The deadline for officials' certification on October 12, 2016, has come and gone and now we have a whole bunch of officials who don't know their status or are sitting around wondering if they have done everything they needed to do. Seems that everytime they ask for help they basically get a deaf ear or some platitude that means nothing. Saying, "I'll check on it" doesn't help a bit when we know you won't...
Part of genuine leadership is being smart enough to sit down after a debacle and find new ways to make things better and more effective. Instead of just complaining, here are some thoughts and suggestions for the future:
* Publicize things well in advance. Don't want to argue about this--just do it.
* Regularly communicate with officials.
* Make a valid presentation of EXACTLY what an official has to do to be certified. Don't hide the fact that we have to take a refresher course on "fair play" and then when we go to the site, we find that its nearly impossible to find stuff.
* Answer your dang phone! Nothing is more frustrating that calling someone in charge and then never get an answer or a returned call. This has happened far too often and needs to stop.
* When you make wholesale changes such as requiring new batteries of tests in order to be certified--BE SURE you have all the tests up and ready to go when you issue the edict. Officials shouldn't have to spend time trying to figure out which tests are available and when...
* If you can't get things done, then hire people who can do it or get out of the way and let someone else take charge.
* Find something that works and send Nucula to south Africa. That thing may be demon possessed.
* Please don't ask us to put our work record in the thing and then ask us to find a button that we need to press to tell you that we want to be recertified. Just recertify those who can be recertified and move on. Its not impossible.
* Everyone needs to learn to read their emails--and read the fine print. The devil is usually in the details and we need everyone certified that we can get.
* Get ready for the backlash--because its coming. People don't like to be frustrated and sure don't want to lose their certification.
Hopefully I didn't get up today and then find out I have shaved for nothing...
3 comments:
No clue if my stuff got done, learning center stuff was done, hit recertify, did the refresher play safe course, and believe filled out background check correctly, but who knows anymore.
More emails explaining everything would have been nice. The divorce from ITA and the subsequent new certification rules for ITA also messed everything up in the mass of confusion.
As for the tests and modules, they are not bad, but if you set a date, make sure the date is there. If there is a time period that you must log into The Learning Center or else you go inactive, then make sure people know that, nit be surprised at last second, although they were very quick to assist in resetting account, thankfully.
Find a way to make it easier on the veteran officials, bring back on site evaluation for lower level officials, not just Pros.
Stop picking the few for everything, otherwise you never know what you have out there.
Find a way to attract new officials and retain them, have some set standards, but don't waste their time by requiring 2+ days of volunteer work before getting paid, when it is middle of summer and 100 degrees.
How about not having a valid phone number for someone you regularly get emails from representing themselves as someone in authority. When you genuinely need to talk to them on the phone for clarification about the certification process so you email and ask them to call you please, supply them your phone number and you get an email back asking you what did you need them to call you about. Isn't it clear you needed a phone call? My solution? This is revolutionary! Call one of the people you are supposed to be working for when they need help and ask you to.
Starting with a positive, I'm glad to see both USTA and ITA trying to make changes that will allow officials to be better trained in the future. One suggestion I have change the format in how they distribute the email with instructions. The emails are too lengthy, both ITA and USTA are guilty of this, not easy to follow nor visually appealing. So along with your suggestion of a presentation, the email should be a brief opening statement with a presentation attached with instructions. They should lay out the new changes for the upcoming year. The instructions need to include "if you are new" vs. "if you are recertifying." Instructions need to be on different pages and easily laid out step by step for the individual. I also heard people asking where does it show up if someone is "green light" vs. "red light." That really confused people and I'm talking seasoned officials.
Lastly, they came out with an email very late in the game about recertifying "safe play" and your background check. That should not have even happened. It should have been part of the instructions..which should tell the person how many years your background check is good for and if you have to recertify "safe play" every year. Ideally, if money wasn't an issue, they could build into the technology these functions that would flag a person which items they need to complete for the coming certification year.
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