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STARRINKS.COM NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2015 / 23 Preparation for public speaking is key. Practice until you are comfortable. Once you're ready, you will hardly notice that you are speaking to a room of people. 7. Leadership As an arena manager, it is incredibly important to be a good role model for staff. They look to you for examples and to be the guiding force for the facility. If you leave the safety bar out of the ice resurfacer, staff will do the same. If you do not rinse the auger after a resurface, staff will do the same. Even if you are alone in the building, follow your own rules. A per- son's character is not defined by actions while being observed, but rather by what they do when no one is looking. 8. Kill Them With Kindness A few years ago during a busy night at the ice arena, my boss stopped in to see how things were going. One of my more challenging custom- ers—you know the type, a hockey dad that has Googled a few things and now knows everything about how I should do my job— was in the arena. He and my boss initiated conversation. The way they carried on I thought that they were best friends. After the customer left, my boss pulled me aside and told me that the challenging customer hates his guts. Kill him with kindness was the motto he instilled that day. There is nothing to gain by constantly challenging some people, but by listen- ing and being polite it will likely avoid an argument. Killing a customer with kind- ness may not gain you a friend, but by simply being kind, you'll likely gain their respect. 9. Work-Life Balance There is a lot of talk about work-life balance and this is an area that cannot be ignored. Take the time to be yourself with family and friends—it will make you a better manager in the long run. The best way to balance is to follow the simple rules: when you're at work, be at work. When you're with family and friends, be with family and friends. At work, limit your personal interac- tions. Do not spend time on social media or texting on the phone with friends and family. At the same time, be present with your friends and family. Do not be staring at your phone or checking emails when you should be staring into the eyes of your loved one. There will be times where your personal and professional life collide, but try to minimize the impact. I recently heard it explained this way: balancing life is like juggling. Everything work-related is a rubber ball and your personal life is a glass ball. There is only one of these that you can drop and still be able to start juggling again. Keep that in mind always. 10. Strive for Daily Improvement Don't be too hard on yourself. No one ever gets it right all the time. You may have made missteps in the past, but you can always strive to do better. The only person you need to compare yourself to is who you were yesterday. My child asked me the other day if I am the best ice arena manager. My answer to that is no, but that is what I'm striving to become. J Mike Bauer is the recreation and facilities director at the Rogers Activity Center in Rogers, Minnesota. TOP 5 UNPROFESSIONAL MISTAKES 1. LAZINESS: No one likes an employee who has no drive to complete the required tasks. Don't feel like cleaning up the bathrooms before locking the rink up one night? Odds are your arena manager won't feel like asking you to come into work anymore after awhile. 2. SOCIAL MEDIA: One thing that all employees and managers need to be reminded of, is that what you put out on social media is open for all to see. That wild wedding week- end or that tough day at work where you went home at vented about the boss—leave it offline. 3. UNDERDRESSED: As a general rule of thumb, it's always better to be overdressed than under- dressed, especially when it comes to work. Don't get caught with your pants down and make sure you look professional each day on the job. 4. GOSSIP KING/QUEEN: There's a difference between conversing with coworkers and spreading rumors around like a game of telephone. No one likes the person who talks about everyone at the water cooler. Remember to keep your work friendships pro- fessional, too. 5. BEING UNRESPONSIVE: If you're not returning customer phone calls or emails, people are going to get pretty frustrated, and fast. While dealing with cus- tomer questions or problems can be a trying task itself, you were hired to help confront these prob- lems head on. Be responsive and take control of the situation. Your customers, and your boss, will thank you for it.