Tag Archives: professional development

Frontline Fundamentals: Never Stop Learning: Why Professional Development is the Key to Success. Presented by Josh Cantor, CAPP

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View training summary and speaker information, and register for free today.


We have launched your new IPMI member portal.  Click here to login, reset your password, and register for these free trainings. If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact us here.

  • Member Rate: Free; pre-registration required,
  • Non-member rate: $35 registration fee.  Click the register link above to attend as a non-member.
  • Join today and find out more about member benefits here.

Flowbird_LogoFrontline trainings are provided free of charge to all IPMI members, and are generously supported by our exclusive Frontline Sponsor, Flowbird.

 

Frontline Fundamentals: Find Your Potential, Develop Your Path. Presented by Kim Jackson, CAPP

REGISTER HERE.

View training summary and speaker information, and register for free today.


We have launched your new IPMI member portal.  Click here to login, reset your password, and register for these free trainings. If you have questions, or need assistance, please contact us here.

  • Member Rate: Free; pre-registration required,
  • Non-member rate: $35 registration fee.  Click the register link above to attend as a non-member.
  • Join today and find out more about member benefits here.

Flowbird_LogoFrontline trainings are provided free of charge to all IPMI members, and are generously supported by our exclusive Frontline Sponsor, Flowbird.

 

Making the Most of 10 Percent Duties as Assigned

Top view of diverse people of creative team group join hands circle together in collaboration concept with smartphone, mobile phone, tablet and computer laptop on table.By Irma Henderson, CAPP

Listening to Steve Lerch’s keynote about finding innovation from all team members and giving people the time and freedom to find great ideas at IPMI’s Mobility & Innovation Summit last week, I know many in the public sector or union environments may think their hands are tied. However, most job descriptions have the ubiquitous “10 Percent Duties as Assigned” clause.  Why not use this in a more positive way:

10 percent: Provides operational support for [your organization], which may include some of the following functions:

    • Participates in the development and implementation of the department’s mission, goals, and strategic planning.
    • Assists in the review of operations and services to identify efficiencies and integrate best practices.
    • Coordinates and/or participates in special projects and assignments, the scope of which may extend beyond day-to-day operations.

This gives employees four hours each week or a whole day every two weeks to do whatever they are interested in: out-of-class work, cross training, etc.

Irma Henderson, CAPP, is director of parking, transportation, and fleet services at the University of California, Riverside.

Customer Service Representatives: Superheroes in Disguise

Woman in jeans and T-shirt whose reflection has a cape on.By Lesli Stone, CAPP

Frontline parking and transportation professionals are in a unique position to be the eyes and ears of the communities they serve. Each  can observe a large number of engaged people in innocuous activities, day in and day out. These countless observations provide the experience and context to determine when things don’t seem quite right.

Providing comprehensive training and empowering our customer service representatives is an important step to providing safe and secure communities. Most of us are familiar with the Department of Homeland Security’s “See Something, Say Something” materials and devote a portion of our training budgets each year to educating our teams on identifying and appropriately reporting suspicious packages and activities. However, we are positioned to see so much more.

Recently at the Coble Transportation Center, customer service representative Erma S. observed a gentleman acting strangely. She made the decision to investigate further. She initiated a conversation with the man and determined that he was confused about his surroundings and situation.

Erma was able to gain the customer’s trust and he handed his phone over for assistance. She was able to identify an emergency contact and made a call to quickly and calmly explain the situation. As it turns out, the gentleman in question suffers from dementia and had been missing for hours. A safe pickup was coordinated and Erma stayed with the man until his concerned family members arrived. She said, “I just handled it as if it was my grandpa.”

While it is impossible to anticipate every situation, we train our drivers and staff to recognize human trafficking, dementia, and cognitive dysfunction, medical emergencies, and a host of other situations they could encounter. When we know better, we can do better. Awareness and training matter.

Lesli Stone, CAPP, is general manager at National Express Transit Corporation.

Keep It or Change It?

Woman leaping across ravine, one side says 2020 and the other side says 2021By Kathleen Federici, MEd

For 14 consecutive years, my husband and I held a New Year’s Day brunch for our family, neighbors, and friends. We had a themed and costumed Roaring Twenties party on New Year’s Day 2020 to welcome in the new decade that was filled with promising opportunity—at least, so we thought.

I was sometimes unsure if people came to the brunch because they really had fun or if they came because it was tradition and that’s just where folks gather on New Year’s Day. I was excited and happy to receive several texts and phone calls last week from friends and family saying how much they missed the party this year. I felt validated that people came because it was a fun place to gather and a great way to start the new year.

Thinking about this one event has inspired me to change how I choose to view 2021. I choose to take this year to review meaningful activities versus activities performed because that’s how it has been done in the past. I will keep the New Year’s Day party going for my family and friends. However, I am going to take this year to explore different ways to do things and mix things up. Maybe I will create new traditions, new ways to have fun with my family and friends, and/or new types of training experiences! I cannot wait to see what my imagination can create in 2021. What will I keep and what will change? Time will tell!

Kathleen Federici, MEd, is IPMI’s director of professional development.

Upskilling: You’re Worth It!

By Kathleen Federici, MEd

Why has upskilling suddenly become so important? The short answer is the digital economy. There is a relentless commitment to achieve more with less, especially now during the COVID pandemic.

Upskilling is the process of acquiring new and relevant competencies needed today and in the near future. Common examples of upskilling efforts include digital skills, analytics skills, and organizational transformation skills. Upskilling is being able to work socially in a digital world.

This sea of change means that many traditional jobs are morphing into something different or disappearing altogether. Upskilling is the process of preparing the workforce to fill these new positions. I have been asked by those furloughed or laid off what they should do now. My answer is to upskill. In the words of Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted, “When we come out of this, the digital economy will be even more powerful than it is now. This is a time to upskill yourself.”

According to the World Economic Forum, 65 percent of children entering primary school today will work in jobs that don’t exist yet. To survive and thrive in this economy, we need to be agile, and that means seizing new skills by upskilling your skills.

When you think about upskilling yourself, set your own goals. What do you want to do and why? Identify the new skills you will need to accomplish that goal you just set. Google and Udemy are two websites that offer free upskilling courses. Of, course, IPMI has your back when it comes to upskilling by way of the CAPP credential.

Build your upskilling plan in the comfort and safety of your living room. You’re worth it.

Kathleen Federici, MEd, is IPMI’s director of professional development.

IPMI Webinar: Using Social Listening to Improve Your Customer Service. Presented by Melonie Curry, ParkHouston

Using Social Listening to Improve Your Customer Service

Melonie Curry, Communications Manager, ParkHouston

Register here for this webinar.

Or purchase the entire 2021 professional development series bundle.


Digital marketing is now a required element of good business. Learn to use social listening to analyze your organization’s digital footprint and social media presence. Provide responsive and timely campaigns that meet the needs of your target audience and help your organization do business better.

Attendees will:

  • Recognize the need for digital marketing.
  • Learn how to use social media to identify customer needs.
  • Examine which digital media channels best connect you with your target audience.

Offers 1 CAPP Credit towards application or recertification.


Presenter: Melonie Curry, Communications Manager, ParkHouston

Melonie Curry has developed customer educational materials for ParkHouston that share parking tips to educate the public and make parking easy and convenient. She manages ParkHouston’s social media and website and recently completed a digital marketing certification from Cornell  University. She served on the Texas Parking and Transportation Association’s Host Committee and helps manage social media. She is a member of the Social Media Advisory and Research Taskforce (SMART) and works on the Cultural Change Coalition to improve department collaboration in the City of Houston.

Register here.

 

 

 

 

Recruiting Professionals into Parking: A Conversation

the parking podcast“I fell into parking.”

“I never thought I’d work in this industry.”

We hear it all the time–longtime parking and mobility professionals say they never saw themselves in this industry but loved it once they fell or backed into it. But what if there was a concerted effort to make people pick parking–to make working in parking a career goal?

Kevin White, AICP, Parking and Mobility Consultant with Walker Consultants, talked to some top experts about that very question and came up with some great answers and strategies for recruiting top professionals into parking. It’s eye-opening and offers terrific takeaways and might just land you your next great staff member. To read the article published in the July issue of Parking & Mobility, click here.

Kevin talks about the article, Walker Consultants, and parking in the latest episode of The Parking Podcast (IPMI is a strategic partner of The Parking Podcast). Click here to listen.

What’s On Your Mind?

Man participating in webinarBy Kathleen Federici, MEd

What’s on your mind these days? Our entire team is eager to hear it. This year we have asked for your submissions for our 2021 webinar series. It’s not the call for proposals for our 2021 Conference & Expo (but look for that later this year). It’s also not the Call for Awards – which opens this week and runs through October (we want you to submit for those, too).

Our members are the experts, and as we continue to navigate change as an industry, it’s critical that we hear your perspectives, share your research, and open the door to new ways of thinking (and operating). As with all of our programs, competition is tough, and our members have lots to say. Make your proposal a good one.

Here’s the fine print (this is the part in the commercial where the tiny type scrolls and the random guy starts talking really fast):

  • Submissions will be accepted through August 28, 2020. No extensions (sorry).
  • Topics should be relevant to our industry, and sales pitches and/or product endorsements are forbidden and will not be reviewed.
  • Typically, sessions are an hour of presentation with Q&A and discussion included. If you have a better idea, let us know.
  • Speakers (up to four max) will be on live video during the presentation, with live chat and polling features. (Take the dog out first.)
  • IPMI will notify selected presenters by September 30, 2020. We only have a few slots, but we may have other big ideas for your big idea, too.
  • We will ask you to write a blog post and share your session on social (raise that profile, its good for you.) It’s part of the speaker agreement all presenters will sign when they accept.
  • Presentations will be required to meet educational requirements.

Questions? Contact us at professionaldevelopment@parking-mobility.org.

We truly welcome your ideas, ingenuity, and excitement. We need your vision, your creativity, and your passion for our industry. Thanks so much for all that you contribute each and every day to IPMI, your organization, and the industry. We can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Kathleen Federici, MEd, is IPMI’s director of professional development.

Communication in a Virtual Training World

Virtual world blog postBy Kim E. Jackson, CAPP

I have the distinct honor of being a trainer for IPMI. I have been training for the past 23 years and one of the major highlights has always been the face-to-face interactions with trainees. During COVID-19, I decided to participate in Frontline Training Live Class Series in addition to teaching a session during the IPMI Virtual Parking & Mobility Conference & Expo. What an incredible experience! I was challenged in ways I did not think possible and realize this experience will make me a better manager.

In the world of Zoom and virtual meeting space, the interactive feedback I was used to during in-person trainings was often a black square, sometimes an initial and last name, making it impossible to see trainees’ reactions to the information I was sharing. Now there were those brave souls who turned their cameras on; they have no idea how helpful that was to this trainer.

Then there are the chat functions—a great feature when you have a co-facilitator, but very nerve wracking when training or teaching solo. It is nearly impossible to keep up with the flood of messages being shared to your questions or comments from others in attendance.

So you may be asking: How can this help me become a better manager? I have learned to be patient with the silence. I have learned eye contact, something I highly value, is not always necessary for comprehension or understanding. It is OK to take a risk and trust your own skills and abilities to communicate in any situation!

Kim E. Jackson, CAPP, is director of parking and transportation at Princeton University and an IPMI trainer.