How to Scare Parents and Lose Your Business

Never forget.

 

When you’re working with kids, you are working with the most important thing in a parent’s life.

An unfortunate experience placing my wife and I in an unnecessarily terrifying situation recently reminded me of this recently.

 

Skiing is one of our favorite family activities. It’s a combination of exercise, exhilaration, nature, and together time. Man, I love it.

We recently spent the weekend at a well- known ski resort in the Northern Lake Tahoe area, very close to Truckee, CA. My daughter switched from skiing to snowboarding this year so we enrolled her in a whole-day lesson at the resort.

 

When we came to pick her up at the end of the day, the kids and their coaches started to roll in but we didn’t see her. We asked the available staff as to her whereabouts and they claimed “Some of the coaches are still out. They’ll be back in a minute.” Then the staff from the ski school left abruptly, leaving my wife and I alone.

15 minutes went by, our concern growing as we stood there alone at the bottom of the hill.

Over the next 45 minutes, we experienced the terror of not knowing where my daughter was or if she was safe. We frantically and helplessly searched the area around the ski school with no one to provide assistance.

Despite the fact that not all students were accounted for, the ski school staff had retired to their lunch break. I had to break through a locked door in the ski school to locate a staff person that understood the seriousness of the situation.

They couldn’t contact the coach that was supposed to be with her because her phone was off. There was no protocol in place to be able to directly contact a coach (walkie talkie) or communicate any change of plans to parents.

The place your mind goes to as a parent in this situation can best be described as helpless terror.

Finally, they were able to locate her coach who had “lost track of time”, bringing my daughter back to us nearly an hour late.

While my wife and I were relieved beyond description, the feeling of not knowing if your child is safe is one of the worst feelings a parent can have.

…and it doesn’t go away quickly.

 

The reason I share this with you is because it’s critical to remember that when someone trusts you to oversee their children, you are overseeing the most important thing in their life.

Whether you are creating camps for kids, programs in a gym, or anything else that involves children, no child or parent should ever have to trivialize your ability to create a safe environment.

 

1. If you are leaving the grounds with kids, be back on time.

If there is a possibility of your being late, have protocols in place to contact parents. Emphasize the importance of this to your staff and feel free to share the above story with your coaches.

 

2. Be able to directly and immediately contact coaches if they are working with kids offsite. 

This can be done with walkie talkies or a clear expectation for responding to their cell phone.

 

3. There is no one more concerned than a parent looking for their child.

If this unfortunate situation happens within your business, understand this fact and provide the focus and attention necessary.

 

4. With large groups and camps, your arrival and departing protocols need to be airtight.

Display and communicate how kids will enter your care and how they will exit, ensuring safety and accountability on both ends.

Although safety protocols may be somewhat inconvenient for parents, they may just save your business.

 

5. If you are an administrator organizing the coming and going of kids and coaches within your programs, do not leave your post until all kids have returned with their coach.

 

6. Look at the house, car, job, money, and everything else a parent has. Remember, they wouldn’t die for any of these things. 

They would for that little life you are caring for.

 

7. Aside from safety, understand that a child is a parent’s WORLD. 

Authentic, consistent feedback and communication goes a LONG way. A quick comment reinforcing a child’s attributes, “Emma is such a determined kid!” or something similar shows you are truly assessing their child.

Structure your business protocols, practices, and communications accordingly.

 

 

As a large business, the resort will be just fine. We’ll never return, nor would we advise anyone to trust this institution with their kids. However, this incident is a small blip on the radar of the thousands of customers they see per day.

As a smaller business owner in your community, a similar display of incompetence could represent the end of your business, even your personal reputation.

Inspiring kids to become active and athletic for life doesn’t merely represent an opportunity. This calling comes with a great degree of responsibility.

Own it!

 

 

 

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