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THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH.– When solving
a problem or choosing a course of action, use the
scientific approach. Collect meaningful data, identify the
root causes of the problem, develop an appropriate
solution, enact your plan, and make any needed changes.
Pay Attention to Your People to Pump Up Morale
Morale is a prime key to recruiting success.
Recruiters need to be feeling good about themselves and
their organization to sell prospects on the Navy. The
best way to enhance your team’s morale is to pay
attention to the individuals who make up the team.
MAKE THEM FEEL VALUED.– Recognize the
successes of your team members, even the little ones.
Let them know you value their contribution to the team.
HELP THEM DEVELOP A SENSE OF
BELONGING.– Draw the quiet members into
discussions by asking for their opinions and ideas. Use
language that emphasizes their membership in the team,
such as “our zone.”
GIVE THEM A CAUSE.– To establish a “cause,”
you must build enthusiasm. You can start with a few
key players and watch the enthusiasm build until it has
an energy of its own.
RALLY THE TROOPS AROUND A SPECIAL
GOAL. – When the team puts its combined efforts toward
a common goal, morale naturally escalates. With few
exceptions, team members want to see the team be
successful and will do more toward that end than they
would on their own.
FOCUS ON SHORT-TERM GOALS.– There is a
great benefit in seeing short-term goals achieved.
Everyone needs some small successes to keep them
motivated for the long term. Setting short-term goals
maintains the interim momentum and pumps up the
enthusiasm. Achieving short-term goals helps to build
the confidence needed to go the long distance. They can
also be extremely useful in restoring momentum during
those lulls in productivity that may occur.
ORGANIZING
The recruiting supervisor is responsible for a myriad
of duties and must often cover a large geographic area.
These responsibilities require a considerable amount of
organizational skill. Prioritizing time and delegating
some duties are key elements in the art of organization.
Prioritizing Time
When deciding where or with whom to spend
valuable training time, remember that those making the
most noise should not necessarily get the most attention.
Listen carefully and prioritize based on what you really
hear, not how often or how loud you hear it.
Avoid getting into the fire-fighting mode. You can
become sidetracked by low-priority issues and waste a
lot of time and energy with very little payoff.
Keep in mind that the last assignment is not
necessarily the most important. You can easily become
overwhelmed if you get in the habit of dropping
everything for whatever is the most current problem.
You also need to be very clear when giving
assignments. Let others know what priority the
assignment has and when you expect it to be done.
Delegating
Delegating duties is a necessity in your job as a
recruiting supervisor. It will keep you from becoming
overcommitted. Delegation should be a part of your
on-the-job training (OJT) program to prepare others for
additional responsibility. Delegating duties gives the
recruiters a sense of involvement, adding their
participation and influence to a bigger picture. Most
people will be more committed to carrying out decisions
that they helped to make. As with delegating, we can
only delegate the duty, not the responsibility. Follow up
on all delegated duties, giving praise or additional
training where needed.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
Without clear, concise communication skills our
other skills would wilt on the vine. No other skill can be
effective without it.
Elements of Communication
The basic model for communication includes a
sender (the person giving the message), a receiver (the
person the message is intended for), and the message
itself. If those three elements were all there were to the
communication cycle, miscommunication would not be
a problem. However, standing between the sender and
receiver there can be a host of interceptors that may
garble a message. Filters may detract from the original
intent of the message. Barriers may block part of the
message acceptance. To complete the communication
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