Pub. 2 2012-2013 Issue 1

22 help build skill sets throughout your organization,” said Myers. Building activities can be internal or external. Mentoring might be an internal example. “Mentoring is a way to build not only the person being mentored, but also the person who is doing the mentoring,” said Myers. “In the case of succession planning, the person doing the mentoring is often the higher potential employee because they need to change focus from ‘how do I build my career,’ to ‘how do I build the careers of others?’” Another example that Myers uses is business forums. Business forums are groups that have a common purpose. When they come together they focus on how to build the organization, not the individuals. They invite subject matter experts to help them answer questions and solve the problems they are facing. It also provides a good forum from learning from peers. External building efforts include community involvement. Encourage all employees to get involved with something outside of their charter school on their own time. Sitting on external boards and committees will help employees develop skills that they can bring back to their charter schools and boards. C –CONSERVING RESOURCES: To use the dollars you’ve been given appropriately, you have to manage and balance compensation. “If you think about the positions that you determined are critical for the long term viability of your organization, you can pay for those functions according to what’s standard, using market data,” said Myers. “It would be silly for an organization to be so tight with the money that they aren’t going to pay somebody what they could get offered by going down the street. It would also be just as inappropriate for you to overpay everyone.” Building a Strong Board The chairperson of the board needs to decide what strengths he or she needs on the board. You may need, for example, someone who is experienced in fundraising, if your charter school is dependent on getting donations. If your charter school has someone interacting with regulators, you need someone who has an understanding of legal components. “Often to get the talent that you need, you need to have each board member make a commitment to serve for a specified time period,” said Myers. “Structure that value proposition. It doesn’t always have to be paid, but it has to be to the point where they can know the commitment they are making.” Engage the board in places; don’t keep them completely separate from the school staff. Let them attend a class or a staff meeting so they can have a better understanding of the decisions they aremaking. “In addition, a savvy chairperson will use every network that they have,” said Myers. “They’ll go to trusted groups and associations, and say ‘hey I’m looking for someone who will be willing to sit on the board and these are the type of skills I need.’” Creating a Culture Culture is the things that people do without being told to do. They’re the unspoken rules and norms that develop. If you are setting out to create that, it’s going to take time. You typically need to have a starting point, which is typically to develop a mission statement that everybody agrees upon. Break apart what you want to accomplish and determine what each goal means. Then generate activities or mementos, like bracelets with a motto, to get everyone involved. If you see someone living the culture, recognize them. Engage everyone in the process, rather than simply trying to drive it, and remember you may need to hone and tweak it over the years. The Value of Advanced Planning Many organizations underestimate the value of advanced planning. There is a difference in results between cramming for a test the night before, and studying long before it comes. The quality of a paper goes up if you start it at the beginning of the semester rather than the last week. Stephen Covey said you cannot speed-grow a garden. You have to do it with time and planning. “I’ve always heard the quality of a paper goes up if you start it at the beginning of the semester rather than in the last week of the semester,” said Myers. “I did it once in school, and once was enough. I saw the differ- ence in my paper and it was a tremendously more enjoyable process.” George Myers is the Human Resources Director and a Senior Vice President of Zions Bank. He serves on the board of trustees or steering committee for several community organizations including: PeopleHelping People, The Employers Council, and Utah Diversity Connections. For the past several years, he has been an adjunct instructor for the University of Utah’sHRManagement Certificate program. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21