Our school has a majority of "Intelligent Hearts." Unfortunately, we have a few that create that negative energy that spoils the total effect. People with an "Intelligent Heart" work toward the common good of our students and of the mission of the school. Their practice is to follow through on the strategies that make for excellent retention and more importantly, successful students that have great EQs.
Those that practice the art of sarcastic humor defeats the atmosphere that should occur in meetings at which we are attempting to solve issues that make for a decidely improved workplace for employees and and excellent educational facility for our customers, the students. There are a few employees that seem to spend more time creating bad feelings than concentrating on what they are responsible for themselves.
How do any of you address the issue of these problem employees if you don't see yourself in a position to speak to the situation?
Good question, Francis.
I can think of a few possible things you can do. Only try them if you feel comfortable.
The first is to say something when folks are bing negative. I have heard positive people ask negative people, "Is there anything about this school that you like?" It gets a reaction.
A more positive way to do this is to talk to your supervisor about asking folks to share what my school calls "mission moments." We start every meeting by calling on a few people to share something positive about a student or co-worker that illustrates why we do what we do. Rather than asking for volunteers, I try to call on the most negative folks more often than the ones that are generally positive all the time.
As a culinary professor, I stress to my students one common thread that we in hospitality share, whether we work in the "front of the house" or in the "heart of the house". That common thread that binds us all is "a servant's heart". Our profession is one of service and we gain our reward and pleasure in pleasing others. Sometimes its by the smile we put on a guest's face by meeting and exceeding their expectations or by the enjoyment they receive from a dish we have prepared. To me that expresses the foundation on an intelligent heart and school culture of Le Cordon Bleu College Atlanta.
Marshall,
You described exactly what a successful career college needs to be. What are some specific things you do at Le Cordon Bleu to put smiles on your students' faces?
The way I carry my cheerful attitude in the halls each morning is where it starts. Smiling and greeting students by name is a sure way to build esteem in our students, because it lets them know we cared enough about them to remember them by name. I often take this a step further by asking," What classes are you taking this block?". They feel great knowing that I'm intrested in their progress and as a side bar, it opens the door to draw the student into a career based "question/answer" situation, that in essence is a minute exercise in interview preparation.
I ask for student input for potential clubs and organizations. It's brought a lot of response and I even have students intrested in being officers in a soon to be formed Creole and Cajun Food Club.
Thanks for sharing this, Marshall.
I think that is a wonderful idea - this module really does apply to all roles within the organization. The attention necessary for retention really does need to be from all aspects of a student's experience in the school.
Our school is actually very passionate about what we teach and when you have that you can't help but pass that same passion on to the students. I mean lets face it motorcycle repair is fun and we all do are best to make it that way in the class room everyday. Also a lot of the staff are former students so it gives us a better insight into what the students are going through and also what to look for (Red Flags) in the class to know when someone may need some emotional or other assistance.
I believe there are many people who have an intelligent heart in our organization, but in the same respect I know there are some who are not and it can have a major effect on everyone.
Thanks, Megan!
What are some things that you do to try to lessen the impact of those who do not have the intelligent heart?
I would describe our school's culture as very caring and very accomodating to a variety of students. I think overall our school is made up of "Intelligent Hearts." Every department has individuals that really care about "their" students, but also care about the overall mission of the school. One thing we have started to work on is better communication between departments at the school. Students can easily get upset if they hear negative comments or receive negative feedback from any employee at the school. Showing the students that the departments support each other and work together should only increase their belief that everyone at the school has their best interest in mind. I have started to share a lot of the ideas from this training with the instructors in my program. This is very helpfull!
Thank you, Stacy. I am glad you found things in this course helpful.
You hit on a real key condition that all successfuls schools share - teamwork. Those in admissions, financial aif, student services and career services have a big impact on retention and student success.
This is an excellent course to make each person aware of the responsibility and accountability they have to each student. I told my supervisor that this would help bring all of our team together. Everyone is responsible and accountable for student success this module really does apply to all roles within the organization.
Thanks, Dominick.
I will be sure to pass this comment on to Dr. Pace, the original course author.
How would you describe your school's culture? Is it made up of "Intelligent Hearts?" What is your perception of an "Intelligent Heart"?
