2018-08-31 11:14

Sister Cities Seeking Full-Time Seasonal Position

Photos with Santa in Sundance Square Plaza

Job Title: Sundance Square Santa Program Manager

Job Type: Seasonal Full-Time

November 1 – December 24, 2018

BASIC FUNCTION: Responsible for managing the day to day operation of Sundance Santa

JOB SPECIFICATIONS: High school education or equivalent is required. Must have project management experience and possess the ability to meet deadlines. Must work well under pressure. Good organizational, interpersonal, and communication skills are required.

SUPERVISORY DIMENSIONS: Volunteers

EXTERNAL CONTACTS: General public and Sundance Square customers

INTERNAL CONTACTS: Daily contact with Fort Worth Sister Cities International staff and volunteers & Sundance Square staff

RESPONSIBILITIES & ROUTINE DUTIES:

• Oversee day to day Sundance Santa processes at the set in Sundance Square Plaza
• Be on set full-time to set up and coordinate while Santa is open
• Trains, tracks & manages volunteers
• Manages the schedule through the electronic line system (QLess)
• Assists with customer relations and answers questions
• Serves as primary point of contact between QLess and Sundance Square Santa matters
• Contacts QLess Customer Service in case of issues with electronic line, seeks quick resolution and tracks progress
• Provides regular review of daily interactions with customers and maintains copies of communication with QLess for recordkeeping and recognizing opportunities for improvement.
• Manages customer expectations and interacts with customers.
• Be available to work November 16 & 17 and then Wednesday – Sunday from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

DESIRED SKILLS & EXPERTISE

• Energetic, outgoing, customer-oriented personality
• Ability to engage customers in a courteous, helpful, and respectful manner
• Able to learn and adapt to current technology needs and communicate changes with others
• Proficiency with Apple products (iPad), familiarity with using apps and basic computer skills
• Able to think quickly on the spot to answer customer questions
• Physical demands include: standing for prolonged periods of time, outdoors
• Spanish is a plus
• Exercise flexibility and patience in difficult situations
• Composure and ability to handle stress
• Ability to multitask, provide attention to detail and proactively solve problems
• Basic mathematical skills
• Act in a manner of integrity that shows support for Fort Worth Sister Cities International & Sundance Square, its values and employees, while meeting customer expectations

COMPENSATION: $15/hour with time and a half for hours over 40 each week

EXPERIENCE: 3+ years Client Services Coordination or retail shop management

2018-08-21 10:16

Humility & Respect

Editorial by President/CEO Mae Ferguson

Featured in Rotary Club of Fort Worth newsletter

Imagine that you have a crucial building project that will vastly change things for the better and your boss has assigned a partner to assist you. This partner has strengths that will compliment your areas of expertise and vice versa, but there is a problem; you only understand how to create triangles and your partner only understands how to create circles. How would you proceed? How would you find a common language so that you could achieve your goal?

As unlikely as this scenario might seem, it is not so different from attempting to conduct business with those in other countries. Often businesses, civic groups, religious institutions and even charities face challenges when working with people from different cultures. The most obvious barrier is language, but in many ways that barrier is the easiest to overcome.

There are often more important nuances to consider, such as: how do they like to be greeted, what conversational topics are taboo, what is customary in terms of giving gifts, what are their dining preferences, what is their viewpoint on doing business with women, what are their religious customs, what are their expectations on attire, what are their business customs, do they shake hands, bow or kiss?

Does conducting international business or traveling for leisure now seem more daunting when you are facing those questions? Technology has made it easier to conduct business worldwide. Companies sell to clients all over the world and dealing with different cultures can be tricky. But, it need not be.

Protocol training provides tools to help navigate these waters by respectfully considering these cultural nuances and familiarizing others to work within them. Training is needed for companies, civic groups, churches, individuals, and non-profit organizations to make international business and leisure travel easier and more engaging and successful.

In order to host international visitors and provide the best possible experience for their guests, companies will focus on specific nuances of different cultures for their training such as proper pronunciations, conversational topics, dining etiquette, potential pitfalls, how to make introductions properly, how to greet properly, the importance of punctuality and receiving and reading business cards.

As a certified protocol officer, I regularly consult with various groups to discover needs, goals and intent. Protocol trainings are customizable and tailored to the needs of any company, group, individual or organization all with a desired outcome of – mutual understanding and respect of other cultures and good international relations for all.

A quote I regularly use during trainings comes from Dorothea Johnson, who is the founder of the Protocol School of Washington who says, “The soul of politeness is not a question of rules but tranquility, humility and simplicity.”

In essence, the heart of protocol is caring enough to go the extra mile to ensure that you are presenting yourself, your company, your city or country respectfully, and it goes beyond that. It is caring enough to be open to receive the beauty that other cultures are waiting to share with you. When viewed through that lens, protocol becomes so much more than a set of rules or code of conduct. It truly is the Rosetta Stone that unlocks the power of international relations.