“Just an intern”: Don’t ever think it!

Whether you are an intern or an employer that hosts interns, I hope that you take notice to this post.  Now, more than ever, interns can serve as a great source of innovation for the employers they are working for.  Every organization, big and small, for-profit and non-profit, is challenged with how they can do things better.  This may come in the form of doing more with less, improving efficiency, driving down expenses, increasing productivity or raising customer satisfaction. It all comes back to the same thing: how do they get better.  Well, who better to task with that charge than an intern (or for that matter, all of your interns)?

Let me be clear, I am not suggesting that employers start to bring interns in solely under the heading of “find ways for us to be better.”  However, it should be included as an area of responsibility in addition to their “regular duties.”  Why is this so important?  Ever heard the phrase “virgin eyes”?  Well, interns have them.  They don’t know a sacred cow from a legitimately tried and true process.  They don’t know what questions or ways of thinking are taboo or “inappropriate.”  They have no assumptions about “the one right way” of doing something.  They only have questions.  As an employer, embrace this.  Embrace the heck out of it!  Listen to what they have to say. When warranted, and this is most important, act on what they have to say.

I’m not suggesting that you should act blindly. Build the business case, perform the required due diligence, etc. But do take action!  If you don’t, you risk two things.  First, you risk the engagement levels and overall performance of your interns.  If you ask for their input and get them excited about the opportunity to respond only to ignore what they have to say, well, that’s a sure-fire way to turn them and lead them to become disengaged.  Second, if you fail to act on their suggestions, who knows what opportunity you might be missing out on to make your business better (remember, that was the point!).

Employers, here’s one last thing to keep in mind when it comes to the benefit of thinking of your interns in this capacity.  When it comes to getting better, it often requires calling into question and asking hard questions about how it is that you’re doing business today. There’s a really good chance that the people who designed and implemented those processes and thought they were the best ideas available at the time are the very people within your organization today making key decisions about your company’s future (heck , you may even be one of them).  Think about how hard it is for you to now dissect these processes and think of new ways of doing things.  By no means is it impossible, and with a structured, disciplined approach to performance improvement, you could probably get there.  But along the way, don’t miss out on a great opportunity to leverage the insights of your interns.  You are so close to what you do that sometimes all it takes is someone new to call-out and identify opportunities to improve.

For interns, take what I’m saying to heart even if your employer fails to explicitly indentify this as an area of responsibility for you.  Why, you ask?  First, it’s a sure-fire way to stand apart from your peers.  After ensuring that you are exceeding expectations as it relates to your regularly assigned tasks and responsibilities (This is so key; you don’t want to be out brainstorming new ways of doing things, only to compromise your “regular” work. In most environments, this would be bad!), take on the added responsibility of looking for new and better ways of doing things.

Trust me, it sounds like a lot of extra work, but it really will come to you far easier than you think.  You have the benefit of being completely new to the environment and if you simply make a conscious point of being on the lookout for improvement opportunities, they will come to you.  Now, here’s a little secret.  It’s not as simple as going to your supervisor or manager and saying “I know how you guys can be better” at your jobs.  You’ll have to do a little more than that.  Also, when asked to support your recommendations, if you use words like “I think,” “probably,” “I like this way better,” etc. be prepared for a less than supportive response.

You have to bring data.  Tell your employer that you have already developed the “business case” to support your ideas; they’ll love it.  The business case represents the facts to support your idea.  Be able to demonstrate how your recommendation improves the business by influencing a key performance driver / metric.  What are these?  Typically they deal with things related to service, cost and quality.  Think of it as an experiment.  Formulate your hypothesis (if you do x, y outcome will be achieved).  Test your hypothesis.  Absent a “lab” where you can actually perform the test, gather current state and/or historical data, formulate fact-driven assumptions about how the introduction of your recommendation would change the environment and produce a new set of outcomes.  Present your findings and voila, you’re a superstar.

Now, is it really that simple?  Well, probably not.  But if you commit to doing these things, here’s the worst that will have happen:  1.) You will have fully committed yourself to your employer.  2.) You will have done all that you could to advance their business and make them better. 3.) At the end of your assignment you can walk away feeling very proud of the work that you performed.  Not all bad if you ask me.

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals.  E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

Columbus is a Terrific Place to be a Young Professional

By Robbie Banks, Young Professionals Manager, Columbus Chamber

Earlier this week, Portfolio.com/Bizjournals announced the results of a study in which they analyzed the nation’s 67 metros with populations above 750,000, searching for qualities that would appeal to workers in their 20s and early 30s. Minneapolis-St. Paul and Columbus were tops in the Midwest. This is one of many accolades our region has received recently. Just in the last few months, Marysville was named one of the most affordable suburbs in America by Bloomberg Business Week. Columbus ranked as one of America’s top wired cities and as a top housing market by Forbes. Delaware County was Forbes magazine’s #2 place to get ahead, Dublin was named one of the top seven international intelligent communities, and Monster said Columbus was among top cities for finding an entry-level job. On the other end of the spectrum, U.S. News and World Report said Columbus is one of America’s best affordable places to retire.

I could go on and on! I’m a life-long Columbus resident, and I think these reports confirm what we’ve known all along. The Columbus region offers the best of everything!

As the young professionals manager for the Columbus Chamber, I’m responsible for connecting and engaging young talent in the Columbus region. And I’m eager to share why I think central Ohio is tops for young professionals (YPs). Here are my top five reasons (in no particular order):

• Diversity. There’s a noticeable respect for diversity whether it’s religious, racial, sexual orientation, age, art, personal tastes, or other opinions and ways of life. Columbus embraces cultural diversity in its community leaders, businesses, arts and entertainment scene. The city is accepting of new people and new ideas as it’s comprised mostly of  individuals who grew up outside of Columbus (fondly dubbed as “transplants”).

• Easy to get connected. You have the ability to get engaged at any level. If you so desire, your professional and social calendar could be filled with a variety of events each week, be it events hosted by YP, professional and networking organizations, civic and cultural activities, festivals, or sporting events. If you are looking to get connected to network, socialize, volunteer and keep a pulse on the community, check out the directory of young professional and professional organizations. In addition, I recommend that you sign up to receive Activities and Events for Young Professionals, a weekly email with information that may be of interest to YPs.

• Living is easy. I appreciate how easy it is to make a life here. The cost of living is reasonable, travel time between locations is minimal, and the central location allows easy access to other cities inside and outside of Ohio. Whether you want to live in an urban, suburban or rural area; commute via car, public transportation or bicycle; or be close to shopping, green spaces or schools, Columbus has you covered.

• Opportunity. Job opportunities. Educational opportunities. Entrepreneurial opportunities. Opportunities to make a difference. You can achieve what you want here. For job opportunities, be sure to explore Ohio Means Jobs. The Ohio Board of Regents is a tremendous resource for information on the state’s educational opportunities. The Ohio Small Business Development Center (SBDC) provides entrepreneurial development assistance and high-end business consulting to start-up and emerging business owners free of charge. TechColumbus helps start-ups grow, too. Volunteer opportunities of all kinds are abundant in our area. To learn more about them, please refer to number two above.

• Infinite number of places to see and things to do. Yes, even for non-Buckeye fans. There seems to always be a new restaurant or business to check out. I especially love the free festivals, concerts and performances such as the Columbus Arts Festival, Downtown LIVE! Summer Concert Series and Shakespeare in the Park. To see what’s going on weekly in Columbus, pick up a free copy of Columbus alive! at newsstands or check out the listings on the Experience Columbus web site.

What does everyone else have to say? To hear why other YPs love to live, work and play in Columbus, check out the videos on the Chamber’s YouTube channel. Better yet, join in the discussion and post your own video or add a comment on our blog.

Join Dave Cofer as he details what you should consider when hosting a summer intern in your organization. Tasks to give them, tips for making them feel comfortable and skills to work on to improve workplace relations just to name a few…

The idea of service learning is not a new concept. In fact, early references date back to the early 1900s, with the Civilian Conservation Corps created in the early 1930s by Franklin D. Roosevelt serving as one of the first formalized examples of service learning. As you prepare for your summer internship, give consideration to the value of participating in an employer sponsored community service project or taking the lead and planning one for you and your fellow interns. Interested in hearing more? Here are just a few examples of the positive outcomes you can expect from participating in community service.

Engaging in community service provides a great opportunity to connect with and better appreciate the community. Let’s face it; it’s likely that both you and your employer view your summer internship as an opportunity to test run the possibility of full-time employment. The summer internship also serves as a great opportunity to test-run the community you may find yourself living in upon graduation. If you’re new to your internships’ host city, merely commuting to work each day and spending your weekends socializing with friends will do little to feed the connection to your temporary home. Take advantage of this 10-12 week “house-hunting trip” and see what your summer home has to offer beyond the 9-5.

Community services provides a great opportunity to develop and enhance critical workplace skills. Now, are you going to fill a large void in your professional development continuum simply by taking part in a 2-hour park clean-up some Saturday this summer? No, you won’t! But, if you take the lead in planning such an event and say invest 6-8 weeks in the process, you might just walk away having developed and/or enhanced skills that are absolutely transferable to the workplace. Ever heard of something called project management? If you take on the challenge of pulling together a community-based service project requiring collaboration with a local agency, recruit and manage the volunteers, promote and communicate the event, monitor the completion of critical tasks leading up to the event…I think you get the point. Not only does community service leave you with a sense of having “done good” but you can also grow professionally if you pursue the opportunity with that intent.

Team-based community service projects offer a positive and impactful opportunity to have FUN and socialize. Just so you don’t think I’m some kind of old curmudgeon that only ever thinks about new and innovative ways for young people to grow professionally (OK, that actually is who I am), I wanted to be sure to mention the “F” word. Yes, contributing your time and talents to the community can be FUN. It can be rewarding and humbling all at the same time. I’m all about opportunities to “party with a purpose”. Your summer internship is about a lot of things, but coming from someone that was lucky enough to have a formal internship during every summer of their undergraduate studies, be sure to make time to have fun. After all, it’s your summer. The 10-12 weeks every year where you get a break from your studies and transition from formal to experiential learning and if this article had any influence on you, you can add service learning to the mix as well.

Dave Cofer is President/CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in attracting, developing and retaining young professionals. His Total Talent Development (T2D℠) model integrates 4 independent elements of learning (formal, informal, experiential and serving learning) into a single model ensuring a comprehensive approach to entry talent development. E-mail Dave at David.Cofer@CoferConsulting.com. To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, visit www.coferconsulting.com.

To ensure success when managing Interns within your respective organizations be sure to adhere to the following which are inspired in large part by Do Interns Take Lunch Breaks Too? Five Mini Case Studies of the Intern Experience…and What Managers Can Learn from It, by Krista M. Reaves:

• Stick to your word with respect to working hours. 
• Be up front and honest with respect dress code expectations. Interns do not have money to waste on unnecessary clothing purchases (e.g. they buy professional attire only to learn that you are a casual environment).
• Ensure that the Intern is provided workspace with other relevant members of the team.
• Ensure that your Interns receive an orientation to your business and office locations. Simple things like where is the bathroom, the break room, etc. may not seem important but they are very important if you don’t know. Also, ensure that your Interns are introduced to other team members, particularly those they will be working with and/or contacting for assistance.

If you are reading much of what the popular press is writing about Generation Y (e.g. the Millennials), their expectations of work and what it takes to manage them effectively you may be left thinking “The heck with this, it’s just too difficult!”.  Who could blame you if you are feeling this way?  In its May 28, 2007 issue, Fortune deemed Generation Y the most high-maintenance, yet potentially most high-performing generation in history.  In addition, in its July 16, 2007 issue, Time described members of Generation Y as wanting the kind of life balance where every minute has meaning, not wanting to be slaves to their jobs the way their Baby Boomer parents are.  (Deborah Gilburg, Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y) Not unlike the Generations that preceded them, the Millennials definitely possess unique characteristics that make them different and therefore require new and innovative management practices of those organizations looking to attract and retain them.  However, if you listen closely to what is being said, I think you’ll find that a solid foundation in what many might consider to be basic, fundamental HR practices will go a long way in ensuring a satisfying and motivating workplace for your Gen Y employees.

Referencing a short video that is now playing on BNET and that features Lynne Lancaster, noted generational expert, and co-author of the book When Generations Collide, let’s begin to examine what you can do to achieve success in managing Millennials in your organization.  In the video, Lancaster shares that the Millennials will benefit from great clarity related to job expectations and these expectations should be made clear during the recruiting process.  I don’t know about you, but I think most of us expect that during the recruiting process we are offered a clear picture of what is expected of us in the job we are considering.  

Lancaster also shares that early in the employment relationship Millennials should receive quite a bit of guidance with frequent check-ins.  In addition, employers are encouraged to sit down with their Millennial new hires and share with them the culture of the organization, the unwritten / unspoken expectations that are integral in being successful within the organization.  Again, another example of how applying fundamental HR practices can lead to success.  Well grounded new employee on-boarding processes should include a structured method of performance evaluation and review during the new hire’s initial training / review period.  In addition, via an orientation, mentoring relationship or other structured means, every new employee should be introduced to the company, its history, culture and “rules of the game”.

So, what’s really different as it relates to the Millennials and their expectations when compared to the Generations that preceded them?  Could it be the level of acceptance / tolerance they are willing to exhibit if the practices outlined above are absent?  I can remember a time when the practices outlined above were common place and most, if not all organizations leveraged them as part of their standard HR playbook.  I will also share that many organizations abandoned these practices overtime or scaled them back considerably.  Why?  I think it was because their employees were accepting of it, and if they were not accepting of it, they at least tolerated it.  That’s the difference with the Millennials.  They are likely to be far less tolerant.  These practices are not viewed as nice to haves, but as must haves.   For those employers that figure out how to get “back to basics”, they will be well positioned to succeed in their efforts to attract and retain members of Gen Y.  For those that don’t, securing members of their future workforce could prove difficult thus putting them at risk for long-term sustainability.  

To view the entire article, Management Techniques for Bringing Out the Best in Generation Y by Deborah Gilburg, visit:  http://www.cio.com/article/149053/Management_Techniques_for_Bringing_Out_the_Best_in_Generation_Y?page=1&

 To view the entire on-line video featuring Lynne Lancaster, visit: http://www.bnet.com/2422-13950_23-196738.html?tag=content;col1.  This article is authored by Dave Cofer, President / CEO of Cofer Consulting Solutions, a firm specializing in Attracting, Developing and Retaining Young Professionals.  Dave is currently partnering with the Columbus Chamber as an employer outreach resource available to assist employers in their efforts related to Interns.  To contact Dave, please e-mail him at David_Cofer@columbus.org.  To learn more about Cofer Consulting Solutions, please visit on-line at www.coferconsulting.com.