By Lawrence Tomei
There are some high-pressure jobs with built-in stress components for which a worker cannot afford to shirk his duties. There are occupations where a professional may commit an irreparable blunder if his or her focus on an assignment is diverted for a split second. A little negligence in such high-stress jobs may put people’s safety in danger — or the outcome of a game in jeopardy. Such is the nature of the sports official.
With stress as a given, sometimes it’s tough to keep the morale up. But officials must defend against deterioration in morale. Consider how water empties down a kitchen sink drain. The process is unstoppable unless the drain is plugged. Now compare the physics of an emptying sink to that of an association’s declining morale. Unless you plug the escape, sinking morale will only continue to pour out until and unless someone steps up to the task of damning the process and rekindling the excitement that made us all want to be officials in the first place.
Following are nine recommendations that officials associations can do to achieve high morale and maintain it at peak levels throughout the season.
1. Promote individual recognition. The chances of being recognized for the hundreds of hard-worked games and hours of reading the rulebooks are fairly limited. Sure, we get paid for doing our job, but a little personal recognition goes a long way in raising morale and keeping it high. A few good words during a chapter meeting or a photo “opp” carried on the association’s website or newsletter are inexpensive ways to recognize individual accomplishments, such as longevity or state assignments.
2. Modify your own dress code. Officials may not be able to pick their uniforms, but an association can, for example, purchase caps, shirts, even blazers for members that distinguish chapters, outfitting our crews before and after game time and tagging them as a member of an elite officiating team.
3. Encourage friendly competition. Offering your members the opportunity to become involved in some sort of challenge (golf tournament or a charity fundraiser for a sports scholarship) is a great way to rekindle camaraderie.
4. Sponsor a rigorous training program. In an ever-changing world of new rules, mechanics and technologies, officials must stay current with developments in their field. Effective training can be done internally during chapter meetings or externally at regional clinics and workshops. Providing the best trainers as well as discounts or reimbursements for members traveling outside the chapter keeps members on top of their game, helping them to feel good. It’s also a great return on a minimal investment.
5. Demand straightforward accountability. Do you have chapter bylaws? Do you test your members periodically — especially after training? Do you offer evaluators (senior members are best suited for this task) who provide feedback necessary for members to improve as officials? Morale is often a function of accountability and expectations; members want to know exactly what is expected of them and how they will be held accountable.
6. Expect two-way communications. Communication is critical on every level of an organization. Don’t just talk at members; listen to them. Listen to their ideas about process improvements. Listen to their concerns. Listen to their opinions. You may not agree. You may not act on every recommendation. It does mean that you respect them as intelligent adults. Few things damage morale more permanently than a know-it-all who doesn’t value others’ ideas and contributions.
7. Get to know your members and make sure they know each other. You don’t need to take members home with you or to the local tavern. Highlighting a different member at each chapter meeting is a sure-fire way to learn enough about the personal lives of your members to make them feel part of the “team.” Hobbies and interests, spouses or children, jobs and careers are all fair game. It’s amazing the diversity of an officials association.
8. Offer people more responsibility. People respond better when they have responsibility. Give members opportunities to run meetings or help develop younger officials. More responsibility often makes members feel valuable. Delegate responsibilities you think they can handle. If they are personally invested in a project, members will be more inclined to not only participate but invite others to join and seek success.
9. Demonstrate absolute loyalty. If your members see the association as loyal, they are more likely to stay with you. Conversely, if they sense you will not go to bat for them when it comes to game assignments, participation at increasing levels of competition, and playoff games, morale will suffer and they will most likely search for another chapter. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth! Not everyone is college-level officiating material and the NFL has only slightly more than 100 officials. Loyalty and morale are unequivocally linked to honesty and integrity.
Boosting morale is critical to any organization’s success. Considering those nine morale boosters and employing them in your chapter can do wonders to improve your association’s performance and reputation. High morale improves performance, creates pride and strengthens teamwork. Enhancing morale can be fairly easy and inexpensive. So why let that important aspect go missing from your association?
Lawrence Tomei is the vice provost for academic affairs at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh. He has been a member of the West Penn Football Officials Association since 1994 and its president since 2013.
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