MEMBERPLANET BLOG
  • Log in
  • Sign up
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Emailing
    • Event Planning
    • Fundraising
    • Leadership
    • Member Management
    • Mobile
    • New Features
    • Pro Tips
    • Reporting
    • Social Media

How to Train Your Staff Admins

1/22/2021

0 Comments

 
Great trainers are naturally great leaders. And by definition, great leaders are those who inspire confidence, strength, and optimism. They are the folks who can motivate – not force – their administrators to reach their fullest potential as they ascend to a new role or take on greater responsibilities. And we all know how important a good trainer is during officer or staff transitions.
Picture
The term admin can be applied broadly – it can mean your committee heads, officers, or anyone you’ve put in charge of tasks that keep your organization running smoothly, whether it’s an association, chapter, or other type of membership-based group. As far as training the best admins goes, a great trainer/leader uses methods that can be boiled down to a few guiding principles. I call them 5 Keys to Training Your Staff Admins; master these, and your team will be set for success.
1. Demonstrate
For every specific skill or task to be instructed to your team admins, explain first what it is you’re about to share. More importantly, explain why it is important for your organization. How does it work in its specific scope? How does it affect the overall team? It’s important to give a sense of the overall flowchart of the group and the admin’s role within it.
“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
​– John C. Maxwell
2. Observe
You’ve provided the instructions to light the path. Now have your team show you how to do it. You’ll be able to see if how much they’ve retained from their training, and how well they apply their knowledge and adapt to different situations. Of course, knowing what you know, don’t keep them in the dark. Adjust the course when necessary. Encourage and empathize.
3. Tailor
​We are all individuals (maybe some are more like rebels) in the world, and personality will eventually be revealed, especially in the course of training. Make time to discover your admins’ own skills and experience. Do they enjoy a steady pace? Or do they work best at light speed? But be sure to recognize their different ways of learning, and be open to adapt to give each of them the answers they’ll need ongoing.
4. Empower
​
Grow your staff admins. As they navigate their new role, give them space to make mistakes – that’s how we really learn. Assign a project or task as a test (e.g. an upcoming social event, or a fundraising campaign, or a yearly calendar of projects) and see how they rise to the challenge. Let them own it. If they can construct it, it’s like a rite of passage.
Picture
5. Support
Provide support and feedback. Work with each admin to set up short- and long-term goals for themselves and the organization and make sure they know how to use the tools available to them. On the feedback loop, too, show them what’s been done previously by their predecessors. Encourage them to find ways to innovate and improve efficiency while building on past successes and the great work that’s already been done.
 
Even after they’ve completed their training, seek out your staff admins’ feedback and listen to their perspectives. Learning is a two-way street, and hearing from them will bolster your own knowledge and help you further educate them.
 
When your admins are confident that you as their trainer/leader have their back and their interests at heart, they’ll operate at peak productivity, and they will lead the rest of the organization in the way they’ve been instructed. This is the way to build a lasting team and community.
“Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community.”
​– Anthony J. D’Angelo
Updated since original publication on 02/12/18.
Picture
View my profile on LinkedIn

About Chris O'Meara

Chris has passion for and more than two decades of experience in providing IT solutions to enterprise, mid-market, and small organizations within the nonprofit, member-based associations market. When out of the office, he likes history, travel, volunteering, being an active outdoorsman, and socializing with family and friends.

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Emailing
    Event Planning
    Fundraising
    Leadership
    Member Management
    Mobile
    New Features
    Officer Transition
    Pro Tips
    PTA Simplified
    Reporting
    Social Media

Who we serve
Associations
Nonprofits
Fraternal Organizations
Schools
Educational Foundations
Booster Clubs
Military
Faith-based
Homeowners Association
Political Campaigns
PTAs
Fraternal Undergrads
Fraternity Alumni
Sorority Undergrads
Sorority Alumnae
Fraternal Orders
Music Schools
Features
Overview
Membership Management
Events
Fundraising
Communication
Online Payments
Websites
Mobile App
Invoices
Group Text Messaging







​Pricing
Subscription Plans & Pricing
Enterprise Pricing
Case Studies



Support
Support Center
888-298-8845
Email Us


Company
Blog
Download Our App
Picture
Picture
Legal
Terms of Service
Privacy Policy

Picture
© 2021 memberplanet, LLC. All rights reserved.
  • Log in
  • Sign up
  • Blog
  • Categories
    • Emailing
    • Event Planning
    • Fundraising
    • Leadership
    • Member Management
    • Mobile
    • New Features
    • Pro Tips
    • Reporting
    • Social Media