One of my mentees just started a new position at a new institution and is tasked with supervising an already existent staff. As many of us in student affairs have changed positions a number of times in our career, supervising an “inherited staff” can be either a rewarding or especially challenging experience. However, there are a few secrets that you can use in order to gain the respect and trust of your new staff and have an easier job transition. I have managed inherited staffs on a number of different occasions throughout the country and have found success every time by using the following strategies:

1. Learn the culture of the organization and your new staff. Despite your experience and advanced skills, you’re the new person on the staff so respect the existing department and staff culture. I learned once from a colleague that it takes at least two years to change a culture (particularly from an organizational standpoint). Trying to lead with an iron fist all at once to change things will cause more problems than solutions for you. Take time to find out about the history of the staff and important traditions, symbols, and events that have meaning for them. Try to embrace that to become part of that culture. Introduce new ideas and practices slowly. Also, be mindful about how you speak about your previous experiences at other institutions. staff members don’t want to hear, “Well…when I was at University X…” or “This is how I did it at University X…” They want to know that you are on their team and are proud of your new institution.

2. Set expectations as soon as possible. This is one of the most important things you need to accomplish. Consistent with the department’s goals and mission, setting expectations with your new staff sets the tone for the year / semester. Do this during a staff meeting and reinforce it during individual “one-on-one” meetings. Additionally, actively find out what your staffers’ expectations are for you and their fellow staff members. Here is a free staff development activity to help start conversation related to expectations and working together as a team.

3. Get to know your staffers on a deeper level. Take time to find out who your new staff members are: What are their strengths? What are their goals? What are they passionate about? How can you leverage that knowledge to development them? People appreciate when you take an honest interest in their lives and care about them.

4. Set the standard; be the team’s role model. The staff is going to take your lead on the behaviors that you exhibit. Complainers and naysayers don’t have a lot of ammunition if you are the hardest worker on the team and do so with a positive attitude. You don’t have to be an over-the-top ”cheerleader” for the team, but actively and consistently demonstrating the type of work ethic and attitude you expect sets the standard.

5. Deal with “troublemakers” quickly. Ultimately you are the boss, and some staffers need to be reminded of this, particularly if they are causing unneeded discord. This tactic needs to be applied tactfully and judiciously, but doing so can extinguish a lot of problems before they become worse. Other staffers will appreciate this, and it sends a clear symbolic message that certain behaviors will not be tolerated.

6. Gain allies. Find out who the “play-makers” are on your new team, and embrace them as confidants. Remember that although you acting in everyone’s best interest, you are the boss and not everyone is going to share their honest opinions with you. These allies will be more willing to share their own personal opinions releated to staff issues as well as give you a better idea about the staff’s temperment as well. This can help you to make more informed decisions.

7. Develop an environment based on civility, respect, and teamwork. This should go without saying, but a “happy staff” is typically a productive staff. As is the case with most people, I want to work on a staff with people that value each other and treat each other with respect. You must be purposeful and strategic in this endeavor to develop civility, respect, and teamwork. Staff development activities, social outings, and participating in volunteering opportunities together are some simple tactics that can aid in this effort.

8. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the former supervisor. Staffers will naturally share the slights and misgivings of their previous leader. Although you’re not going to be able to be the perfect supervisor or solve every problem, take the lead on quickly addressing blatant issues the previous supervisor created. This could be anything from unfair scheduling practices and inappropriate relationships with subordinates to staff member favoritism and general disrespect.

9. Listen! Truly listen. Value your new team members’ opinions and expertise. Because you are brand new, they are going to have better insights about certain issues given their history at the institution. This is another great way to create allies, solve problems, and increase staff morale.

10. Create excitement based on goals, work productivity / outcomes, and teamwork. Keep things fun, and motivate your staff through excitement. Figure out ways to create competition, contests, and rewards among the team. Be a champion for your own team and be public about their efforts to others.

What are some personal examples of the above tactics that you have successfully used with an inherited staff?

Scott M. Helfrich (@studentlifeguru) is the director of upper campus housing at California University of Pennsylvania, co-owner of Student Life Consultants, and the creator of http://www.studentlifeguru.com.

As a serial stalker of the “new books” section of my local library, I came across a newly published (2011) gem titled Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business by Ann Handley (@MarketingProfs) and C. C. Chapman (@cc_chapman). Although the book is primarily written for entrepeneurs, the 282 page book would definitely benefit student affairs professionals and student leaders alike who are looking to develop and market educational and social program initiatives on campus.

The book is divided into four sections with 29 chapters:

• Part One: The Content Rules – This part educates on how good online content appeals to would-be constituents as well as how to give potential readers something they find value in and keep them returning.
• Part Two: The How-To Section – This section of the book illustrates specifics on how to develop blogs, webinars, Ebooks, videos, Podcasts, and other informational and media vehicles online.
• Part Three: Content That Converts: Success Stories (With Ideas You Can Steal!) – There are 10 case studies of various companies that have been extremely successful at developing remarkable content for their customers, which include Hubspot, Kodak, and Boeing just to name a few.
• Part Four: This Isn’t Goodbye – The final section (and chapter) of the book lists a 12-point checklist for how to develop remarkable content.

As the online, content marketing paradigm seems to be the hottest business model for success, I highly recommend this book to you as there are many lessons that you can utilize for success on your campus. I’ve found it to be an excellence resource that is not overly technical and is actually a fun read.

Scott M. Helfrich (@studentlifeguru) is the director of upper campus housing at California University of Pennsylvania, co-owner of Student Life Consultants, and the creator of http://www.studentlifeguru.com.

Today in the car while I was running errands, I heard a radio commercial from the Pennsylvania Department of Health regarding flu prevention. They are telling people with the flu to stay home from work in order to get better and, more importantly, not to spread the sickness to others at work. This naturally led me to think of this from a Student Affairs prospective specifically related to our own undying work ethic and the selfless defiance of “caring for thyself” in the service to others and the notion of always being at work. In many regards (particularly for ResLifers), we overwork ourselves, and it becomes a badge of courage to discuss spending countless hours with campus police or hospital staff, burning the midnight oil with staff on programming initiatives, and caring for the students that we serve. And as we all well know, a “day off” isn’t truly a day off.

That’s why this holiday season, I challenge you to put down the work and truly care for thyself. (As I told a stressed colleague this past week, “Work will be there tomorrow.”) Take the time to spend with friends and family or simply to rest and relax by yourself. Here are 50 suggestions for how you can care for thyself this holiday season:

1. Dont check your work emails during your vacation. Turn on your away message, and stick to it!
2. Do the same for work phone messages. Leave emergency forwarding information for other campus personnel that can assist.
3. Disconnect from all social media (ie., Facebook, Twitter, etc.) for one or two days. Social media has an uncanny way of drawing you back into work.
4. Go to the library and check out a book for casual reading you normally wouldn’t get to do.
5. Play a boardgame or card games when visiting friends and family.
6. Go to the mall and get an Auntie Anne’s pretzel. (Cinnamon sugar is so good!)
7. Treat yourself and a friend for a meal and a seasonal craft drink at a local brewpub.
8. Go ice skating (there are rinks in our nation’s warm regions as well).
9. Take a bunch of naps.
10. Watch those guilty pleasure holiday movies on ABC Family.
11. Check out Groupon.com for awesome holiday offers.
12. Go to a spa for a day of personal pampering.
13. Tailgate at your local NFL city even if you don’t have tickets to the game.
14. Call a family member or friend you haven’t spoken to in awhile.
15. Chill out all day watching Netflix movies online or on DVD.
16. Take your laptop to your local free WiFi spot to surf the web for fun.
17. Hang out at the mall and people watch.
18. Get a bunch of friends and family together to go to the movies and a snack afterwards.
19. Check the paper for free local cultural events and opportunities to attend.
20. Get some coloring books and crayons and color with your kids, grandkids, nieces, and nephews.
21. Share time looking at old family photos with relatives.
22. Rent an entire season of your favorite TV show and watch all of the episodes back-to-back.
23. Go for a longer run than normal.
24. Take a long car ride to a favorite local place or somewhere brand new to you (explore!)
25. Purchase and put together a holiday puzzle.
26. Try a new flavored coffee you’ve never tried.
27. Attend a local holiday parade.
28. Take friends and family and get photos with Santa.
29. Enjoy some holiday-colored-sprinkled Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
30. Play video games all day with no regret.
31. Attend a local sporting event.
32. Attend a holiday murder mystery dinner.
33. Create a 2010 memory photo book on Shutterfly or Snapfish.
34. Start a personal private journal.
35. Write a personal list (not work-related) of New Year’s Resoultions and share with friends and family.
36. Make New Year’s Eve plans to attend a dinner/dance/concert/comedian and mingle with people you do not know.
37. Plan and begin a new exercise routine.
38. Sign up for and attend a Zumba class.
39. Spend a day watching funny and entertaining videos on YouTube.
40. Take a train or bus trip to the city.
41. Invite a friend to go along with you to spend your holiday gift cards.
42. Test drive a brand new car you would like to buy.
43. Get a group of friends or relatives together and drive to see a large holiday light display.
44. Try cooking a new recipe and share a meal with a friend.
45. Bundle up with a loved-one and drink hot chocolate on the porch (if in colder climates)
46. Attend local “First Night” festivities on New Year’s Eve with friends and family.
47. Write a letter with pen and paper to someone special and mail it.
48. Spend extra time with your hobby (e.g., cooking, crafting, geneaology, scrapbooking, etc.)
49. Buy a fresh holiday flower arrangement or plant to enjoy in your home.
50. Indulge in something you have been denying yourself (e.g., goodies & treats, personal leisure time, etc.)

What are some other ways you’ll spend enjoying your holiday?

Scott M. Helfrich is the director of upper campus housing at California University of Pennsylvania, co-owner of Student Life Consultants, and the creator of http://www.studentlifeguru.com.

In my office on the upper campus of a university in a not-so-far-away galaxy, I have a Darth Vader action figure sitting on top of my bookshelf (still in the packaging of course!) My current supervisor gave this to me in December 2005 as a “tongue-in-cheek” welcome for making the transition from working on-campus to now working for a national, ”for-profit” student housing development and management company. Please understand the context: I was a full-time, unionized area coordinator at a public university for five years suddenly making the leap to the proverbial Residence Life equivalent of the “Dark Side.”  And yes, I was one of those folks holding the flag rallying with my colleagues to prevent these Stormtroopers from outsourcing our jobs and changing the Force of good student affairs practices!

Five years later, and having been promoted to another university location with a larger student community, I now have a different, and potentially more objective, perspective. Having a total of 18 years of experience  in all sectors of higher education across the country, I’d like to invite you to “walk a mile in my shoes” as I debunk 5 myths about privatized student housing.

MYTH #1: Privatized housing doesn’t care about students. This was one of my biggest concerns regarding the private management of student housing. What I came to find out is that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Not only do they care, but are always looking to improve their housing communities to meet the ever-growing demands of student and their parents. I wouldn’t be working for and with people who didn’t truly care about students. Additionally, I am confident in saying that the company I work for is especially concerned about student safety and security and does its best to maintain an environment that’s conducive for student learning. I can’t though, however, say the same for local negligent landlords that seem to be rife in every campus town’s community. Plus I’m given the freedom to create practically any residence life programming initiatives that I want in order to better serve my students.    

MYTH #2: Privatized housing is only looking to make a buck. While every company (and university) has to worry about the bottom line, it is possible to create profits while also expanding and maintaining a great product and great service. And nowadays, students and parents especially vote with their feet! If they aren’t getting the most out of their campus and / or housing experience, they’ll simply pick up and leave. And while we want to provide a comfortable living environment with worthwhile amenities, we still care about their well-being and personal development. This is a win-win for everyone!      

MYTH #3: Privatized housing is looking to take jobs. When I came to personally know the executives of my company, I found that they weren’t sitting in a small dimly lit room rubbing their hands together and twirling their moustaches conspiring to take jobs away from student affairs professionals. In actuality, they are actually trying to expand the field to include new people. (I am a living example of that!) Is it true that on-campus personnel could have managed a newly constructed, off-campus university-affiliated housing community thereby not creating a new job within the housing department? Of course. But with the leaps and bounds colleges and universities (particularly public ones) have to go through now to get any new housing constructed given the economy is nothing short of a miracle so they all but have to use this option (and may be required to use outside management due to financial-related requirements). And in many cases, campus personnel do indeed continue to manage their housing that is renovated or newly constructedby a third-party vendor.

MYTH #4: Privatized housing personnel are not qualified. I’m the same guy that I was when I on the university payroll, and now have even been able to expand my skill set and professional experience. To be honest, the reason why I left is because there wasn’t an opportunity to be able to supervise full-time professional staffers and manage and develop large department/division-sized budgets. I’m proud to say that I have that skill set under my belt now. I have many colleagues in the privatized housing arena who are higher education and student affairs experts with degrees in college student personnel, counseling education, and higher education administration. They also actively participate in ACPA and NASPA activities and are well in-tune with the latest news and national trends regarding student housing and development.  

MYTH #5: Once you go to the Dark Side, you don’t come back! Philosophically, for me, there is no dark side. The campus I serve has embraced me as one of their own: I attend department and division meetings, collaborate with faculty and staff on living-learning opportunities, help to train campus community advisors & student leaders, and am a general resource for the campus. So while the Darth Vader on my bookshelf was a token of a light-hearted joke, I use it as a symbol to remember to stay true to my profession, create bridges for student development opportunities, and serve as a role model for innovative and research-based student affairs practices no matter who I work for.  

Scott M. Helfrich is the director of upper campus housing with Allen & O’Hara Education Services, Inc. at California University of Pennsylvania, co-owner of Student Life Consultants, and the creator of http://www.studentlifeguru.com.

Over the past few years I have had more interactions with increasingly aggressive and challenging parents than in previous years. Most of my student affairs colleagues across the country have shared similar experiences like this along with their frustrations. Although a lot has been written about the recent helicopter parent phenomena, I have not seen much on how student life professionals can and should handle parents such as this. As the new academic year starts, I would like to offer some practical advice on how you can better communicate with challenging parents.

1. Seek understanding before taking action. Many times parents can “catastrophize” situations because they are hearing secondhand information from their son or daughter, which may not necessarily be fully accurate. Reacting to a parent’s reaction without fully understanding the situation at hand can create chaos and further bolster the parent’s anxiety (and your own). If necessary, take extra time to find out the facts and then simply call the parent back. The problem could be a simple misunderstanding that can be easily resolved.

2. Explain the reasoning behind policies and procedures. Nothing can be more irritating than hearing someone tell you, “Well, that’s our policy” when you want something resolved right away. Fully understand the reasoning behind why your department has the policies and procedures that it does so that you yourself can explain the philosophy behind why things are the way they are. Policies and procedures are created to save time, money, resources, to enhance safety & security, and for the personal development and education of our students. Explaining these things can disarm someone particularly when the reasoning behind these policies are usually easily understood and appreciated.

3. Predict and respond to irrational thinking / reasoning. Many times, the emotion underlying anger is fear. People can become angry and aggressive when they fear that something overly negative or disasterous will happen. Parents can easily assume the worst of a situation particularly when they are not around to easily solve whatever the perceived problem may be. Irrational thoughts that an overreactive parent can have include the following: this is going to cost me a lot of money; my student will have to transfer universities because of this; this is an incredibly dangerous situation; and they don’t care about my student. You can dissolve a problem quickly if you can predict up front what the underlying thoughts a parent may have, which is causing them to be overly anxious. By providing accurate information and tactfully challenging those irrational thoughts, you can calm someone down quickly.

4. Move the conversation along toward action. Your time is important and you have other issues to attend to so make sure that you are moving the conversation along toward some sort of resolve. Be respectful and tactful, but cut to the chase as soon as possible. One easy way to do this is by asking: “Sir, how would you like me to resolve this?” or “What would you like me to do, mame?” Being empathetic and allowing someone to vent is one thing, but permitting someone to lecture and berate you is counterproductive.

5. Provide alternatives and options. Another way in which you can move the conversation along toward action is to provide alternatives and options. Figure out what these options are for various situations so that you can pull them out of your hat when the need calls. The alternatives and options may not necessarily be the exact solution the parent is asking for, but at least you’re showing a good faith effort to create a solution rather than doing nothing at all.

6. Do not allow yourself or your employees to be abused or bullied. I simply refuse to listen to an abusive parent or allow my staff to suffer the same abuse. You have to know when to say when. It is alright to acknowledge that things are getting out of hand and maybe there is a more appropriate time to discuss the matter when clearer heads can prevail. I have had multiple parents apologize on subsequent conversations for how they acted and appreciated how I resolved the situation afterward.

7. Refer to your supervisor. This should go without saying, but if you find yourself in a situation that you simply cannot resolve or the person is being overly hostile or foul-mouthed, refer them to your supervisor. Additionally, if they should demand to speak to your supervisor, do not become upset by this, just help them with their request by giving the appropriate contact information. Try to plan for this strategy ahead of time with your supervisor so that you are both on the same page when the need arises to employ this tactic.

8. Attempt to get to know them as people rather than adversaries. Keep in mind that you may have a multiple year relationship with many parents so be purposeful in your communications with them. Include them in newsletters and other pertinent mailings. Send them departmental or institutional promotional items (e.g., t-shirts, pens, mugs, etc.) as a token of your appreciation, kindness, and generocity. If you have the opportunity to talk in a personal manner, ask them about their work, their interests, and anything else of note they may discuss. Establishing relationships like this creates trust and will go a long way if you have to interact with them again in a difficult situation.

Scott M. Helfrich is the director of upper campus housing at California University of Pennsylvania, co-owner of Student Life Consultants, and the creator of http://www.studentlifeguru.com.