20Training & Certification Continued from Page 16challenges ranged from abandoned vessels, ill-behavedslip owners and live-aboards. One recommendation fromPr<strong>of</strong>essor Nixon, “It is okay to fire a difficult slip ownerbecause they very <strong>of</strong>ten can have a negative impact on theentire marina community.”The remainder <strong>of</strong> the course highlighted EmergencyResponse and Human Resource Management, presentedby Tim Timpson, CMM, <strong>Marina</strong>Resource, LLC, andJim Schuman, Fortune, Alsweet, Weiss, and Schuman,respectively. The Emergency Response session highlightedthe importance <strong>of</strong> having a documented and executableemergency response plan both from an asset protectionand a liability standpoint. Students were broken into groupsand given mock emergency scenarios and were taskedwith creating a documented emergency response planfor each scenario. For many involved, this group projecthighlighted gaps in their own response programs and gavethem ideas for updating their own plans upon returning totheir facilities. Changes they felt were imperative for thesafety <strong>of</strong> their boaters, marinas and staff alike.Jim Schuman closed out the course with his session onHuman Resource Management. Students were tasked withdetermining their specific leadership style and discussedways that they felt they could improve upon their leadershipskills. One area <strong>of</strong> particular interest to the group wasdealing with difficult employees and how best to motivateand reward staff members to ensure they are working attheir best. Mr. Schuman pulled from his many years <strong>of</strong>experience to share his tips for dealing with employeechallenges and provided some helpful steps to achievinga united and cohesive staff. Mr. Schuman also tasked eachTraining & Certification Continued on Page 17
21Training & Certification Continued from Page 16individual with identifying several action items that theycould take away and apply, using something new theylearned at the course.Mr. Schuman follows up several weeks after the course andperiodically thereafter to keep the students on task, makingsure they continue to work towards implementation <strong>of</strong> theiraction items. “Follow-up is key to success here, experienceshows that once they return to their facilities, the day today operations take over once again and it is difficult to stayfocused on these goals. I serve as a reminder to their selfappointedgoals, and it is this follow-up which <strong>of</strong>ten resultsin their successes here.”The attendees at the class were energized and anxious toget back to their facilities to apply all that they had learnedduring their 4-day pr<strong>of</strong>essional experience. The classresoundingly felt that they could all use work on theirleadership skills and were anxious to go back and usemany <strong>of</strong> the techniques <strong>of</strong>fered up by Ms. Lendzion andMr. Schuman to help them be successful here. Anotherimportant goal for several students was to create a companywebsite and for those who may already have websites,to upgrade them, make them more user friendly, and tobecome more engaged in the use <strong>of</strong> social media as a way<strong>of</strong> promoting their facilities.Overall, each participant’s experience was different;however, one theme was consistent, all left the programwith a renewed vision <strong>of</strong> the positive impact they canhave on their facilities and the feeling that this course wasinvaluable, so much so that they did not want it to end.Many were “pleased with the legitimacy <strong>of</strong> this course, itactually surprised me. This is much more than a seminar.This is an extremely valuable, educational and effectivecourse! I am very impressed and thankful to have had theopportunity to participate. This is an excellent program!”By attending this course they were exposed to new ways <strong>of</strong>dealing with the issues and challenges common throughouttheir industry, and with the realization that many <strong>of</strong>these issues transcend industries, so these skills can beapplied anywhere at any time, whether it be a personalor pr<strong>of</strong>essional application. They learned about policiesand practices that have been successful in other regions<strong>of</strong> the country and in different nations. They discoverednew solutions to traditional management challenges andestablished a long-lasting network <strong>of</strong> contacts and friendsin the industry for years to come.For those aspiring to become CMMs or CMOs, the nextstep after the IMM is the Advanced <strong>Marina</strong> Management(AMM) course or the <strong>Marina</strong> Operator Course (MOC). Thelast run <strong>of</strong> the AMM for <strong>2010</strong> is scheduled for December5-10 in Fort Lauderdale and the MOC is scheduled forSeptember 25, 2011, also in Fort Lauderdale. IMI is veryencouraged by the continued level <strong>of</strong> interest in the trainingprograms during what has been a challenging economictime. IMI is accepting applications for the spring 2011IMM and AMM courses scheduled to open on February27, 2011 and March 20, 2011, respectively.These courses are being held in Charleston, SC. The AMMprogram is a pr<strong>of</strong>it-management training course designedfor senior marina pr<strong>of</strong>essionals. Through small groups,interactive workshops, and specific case studies, the AMMcourse examines such topics as pr<strong>of</strong>it-center management,regulations and permitting, operations, marina law,human-resource management, risk management and losscontrol, improving the quality and value <strong>of</strong> services, policyand procedure manuals, business strategy and financialmanagement, and marketing, promotion, and pricing.The AMM <strong>of</strong>fers its graduates a national and internationalbusiness perspective on management issues, and a longtermnetwork <strong>of</strong> international contacts to rely on in thefuture. Attendees learn about policies and practices thathave been successful in other regions <strong>of</strong> the country andin different nations and they discover new solutions totraditional management challenges.Don’t miss your opportunity to participate in IMI’s programsto gain valuable experience and long- term relationshipsthrough networking opportunities. IMI strives to providenew, exciting and applicable training to all marinapr<strong>of</strong>essionals and the staff that support them. We welcomeyour thoughts on current training interests. To share youneeds for continued education and thoughts on topics fortraining please email imitraining@marinaassociation.org.For more information or to register for IMI’s trainingprograms, please visit www.marinaassociation.org.Attention AMI Members:Be sure to share your news with us so we caninclude it in the monthly Advocate newsletter!Email news items to:malves@marinaassociation.org.
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