isolated layoff, it was hugely unlikely that a organization would experience great success. In retrospect, we were able to keep cultural continuity and retain our best employees despite multiple massive layoffs because we laid people off the right way. Whether it’s a single person or a group, whether it’s performance related or financial reasons, there is a right way and many wrong ways to treat people on the way out of your YMCA. Here’s the right way.
Step 1: Get your head right. When a organization must fire the employees that it went to great time and expense to hire, it weighs heavily on the chief executive. During the first layoff at our organization, I remember being forwarded an email exchange among a group of employees. In the exchange, one of our smarter employees wrote: “Ben is either lying or stupid or both.” I remember reading that and thinking: definitely stupid. During a time like this, it is difficult to focus on the future because the past overwhelms you, but that’s exactly what you must do.
Let Our Payroll Software Do The Heavy Lifting.
nnYERDI Integration nnY Payroll Features ssTax and ACA eFiling
Step 2: Don’t delay. Once you decide that you will have to lay people off, the time elapsed between making that decision and executing that decision should be short as possible. If word leaks (which it will, if you delay), then you will be faced with additional issues. Employees will question managers and ask whether or not a layoff is coming. If the managers don’t know, they will look stupid. If the managers do know, they will either have to lie to their employees, contribute to the leak, or remain silent, which will create additional agitation. At Opsware, we badly mismanaged this on our first layoff, but sharply corrected things on the next two.
Step 3: Be clear in your own mind about why you are laying people off. Going into a layoff, board members will sometimes try to make you feel better by putting a positive spin on things. They might say: “This gives us a great opportunity to deal with some performance issues and simplify the business.” That may be true, but do not let that cloud your thinking or your message to the room. You are laying people off because the organization failed to hit its plan. If indi-
CenterPoint® Payroll Software for Ys www.redwingsoftware.com
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 29
PEOPLE WON’T remember every day that they worked for your company, but they will surely remember the day that you laid them off. They will remember every last detail about that day, and the details will matter greatly.
vidual performance were the only thing at issue, then you’d be taking a different measure. When organization performance fails, say so. Removing people from the office will not only affect the person who is leaving; it affects those who are still around. Admitting to the failure may not seem like a big deal, but trust me, it is. “Trust me.” That’s what a CEO says every day to their employees. Trust me, this will be a good organization. Trust me, this will be good for your career. Trust me, this will be good for your life. A layoff breaks that trust. To rebuild trust, you have to come clean.
Step 4: Train your managers. The most important step in the whole exercise is training the management team. If you send managers into this super uncomfortable situation with no training, most of them will fail. Training starts with a golden rule: Managers must lay off their own people. They cannot pass the task to HR or a more sadistic peer. You cannot hire an outsourcing firm like the one in the movie Up in the Air. Every manager must lay off their own people. Why so strict? Why can’t the more confrontational managers just handle this task for everyone? Because people won’t remember every day that they worked for your organization, but they will surely remember the day that you laid them off. They will remember every last detail about that day, and the details will matter greatly. The reputations of your organization and your managers depend on
* According to a research study, walking at 2 MPH at 30% incline for 20 minutes burns the same amount of calories as walking at 2 MPH at 0% incline in 72 minutes.
877.363.8449 | sales@freemotionftness.com
30 AYP magazine August/September 2016
you standing tall, facing the employees who trusted you and worked hard for you. If you hired me and I worked hard for you, I expect you to have the courage to lay me off yourself. Once you make it clear that managers must lay off their own people, be sure to prepare them for the task: They should explain briefly what happened and if it is an organizational or personal failure. They should be clear that the employee is impacted and that the decision is non-negotiable. They should be fully prepared with all of the details of any benefits and support that the organization plans to provide.
Step 5: Address the entire organization. Prior to executing the layoff, the CEO must address everyone. The CEO must deliver the overall message that provides the proper context for the managers. If you do your job right, the managers will have a much easier time doing their jobs. When you do this, keep in mind what Intuit founder Bill Campbell says: The message is for the people who are staying. The people who stay will care deeply about how you treat their colleagues. Many of the people you lay off will have closer relationships with the people who stay than you do, so treat them with the appropriate level of respect. Still, the organization must move forward, so be careful not to apologize too much.
+ 55
=
25% of fitness memberships The boomer movement is on. Be part of it.
Step 6: Be visible, be present. After you make the speech telling people that you will be letting go some of them, you will not feel like hanging out and talking to people. You will probably feel like going to a bar and drinking a fifth of tequila. Do not do this. Be present. Be visible. Be engaging. People want to see you. They want to see whether or not you care. The people who you laid off will want to know if they still have a relationship with you and the organization. Talk to people. Help them carry their things to their car. Let them know that you appreciate their efforts.
Ben Horowitz is the cofounder and partner of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Horowitz’s blog at bhorowitz.com, and his book,The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers, distill his experience as a software engineer, cofounder, CEO, and fundraiser.
Baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, are 26 percent of the American population, and they’re an active lot. To maintain their active lifestyles, they work out. As a matter of fact, people 55+ make up a quarter of all fitness memberships. Offering SilverSneakers® Fitness, the leader in adult fitness, can help you capture your share of the boomer movement. Learn more and download your free benefit guide at
go.silversneakers.com/ayp.
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 31
marketplace
Born to Move programs, featuring age-appropriate fun fitness programs for children, are streaming for free on Les Mills On Demand. A barn-themed play structure by International Play Company is a hit with families.
Barnyard Play Brings More Fun for Families at YMCA International Play Company recently installed a new farm-themed four-level indoor play structure for the Bettendorf Family YMCA in Iowa. The play area, located in the child watch area, has a small toddler play area with animal rockers, various play panels and a toddler moonwalk climb. The larger barn structure features tube crawls, climbing areas, pendulum step walk with chicken nest themed pads, barn themed murals, silo images, four-level spiral slide, and a farm tractor with steering wheel. The addition of a play structure or child interactive event allows participation by the whole family. Many fitness and recreation centers now look after children while the parents work out. Clubs can offer free or fee-based child care. Our products fit any space or budget. We are an active AYP Partner and also a member of International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association and meet all safety standards.
32 AYP magazine August/September 2016
Les Mills Offers Born to Move Programs on Demand for Free Les Mills has released select programs from its popular children’s fitness classes, Born To Move, free of charge on the Les Mills On Demand streaming service. The programs encourage families to participate in more physical activity and kick-start healthy habits early in life. Born To Move is a series of movement-based classes designed to build confidence and foundational fitness skills through movement, imagination, and games. Combining playful music with movement and engaging instruction, Born To Move videos are offered in 10-minute sessions to get children up off the couch, help hone motor skills, and establish healthy habits for the future. On Demand Born To Move sessions – ideal for children ages 4 to 8 – require no equipment, are taught by highly trained instructors, and teach age-appropriate motor skills that improve agility, balance, coordination, endurance, flexibility, and speed. Programs are updated every three months and feature music and choreography designed to meet the specific needs of a child’s developmental stages. Born To Move can be streamed from any Internet browser and via popular platforms including iPad, Android tablet, Android TV, Kindle Fire tablet, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, and Apple TV. To learn more, visit LesMills.com/BornToMove.
Precor and YMCA Great Bay Create Multi-Use Fitness Hub When the Great South Bay YMCA, in Bay Shore, New York, wanted to update its fitness equipment, maximize existing space, and increase personal trainer revenue, it turned to the Precor Queenax Wall Solutions system. “The Queenax system by Precor was fully adaptable and customizable to fit the area we were looking to fill,” Connie McDonaugh, the Great South Bay Y health and wellness director, says. Facing the challenges of not being ADA compliant and having out-of-date exercise equipment, the Great South Bay Y also wanted to retro-fit existing facilities to attract new members and increase revenue to cover the costs of the new equipment. Precor helped develop a solution that created an area against the wall that could be used for group classes, personal training, and for members during down times. Precor Master Coach Luis Cornier held a fun-filled, full-day training for the Y staff to introduce them to the Queenax Wall Solutions system. “Education and training is ABSOLUTELY necessary. It engaged the trainers, created buzz with members, and it promoted creativity for new ideas and ways to use the applications,” McDonaugh says. Additionally, their fitness facility was refreshed with Precor Experience Series 830 Line cardio equipment—treadmills, ellipticals, and Adaptive Motion Trainers—and Discovery™ Series strength. The new equipment takes their fitness offering to a whole new level.
VENDORS: ENGAGE WITH AYP COMMUNITY AYP recently released the AYP Partner Program, which gives the YMCA vendors and suppliers better access and engagement with the AYP community. The Partner Program offers marketing packages within your member resources, including this magazine. Know an outstanding company that should become a Partner? Send an email to ayp@networkmediapartners.com.
We make it our business to know your business.
We make it our business to know your business. When something happens at your YMCA, it may not be a disaster. But no matter what kind of claim you may have, it’s reassuring to know West Bend will handle it with efficiency, professionalism, and compassion. That’s because we understand your business. When a summer camper fell out of a bunk bed and suffered a head injury, getting good care for him and taking care of the medical bills quickly was important. So that’s just what we did. Your Y is important to you, the people you serve, and your community. It’s also important to us. That’s why we make it our business to know your business.
August/September 2016 AYP magazine 33
spirituality
Open Devotions, Open Minds What a Jewish Community Center Taught Me About the YMCA Christian Mission Earlier in my 15-year YMCA career, I served as director of Christian Emphasis for YMCA/JCC of Greater Toledo. I believe only three co-branded partnerships like this exist in the world, where a YMCA and a Jewish Community Center have officially joined together to affect the community – different organizations, with different mission statements working together for the common good. Entering the JCC for the first time, I quickly observed that they are not afraid to be Jewish. They post Jewish dietary laws, celebrate the Seder meal, close on Jewish holidays, and greet people with “shalom” when they answer the phone. People know exactly what to expect when they walk through their doors because our local JCC is comfortable with who they are and they consistently live out their Jewish mission. They are not trying to convert anyone. They are not forceful or abrasive. They focus on living out what they are called to do. Later, I had a thought that enhanced my perspective on the YMCA mission: If the JCC is not afraid or ashamed to be Jewish, why should the YMCA be afraid or ashamed to be Christian? Once I saw firsthand how effectively they live out their mission, I was able to better help our YMCA live out its mission to
Josh Heaston Josh Heaston is director of Christian emphasis at the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.
put Christian principles into practice through programs that build healthy spirit, mind, and body for all. One of the first steps our YMCA took was to have an honest dialog about the word “Christian.” Unfortunately, that word comes with a lot of baggage and it has not always been represented well. Some people have shouted through megaphones, held up nasty signs, and confronted people with a large Bible as they were walking down the street —none of which honors God, helps people, or would be a proper approach within a YMCA. After much conversation and prayer, we decided to define our approach to our YMCA Christian mission as loving, serving, and caring for people in the
same way Christ would. No matter where someone lives, what they believe, or how much money they have, we will intentionally love, serve, and care for every member, staff, and volunteer God sends through our doors. Another goal is to create a nonthreatening, choice environment in our approach to the YMCA Christian mission. We are not going to be abrasive and in-your-face, but rather put mechanisms in place within the YMCA culture to spiritually help people should they desire our assistance. We thought of it much as we do a nutritionist being on staff. No one is forced to speak with our nutritionist, but they can if they would like to. Similarly, we have opportunities for YMCA members, staff, and volunteers to attend Bible studies, prayer groups, or to speak with a volunteer YMCA chaplain. We are finding that people who may never go through the doors of a local church are comfortable having faith conversations and learning more about God in a community setting like the YMCA. The YMCA has one of the most holistic, inclusive, God-honoring missions in the country. My prayer is that the YMCA movement will fully unite around our Christian mission of building healthy spirit, mind, and body in our communities.
NO MATTER WHERE SOMEONE LIVES, WHAT THEY BELIEVE, or how much money they have, we want to intentionally love, serve, and care for every member, staff, and volunteer God sends through our doors. 34 AYP magazine August/September 2016
Women receive FREE Microloans...
Doubling their income with your old baby clothes...
Taking families out of poverty!
USED children’s clothes and athletic shoes, change lives forever. Free Microloans in the form of used children’s clothes often triple family income. Used athletic shoes fund 250,000 trees planted, worth 50 million dollars across 10 years. Free Mahogany trees generate additional income for rural families. The Women vendors call the trees their ‘social security’. Agroforestry training and tools lift villages up Trees generate income for forever while acting as a carbon sequestering environment.
families, plus help clean the air we breath!
PLEASE HELP! IT COSTS ! G N I H T O N FREE Boxes FREE FedEx Shipping All you need to do is SET IT UP! MOREFoundationGroup.org
MFGKids.com
Order a free box online today and make a real difference, or call 301-440-5038.
body, mind, spirit. MIND
How is failure represented in the rebus below? Options: A) Success B) Victory C) Triumph D) Accomplishment Answer: Failure is not an option. Source: www.braingle.com BODY
What is a Healthy Diet?
SPIRIT
We’re all trying to eat a healthy diet, but there are so many definitions of what’s healthy that it can be pretty confusing. Frequent AYP contributor Leo Babauta offers this definition: 1. It gives your body the nutrients it needs: fiber, essential amino acids, protein, healthy fats, carbs for energy, vitamins and minerals.. 2. Without giving you too many unhealthy things (like excess sugar, calories, trans fat, nitrates, sodium, unhealthy chemicals) This definition is for the long term, not day-to-day. “On any given day,” says Babauta, “you might have fewer nutrients than you need, and too many calories and sodium, but if the diet balances out over time, it can be healthy.” Everything is fine in moderation, he concludes, and you can indulge without guilt as long as the lion’s share of your diet is healthy.
Source: Excerpted from Leo Babauta’s Zen Habits (www.zenhabits.net).
“ AMAZING WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED WHEN NO ONE CARES WHO GETS CREDIT.” - Anonymous
36 AYP magazine August/September 2016
EXERCISING ON THE NUSTEP—THE WORLD’S FIRST RECUMBENT CROSS TRAINER—is an essential part of countless rehabilitation programs. Today, the NuStep T5XR is the number one choice of many users recovering from hip, knee or shoulder surgery, a cardiac event, stroke or spinal cord injury. It enables users to get a low-impact, total-body cardio workout. All NuSteps are designed and manufactured in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Take That Step by adding the durable, inclusive NuStep to your YMCA. CALL 800.322.2209 or VISIT NUSTEP.COM
GET FIT TOGETHER With Group Training Solutions from Matrix Create a signature multi-modality experience that addresses all four aspects of fitness — cardio, power, strength and endurance. Matrix-exclusive solutions can be combined in virtually limitless ways to engage your members and keep them coming back for more.
Learn more at matrixfitness.com
matrixfitness.com
|
facebook.com/matrixfitnessusa
|
866.693.4863