Leadership Excursion: The Cheeseburgers and Smoothies Edition

For our excursion, BlueDelicious took a trip to Johnny Rockets because we believed that they provide their staff with a work experience unique to that of other restaurants. We wanted to see what made Johnny Rockets different and how the work environment encouraged their workers to perform at their potential and above.  And during the trip, we observed how several aspects of work there can be related and applied to the work that we do for New Student Orientation.

The moment we walked in, we felt an upbeat and friendly atmosphere greet us. At first glance, you see people enjoying their meals, waiters and waitresses joking around with each other and with customers, and managers making sure that everyone is happy.  This is something we want to give to new students. When they step onto Livingston Campus on that first day of orientation, they should also feel that same fun and welcoming environment. The first impression of orientation (and perhaps even Rutgers University as a whole) should be similar to my first impression of walking into Johnny Rockets in a way that people feel a sense of comfort and excitement at the same time. We want students to see us laughing around with each other, interacting with students, and most importantly, they want to see other students also be excited about orientation. When new students are surrounded by others who look forward to the program, they themselves are more likely to feel the same way too.

Our meal at Johnny Rockets was very enjoyable. Our server, Dana, was all about smiles and making sure we had everything we need. The very first thing she did after greeting us at the table was that she drew out smiley faces on small bowls with ketchup. It was a small gesture, but it made things even more fun as we laughed and joked about our bowls of ketchup. This is something that we must keep in mind during the summer. Sometimes it is the little things that new students will remember, like telling them a joke or going out your way to talk to students who are sitting by themselves.

At the end of the meal, we had the chance to ask her specifically about her work environment and how she feels empowered by her job. She talked about how her work turned into “play” as she began to see her job more as enjoyable work. She described how every day turns out to be something different, that although she practically completes the same tasks, the customers make it a new experience every time. I believe this is exactly what happens during the summer. When asked about my summer job, I always tend to say the same thing, “It’s like I get paid to have fun.” I really enjoyed being an orientation leader, and it honestly were as if I did not “work a single day” during the summer. We do pretty much the same schedule every session, but the students make each session a unique one. And going into the workday looking forward to a great session makes the long days go by so fast.

Another point Dana spoke to us about was how there is mutual trust and respect amongst the waiters, cooks, and managers. This makes it easier for everyone to fulfull their duties while having space to do their jobs in their own way and style. In respect to New Student Orientation, we need to be able to trust each other and know that everyone will do their part. At the start of the day, we, orientation leaders, are given a schedule of what needs to be done at what time. But the schedule does not tell us exactly how to lead our group. This really encourages us to develop and experiment with our personal leadership styles because it gives us space to learn and grow.

In all, the trip to Johnny Rockets was a good experience. While enjoying a delicious meal, we were able to point out how some features of the work environment at the restaurant are similar to those of our work environment in the summer. This excursion has reminded me about keeping up a positive and optimistic attitude every session, remembering that each session is the first one for new students, and that a work environment is at its best when everyone can depend on each other. This is definitely what we should strive for during the summer.

- Ashley Aya

Oranges go to Wegmans

they will also prepare food for you, brilliant!

For the orange team excursion, we took a trip to this place called Wegmans. I must have been living under a rock for the 21 years, 1 month, and 7 days to not know about such a fascinating place. Fresh food,deli on location, great customer service?! While I could write pages about how every supermarket should be like Wegmans, it is important to understand some of the values that Wegmans has that.

Karen, our amazing guide, took us around the store, and then brought us upstairs to discuss the ins and outs that made this Forbes' 4th best place to work at. Between keeping food fresh, providing college students with flexible hours to work through college, and providing opportunities for advancement, Wegmans is a great place to build a career.

What NSO can take from Wegmans is that it sticks by its core values. Looking at their mission statement, it is obvious that Wegmans has been up to date on their Simon Sinek watching. They truly act on what they believe, as their customer service was above and beyond my personal expectations and was extremley impressive. Using the word "believe" so frequently, they are showing that they are passionate about what they do, even James who helped me pick out a cinnamon bun over a cherry danish in the bakery (thanks again James). Passion is something that every staff member should have during the school year and during the summer because it can really rub off on everyone around you.

I believe that NSO can really adopt Wegmans' pledge of "Every day you get our best". The summer is long, it is going to get difficult at points, but it is so important to remember that each new student, whether traditional, transfer, non traditional, whatever the scenario, each student deserves the best from every student on staff. The mentality that each day they can make a difference in a customers life is truly remarkable. It is a mentality that can really contribute the the Orientation team.

Wegmans sticks to what they believe in and another example is their view on the environment. They are conscious of their carbon footprint and making strides to lower it. This is an important trait, sticking to what you believe in, and always trying to improve. There is always room to improve and ways to make an experience better, something that NSO really values. As a returner I have the experience of having been an orientation leader and can attest to the constant need for improvement that drives NSO. 

I would strongly suggest a trip to Wegmans to experience what they have to offer and understand on a firsthand basis the passion that every employee brings day in and day out. You can find a Wegmans by clicking on this link. Check them out and have a good spring break everyone.

The Bear Necessities

For our excursion, Team Silverware went to the Build-a-Bear workshop.  For those of you who don’t know, Build-a-Bear is a “teddy-bear themed retail-entertainment experience,” where each Guest follows 8 interactive stages, accompanied by their Master Bear Builder, to build their very own custom bear. 

During our time at the workshop, many similarities between New Student Orientation and Build-a-Bear arose. 

For example, Build-a-Bear is very process orientated.  At New Student Orientation, it is very important to focus on the process.  Ensuring that all students feel more comfortable about attending RU in the fall and have a positive first experience as a Rutgers student is the most important aspect of Orientation.  Giving students facts, figures, and resources is useless unless the students are comfortable enough to listen. 

Build-a-Bear prides itself on empowering its Guests.  This is done through allowing their Guest to be involved in every aspect of making the bear: stuffing, sewing, fluffing, naming, etc.    New Student Orientation empowers both its students and its employees.  The students who attend our programs are empowered by the way Orientation views and treats them.  For example, on last year’s campus tour, students choose the stops which they wanted to see.  Before each Super Fantastic Ultra Extreme Rutgers Challenge Gameshow, the students create their own team name and chant.  Most importantly, NSO builds a pride in the students for their university, empowering them in their decision and making them feel a part of RU.

 NSO empowers their employees by giving them the tools they need to succeed but allowing them to work and create on their own.  Build-a-Bear focuses on “reinventing ideas.”  Orientation does this by allowing the Orientation Team Leaders to head their projects, be creative, produce something new, and make decisions.  This employee-empowerment also applies to professional staff members.  For example, the Super Fantastic Ultra Extreme Rutgers Challenge, created by Matthew Ferguson, is a completely new, reinvented way to bring facts about campus to students.

Founder of Build-a-Bear, Maxine Clark, said Build-a-Bear is about “warm thoughts about our childhood, about friendship, about trust and comfort, and also about love.”  In a way, Orientation encompasses these same fundamental values.  For students, it is about warm thoughts about the future, making new friendships, trusting your Orientation Leader and your decision on a school, becoming comfortable in your new home, and loving RU.  For an Orientation Leader, NSO is about warm thoughts and memories from the summer, friendships that feel like family, trusting your other staff members, being comfortable in your working environment, and sharing your love for Rutgers with every one and anyone who will listen.

Home Sweet Home

 

             For the Gold Team’s class excursion we went to Tastee Sub Shop in my hometown of Edison, NJ. Tastee has always been my favorite sub shop and I always got a sub from there whenever I could when I was little. This business has no flashy stars or grand elaborate scheme to attract customers, but it attracts thousands of customers each and every week. The reason is because to me this sub shop screams hospitality and makes me feel like home every time I walk into it. The same people who have been working there ever since I was younger still work there and love what they do. When you love what you do you never work a day in your life some say. Their small town family shop kind of feel is why I choose this location. I based my decision off of my experiences I had going their when I was growing up, but also because I personally see the way I conduct an orientation group in this businesses values. There are many fine establishments to go to, but Tastee reflects many lessons orientation leaders learn through what they do over the summer. 

              What I asked everyone in my group to do after our excursion was to write just a paragraph reflection on the trip to Tastee as a reflection for them. I also learned a great deal about the history and traditions Tastee Sub Shop has like Rutgers does. Starting as soda pop shop in the old days, Tastee transformed with the vision of David Thornton into a famous mom and pop type of establishment. We sat down in the very small shop and started to ask questions to Dave when my favorite part of the whole day happened. He started to answer the first question when another customer walked in a he immediately greeted him. Many people would find this simple gesture meaningless, but for me this shows me that he knows his customers. For orientation it is very important to be personable and show every student or family member we take the time to get to know them and show them we care about what they have to say. Also, two of the Gold Team members, Dan Carballeira and Monica Fung, made great points in their reflections. Dave talked about how you need to be humble and friendly to all your customers. Also, you have to go above and beyond for your customers to ensure their satisfaction and to guarantee they will return. This relates to every single part of orientation. Whether its answering phone calls, doing parent/family orientation, or the game show, all our staff has to be able to make a great impression.

 

           

           What I hoped the Gold team learned through this experience was a little bit of why we do what we do for orientation. We make sure that every single first-year feels welcomed at Rutgers, like Dave does to his customers. I love to get to know my first-years and be able to direct them towards areas they are interested in. Orientation Leaders have many areas they know a lot about, but not every orientation leader knows about all the services Rutgers has to offer. That is what we as orientation leaders last year did for students who had questions about an area they were not fully knowledgeable in. Teamwork is very huge in the sub shop. Tastee has their own way of teamwork which has to deal with the people stocking and are behind the scenes and the ones on stage on the line. Every person has their own important job to keep the sub line moving efficiently. Dave said it looks easy, but can get easily overrun if you are not used to huge rushes. For example, when we were there the person who took the order, while cutting the meat, would have almost four orders of meat and cheese in his head at a time. Very talented people were on display Dave liked to say. Customer service and making sure you never looked frazzled is a talent you have to learn on the job. I relate this back to teaching when everyday you go to work and you can’t show that you are mad or sad or tired, you have to be lively and friendly Dave likes to say. This almost directly relates to Orientation Leaders who have to be live for their groups this summer and should be showing every person in their group a great first impression of Rutgers.   

March 9, 2012

Why Change?

“I’ll just have the penne with pesto and a glass of water.” Those were my first words uttered to a waiter who drastically changed my perception of service. Meet Sean Johnson, an aspiring television, film, and theater aficionado. As if this is not unique enough, he graduated from four colleges in hope of fulfilling his career goals in the performance industry.

Millersville University of Pennsylvania, American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Second City Chicago, The Magnet Theatre

Our group of New Student Orientation leaders met Sean at Stardust Diner in New York City. The diner is great for Sean’s theatrical passion as the waiting staff sings intermittently between serving food. This entertained us while we ate our lunch and demonstrated how service could be fun for both the employee and the customer.

                                    

This statement brings up an important point since the mentality of having fun while working is transferable to the NSO experience. In speaking to returning orientation leaders, much of the summer working experience is already fun. But this does not mean we cannot strive for improvement. One of the tasks of an orientation leader is to keep first year students busy, even if a session activity is complete. What better way to do this than partake in a game that is entertaining for both the students and the orientation leader. To flash back in time, during my interview, Courtney asked me, “What do you have in mind that could make orientation better?” I was indecisive and the only thing I could think to say was “doing more fun activities.” Ironically enough, after meeting Sean at Stardust Diner, the experience made me realize that the hesitant comment I made several months ago can come true! Sean emphasized having fun on the job does not impair your work ethic or service, instead it improves both capabilities. This is evident in several other industries such as the shoe company, Zappos. But how can this model fit with NSO? With the empowerment Courtney and Brian have given orientation leaders I have a couple of ideas worth gambling with. For instance, the game show is always a success each summer. Why not play mini jeopardy games in small orientation groups. The jeopardy games would reinforce what students learned in the game show, testing students on such things as Rutgers’s school history. Addionally, the games could be used to add flare to less thrilling topics such as the discussion of campus building locations, dining halls, and facilities. Regardless of the success of implementing this idea, the key takeaway point is to emphasize the important role having fun can have while working and learning.

     

A big part of being an orientation leader is embracing student diversity. As humans we have different backgrounds, views, belief systems, morals, and ambitions. It is the orientation leader’s job to tolerate and embrace these differences. Coincidentally, Sean illustrates this point. Politically Sean is Republican. What impressed me was how adementaly he preached the importance of accepting Republican and Democrat view points. Regardless of his core political beliefs he made it clear that he respects everyone’s political views. But more importantly, he respects their individuality. As a great believer in personal responsibility, Sean said it is essential to hold yourself accountable to the way you present yourselves to others. This mentality is transferable to the NSO work environment. Of the two hundred or more first years I transition to Rutgers, I will meet students who are incredibly different from their peers or myself. It is my job to comfortablu present myself and Rutgers so that students feel Rutgers will soon be their home!

                EQUALS                       

When we got the bill and were ready to leave the diner, Sean left us with a final note. When John Geremy asked him what was the hardest aspect of his job, Sean paused and told us, “being the center of attention on bad days.” I started thinking how difficult it would be to wait tables and sing in front of crowds of people in the diner given this circumstance. Then, Sean said, “But by the end of the day, I’m always feeling better.” Why? Because bad things will eventually turn out better! This really resonated with me because of something Brian and Courtney emphasized in class. If you are having a bad day as an orientation leader, “fake it ‘till you make it.” In other words the idea of being resilient is really important as an orientation leader. When you only spend two days with a group of students one bad day could impact how they view you or Rutgers University. So the universal message is to keep chugging along because even on the worst of days things will only get better! And for that as well as the many other lessons reflected in my visit to Stardust Diner, I thank Sean for making me see why his job enhances my understanding of the current and prospective NSO work environment.

Posted by Justin Harnett at 11:00 PM

Geek to Greek: A Pledging Story.

My last blog described the common challenges first year students face at the start of their college careers.  This week I watched a couple of episodes of ABC's GREEK series, and I noticed that many of the challenges my RA mapped out for me during our interview were some of the struggles the show's protagonist faced.  It was interesting to see how the show really captured college students difficulties, mixing it with humor and a little bit a drama, and portrayed in sorority and fraternity setting.
 
One of the challenges my RA and I discussed was balancing school work with socializing.  The show really did a great job capturing this struggle through its main character, Rusty Cortwright.  He enrolls in the same college as his older sister, who ignores his phone calls, cries for help, and all around denies his existence (Can you say sibling rivalry, or what?!).  As a freshman looking for a sense of identity and community, Rusty decides to rush for a fraternity.  After receiving and accepting his bid, Rusty is swept up into the demanding and time consuming process of pledging.  It was said during the show that the first week is always the hardest since the amount of classwork is low, which is what we call "Syllabus Week" here at Rutgers.  However, Rusty's situation is different; he's a polymer science major, with incredibly hard prerequisite classes that will prepare him for his engineering classes later on. A 90 question packet is assigned to him, and he must complete it in order to stay in his physics class.  Objectively speaking, Rusty's dilemma really isn't a big one- he should finish the packet instead of reporting to the frat house each night.  His major depends on it!  But he wants to belong, make friends, and form that brotherly bond that will create that community and support he is seeking.

The show initially portrays Rusty as a lanky, smart 'geek' who will not be successful at going Greek. Many people, including his sister, tell him he would never get through rush because he didn't fit fraternity criteria.  Rusty ignores these negative remarks, and is even more determined to go out and get what he wants. And that is what college is about- going out there and making something of yourself.  I like to think of college as a game, except there are no dice included.  There is no white square with black dotes telling you how many spots you MUST move on the board.  There is no one telling you you MUST read this chapter or you MUST do these calc problems.  Most importantly, there is no one stopping you from doing the things you desire.  Sure, someone can tell you "no you can't do that," but does that really mean anything?  Words impede nothing.  And once you realize this, you can make it past go and collect that $200 as many times as you want.  Rusty caught on to the game's rules very quickly.

At each fraternity house he visits, nerves get the best of him and he ends up saying something to make the other brothers uninterested, insulted, or indifferent towards him.  Rusty's friend, Calvin, suggests that he 'exaggerate his accomplishments and play himself up the best he can in order to get the brothers to like him.' But Rusty doesn't take his friend's advice, and upon meeting the president of Omega Chi, he answers the question of why he's pledging honestly, with elements of this morals, aspirations, and personality traits intertwined in his response.  The presidents reaction?

"That is the best response I have heard all night." 

I loved how ABC promoted the idea of just being yourself.  College students can easily be turned into chameleons, altering their 'color'-a geniusly created metaphor for one's values and opinions if I do say so myself- to better connect with the people who surround them.  By doing this, its very easy for a student to loose himself, and his aspired goal of  finding his identity is made ten times harder.  Rusty didn't fall into this trap, and he won his bid from just being himself and pursuing his desires.  Rusty just passed go for the first time.

But a bid doesn't automatically establish that sense of brotherly community GREEK's protagonist desires; its simply an invitation.  Rusty has to prove himself worthy of admittance, which is done through the grueling process of pledging.  Which brings us back to his dilemma of the physics packet and the Brotherly Pact (It's not so easy to choose which thing to prioritize, now is it? Social Life vs. Future Life).  He chooses social life, leaving him to hand in an incomplete packet. 

Although GREEK's writers decided to throw Rusty a bone, and have his physics professor not grade the packet after all, reality usually isn't that kind to real students.  Often times too much socializing is detrimental to academics, and its a huge challenge and takes practice to find that balance.  In later episodes, audiences see Rusty continue to struggle with social moderation.  He fails a quiz and doesn't do so hot on a lab report because of Greek activities.  His desire to belong to something is way too strong for him to rethink his priorities.
 
Through the first couple of episodes, audiences also see changes in Rusty's relationship with his sister.  Every college student experiences relationship changes.  Many times high school friendships loose their strength because of distance, growth, and new found maturity, or parental relationships become stronger because you're allowed to breathe a little.  In Rusty's case, his sister goes from being an unhelpful and indifferent older sibling, to caring and protective one. The struggle here isn't adjusting to the change itself, but initiating and maintaining the relationship proved difficult for Rusty.

The Social Network

Mark Zuckerberg is one of the most famous names of the 21st Century.  However, his journey to being a billionaire did not start off so smooth.

At Harvard University, Zuckerberg was a programmer and created a site called "FaceMash" which stole pictures and their personal information and put it together on one website (as recreated here on this website: http://www.facemash.com.au/).  Zuckerberg created a new site called "Thefacebook," which was funded by Zuckerberg's best friend Edarudo Saverin.  Cameron Winklevoss and Tyler Winklevoss presented the idea of Match.com for Harvard students to Zuckerberg which seemed minuscule in the long run.  He thought a dating site for the student body was unnecessary and went with his own idea, not including the twins.  This began the rivalry between Zuckerberg and the twins which ended in a lawsuit.  Eventually Zuckerberg met Sean Parker from Napster and began the rivalry between him and Eduardo because he felt that Parker could step in, money wise, more than Eduardo could.  Parker gave Zuckerberg the idea to drop the "The" and just call it "Facebook."  Eventually Eduardo was metaphorically kicked out.  Eduardo also sued his own best friend, Zuckerberg.

Throughout the whole movie, Zuckerberg had to deal with people taking advantage of his wits.  Eduardo does not have the brains to program or run a website like Facebook, but he does have the money to help start the website.  The twins, Cameron and Tyler, only provided an idea about starting a dating website, but it was Zuckerberg that provided the skills and knowledge to get the website up.  Zuckerberg did not let anyone take advantage of him and used his skills to his full advantage.  Zuckerberg believed in himself and controlled his Facebook project, and the outcome of that is that he became successful.

Zuckerberg utilized his skills of setting up Facebook, but without Eduardo or Parker to help fund his project, Facebook would not exist.  Zuckerberg hired a guy that knows how to hack programs (video) to make sure Facebook does not have any loopholes.  Zuckerberg and his workers are able to come together to make Facebook extremely successful.  If everyone is able to come together and work towards one goal, they will succeed.  Everyone is different in their own way which means they can have something beneficial to bring to the table.  Despite all of his up's and down's, Zuckerberg remains goal driven and surrounds themselves with great people.  He is able to get others to follow his lead and also make them successful entrepreneurs.

So what has Mark Zuckerberg provided for college students in this century?  Via Facebook, people are able to connect with 500 million people across the world.  People can easily access information about others and be updated with their life.  Facebook has help make the world more open and is changing the way people interact with one another online.  Without Facebook, it would have made it very difficult for this awesome group to exist: NSO Summer 2012. Facebook has enable people to reconnect with people you may have met once and keep in contact with them.

No one is good at everything, but everyone is good at something.  When we put our skills together and work towards one goal, we are able to create something even greater.