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Staffers are coming into campaign meetings late. Organizers aren't completing data entry. Canvasses aren't being launched effectively and/or on time. This is a tough spot for campaign leadership to be in - so how do you get everything back on track?
My advice: create norms and corrections for your staff.
Norms (or community agreements) are ground rules your team/campaign creates for how they will work together. Corrections are the things team members will have to do if they break the norms you've set up.
Here's how it works:
- Set clear campaign rules (norms). Do this top to bottom, from volunteers up to senior staff. Examples could include: "Don't be late for the morning meeting," "Start volunteer activities on time," or "Enter data nightly before leaving."
- Post norms where everyone can see them. Get a sheet of butcher paper and post it on the main wall, or where your staff can most easily see them. Having that reminder is going to help reinforce the norms.
- Set your corrections. For many people, being held accountable publicly is enough to keep you on track. That's what corrections can do. Create corrections that accomplish that, but don't make them overly punitive. For example, you could set a correction that if a staffer arrives late he/she has to sing a song in front of the whole group, like a nursery rhyme or something silly.
Revisit your norms and corrections if you feel they aren't working. Get feedback from your team and find out if they are motivated by the norms and corrections, and respond accordingly.
Do you use norms and corrections? Let us know what works and what doesn't in the comments.
Chris Torres is Campaigns Director for the Latino constituency at NOI
Photo from jdn, via Creative Commons
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