< PreviousFeatured Columns - LeadershipWhat is human capital? According to Oxford dictionary, “The skills, knowledge, and experience possessed by an individual or population, viewed in terms of their value or cost to an organization or country.” Many administrations tend to forget the value of their people, the impact they make, and the level with which they can change the climate of an organization for better or worse. At Pokagon Health Services (PHS), we have almost 80 staff in two clinics and nine sub-departments. There are many components and people doing their specific job going in several directions. It is difficult enough to be in charge of a staff of 7-10, but a large department with hundreds of staff takes a network of leaders dedicated to honing each of their individual units.How does a CEO, manager, team leader, or anyone else in a management position orchestrate the human capital within their organization? What skills are required to ensure a person will do well in a supervisory position? To become a good manager, you should possess the quality to lead while also interacting sensitively with people. The comparison can be made between running an organization and conducting an orchestra. A conductor must be skilled in the area of music with a profound understanding of the various sounds, tempos, and harmonies, thus bringing the players together to perform as one unit. Many abilities are essential to achieve success and develop into an exceptional conductor. What are the processes and steps necessary to fulfill the journey to stand behind that podium and direct each section individually while bringing them together in a flawless performance? Similarly the questions for leaders are, how do we get the most out of our investment, maintain that investment, and continuously improve on that investment? How do we accomplish harmony in our respective field? To develop a successful orchestra, or department, we need qualified people with the skills to stand up to the test of performing, whether it be music, job function, or task. Each musician has crafted and practiced their skills resulting in a perfect performance. Similarly, our staff could not properly perform when they began their journey. They were not in tune with each other, out of rhythm, and unable to successfully obtain harmony. The same thing applies to musicians that have practiced countless hours before developing into the professionals they are now. It takes hitting a few wrong notes before they reach their objective. The final result is a well-tuned, efficient department.Once you have obtained, developed, or acquired the right people to fill the seats in your orchestra, you must find a way to allow them the ability to perform individually while working in a team environment. Successful leadership is about directing your staff without quenching their ability to be creative and innovative. An orchestra is composed of many different instruments within specific sections and each conductor arranges his own variation according to the sound he wants. The same is true in any department that is being set up. PHS has many interacting parts, with the hub being our medical clinic. The doctors examine and treat patients, doing everything within their ability to make the correct diagnosis. However, doctors do not check the patients in when they arrive to the clinic. Our patient registration staff does this task and has developed an efficient system ensuring a smooth transition to the nurses who room the patients. The nurses check vitals and delivery of systems and in turn move the patient to the doctors. Once the doctors are finished they are directed to the checkout area, and the cycle starts again for each new patient. Each group understands and has perfected its role. If you were to switch positions between the doctors, nurses, patient registration, and checkout, it would not run nearly as smooth. Compare it to moving a tuba to the violin section. The sound would not be the same because we have people in the wrong position to be most effective for the orchestra. the value of investing in human capital“Each group understands and has perfected its role. If you were to switch positions between the doctors, nurses, patient registration, and checkout, it would not run nearly as smooth.” MATT CLAY, DIRECTOR OF HEALTH SERVICES, POKAGON BAND OF POTAWATOMI INDIANSMatt ClayDirector of Health ServicesPokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians60TribalNetFeatured Columns - LeadershipIn closing, our greatest resources are those people, our instruments, working in our departments. The larger the department the more you need to invest, continuously improve, and train to maintain a high quality product or service (our music). If you have several sub-departments, there must be people in place who can lead effectively without dictating. A conductor’s goal is to make sure everyone is on the same page reading the same note. The musicians are also placed in positions in line with their abilities. A department leader must be able to recognize each individual’s strongest qualities and place them accordingly. Structure your music to produce the best sound possible with perfect harmony and rhythm. Place your staff in the best position to make the biggest impact on the department. The entire group benefits when everyone understands their individual roles. H.E. Luccock once said “No one can whistle a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.”What is your symphony? What is your master-piece? Are you going to the next Beethoven’s 9th Symphony or Mozart’s 40th Symphony? How will you get your department to make great music and work together in harmony? No matter what type of conductor you are, you must always remember your biggest capital asset … your staff. Without them there would only be silence. Matt Clay is the director of health services for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians. He was formerly director of IT and chairman of the Health Board, and currently sits on Foundation Boards for the local hospital system and local college. Matt is also on the local school board. Matt has been involved with many projects including, restructuring of the Department of IT, building a new health facility, among many department specific technology upgrades. Matt enjoys the challenge and looks forward to new projects in the future.Call us today @ 877.857.2288www.nativenetwork.comCONNECT Tribes to EMPOWER and PROSPERTribeXchangeThis tool is a virtual marketplace supporting trade of Native American goods and services between tribes and globally. This commerce portal will provide a modern day storefront with the ability for members to advertise their offerings and generate revenue for their tribe.ConsultingTribes need to connect to their end user customers to deliver services. A variety of access strategies, including copper, fiber or wireless, may be developed based on the needs, terrain and financial capabilities of the individual tribe.EquipmentTribes can benefit from Native Network’s telecom manufacturer and vendor relationships to take advantage of the lowest pricing available. The affinity group buying power is leveraged in this model with major global companies like, Brocade, Cisco, Juniper, Metaswitch, Genband, Infinera, Cienna and many others. What’s New With TribalNet?2016Someone from TribalNet will be contacting you (if we haven’t already) to update your tribe, casino and/or vendor profile and contacts for the TribalNet directory- there are easy ways to login and do this online but if you love us so much you want to connect with us on a call or email- we will be happy to connect! Expect to hear from us soon! June 2016- The TribalNet Advisory Boards will be announcing what topics will be open for requests to present - connect with us today if you’d like to be notified and have interest in being a speaker, panelist or moderator at TribalNet 2016.In the spirit of the presidential election this year, we want to give YOU the power to vote for the industry award recipients this year! Keep an eye out for more information on who the nominees are for these awards and how to cast your vote. Be sure to visit us online and recommend YOUR IT TEAM to be considered as a recipient!As technology powers tribal organizations and enterprises to push the boundary for innovation and critical improvements, we too are taking our services to the next level with the creation of TribalNet Assist. TribalNet Assist is the consulting and management division of TribalNet. Designed to help tribes and enterprises identify areas of improvement that are both unique to their organizations as well as in line with what other tribal organizations are seeing success with across the U.S. We encourage you to reach out to us today to find out more!As you visit our website over the next few months you are bound to notice some changes! We are improving things visually, launching some structural upgrades and improving not only what resources are on our site but how to navigate and access it. Please be patient with us as we make these essential improvements- trust us, you’ll be happy with the results! We are pleased to welcome a few new board members AND staff members at the start of this new season in 2016. Take a look at the new board and staff pages on our website- so many smiling faces that are all here to make TribalNet…TribalNet! SpeakersIndustry AwardDirectory UpdatesTribalNet AssistWebsiteMeet the Board & Staff62TribalNetAgency Updates - NTTAThe National Tribal Telecommunications Association (NTTA) was formed to provide a forum for tribal-owned communications companies and those who work in the telecommunications industry to share knowledge and opportunities, discuss effects of regulation, and address issues affecting tribal-owned companies and customers on tribal lands. The NTTA aims to be the national advocate for the preservation and advancement on behalf of its eight member companies and those tribes which are looking to get into the communication business.The NTTA’s efforts have ramped up in the past five years as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues its efforts to overhaul programs vital to the NTTA members’ efforts to operate, maintain, and expand communications access to tribal areas. This includes the all-important universal service program that provides support for voice and broadband services in high cost and sparsely populated areas, such as those existing on tribal lands. To this end, the NTTA has made more than 30 filings with the FCC since November 2011, has participated in numerous meetings with the Commissioners and Commission Staff, and has advocated heavily in Washington, D.C. with members of Congress.The problem in tribal areas is succinctly stated by the FCC in the National Broadband Plan: “Many tribal communities face significant obstacles to the deployment of broadband infrastructure, including high buildout costs, limited financial resources that deter investment by commercial providers, and a shortage of technically trained members who can undertake deployment and adoption planning. Current funding programs administered by National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and Rural Utility Services (RUS) do not specifically target funding for projects on Tribal lands and are insufficient to address all of these challenges. Tribes need substantially greater financial support than is presently available to them, and accelerating Tribal broadband deployment will require increased funding.” The most recent FCC data shows that tribal areas lag behind the rest of the country by a wide margin for access to high-speed Internet services – 41% of Americans living in tribal areas lack access to broadband service of 25/3 Mbps or greater speeds, versus 10% of Americans in general.In recognition of this, the NTTA has doubled its focus on ways the federal and tribal governments can better address this digital divide. In recent weeks, the NTTA proposed a Tribal Broadband Factor that would provide additional federal universal service support to small companies serving tribal areas, in exchange for commitments to build out networks capable of speeds comparable to those available in more urban areas.The NTTA is hopeful that its efforts, along with those of its members and other tribal stakeholders, such as the National Congress of American Indians and the Associated Tribes of Northwest Indians, will serve to ensure as many Native Americans as possible have access to vital, state-of-the-art communications and broadband services.Godfrey EnjadyPresidentgenjady@matinetworks.net575-464-4039National Tribal Telecommunications Association63Spring 2016Melodie Lente, Director of IS, Wildhorse Resort & CasinoFeatured Columns - Gaming MarketOne thing is relatively certain, time marches on. What comes to mind when you think of the term “millennials?” Does this term conjure up words like this: lazy, whining, demanding, short attention span, high expectations? One thing all of us in the hospitality business I.e. casinos and resorts, need to come to terms with now, is that this group of people IS here to stay. They are not ever going to fit the generally accepted demographic model for the typical gambler. Millennials are entering into their peak earning years, and if the hospitality industry wants to capture a share of that expanding wallet, strategies have to change.Millennials want different things than earlier generations wanted. For example, traditional slot machines, even with many of the newer more interactive games, easily bore them. That kind of makes sense when you think about it. This group has almost never been without computers, the Internet, or cell phones. They love and identify with the latest and greatest brands, engaging and unique experiences, instant gratification, instant digital communication, and constant social interaction. Loyalty programs need to begin tailoring offerings and devising communication paths to attract this group of customers, or they will spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere.Casino loyalty programs or slot clubs can attract this next generation by first understanding that traditional point programs and forms of communication are not going to work to attract these individuals. Millennials can and will shop around for the best program that rewards them with the most points, as long as those points are easily and quickly traded for something they want. Here is a laundry list of ideas to win the millennial customer.This is a generation all about communication, or more specifically two-way communication. This is a generation that uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social media to communicate instantly with friends all day, every day, about everything. Similarly, they want a way to send likes, dislikes, and ideas to properties easily and instantly. Email is old and out of use; direct mail is wasted. This generation is accustomed to 140-character or 15-second sound bite spurts of communication. They want to feel they have a say in what properties offer, not a list of what the property will offer. The successful loyalty program of the future will have a strong social media presence with an intuitive and easy portal for this two-way communication.Millennials are a visually oriented generation. Days are filled with short video clips that go viral on the Internet and YouTube videos about everything. There has never been a time this generation has been without instant access to information. Visual information communicates quickly and without effort. Show them a picture; don’t make them read, because they generally won’t. Capitalize on this by creating visual graphics to explain the loyalty program’s rewards quickly, for instance. Face it, long segments of print explaining an overly complicated rewards program will send millennials to the next property. There has rarely been a generation that craves and demands status more than the millennials. This is a perfect fit for a well-designed loyalty program. This is not a group with much interest in discounts, drawing entries, or other traditional forms of rewards. A loyalty program that hopes to attract this population segment must evolve into offering status rewards into the program. One way of doing this is to offer coveted brands of items to redeem, or to offer exclusivity in the form of VIP tiers. Remember, millennials grew up with the challenges of mastering the latest video game; bragging rights are very important to this group. Millennials will rapidly lose interest in loyalty programs based on the concepts of playing often for a long time before points offer any value or status. Another point to consider is that this population is very cognizant of brand associations. They will be drawn to brands that reflect their personality. Many are attracted to social causes, green programs, or contributions to charities. This generation will research all available information on a property before associating themselves with it. So, properties need to be vigilant in knowing what information is floating around and also persistent in actively publishing positive information about the property image. Perception is almost everything with this generation. Be creative in naming tiers, points, and programs and always listen for feedback. If you are actively seeking to attract and cultivate this next wave of customers, watch, listen, and take into consideration the current chatter, viral videos, language shifts, feedback, and opinions when creating any kind of communication with this group.Millennials can be brought into loyalty programs. It just takes a paradigm shift to get them there. They do not tolerate complex loyalty clubs and rewards programs. Melodie LenteDirector of IS Wildhorse Resort & Casino64TribalNetMillennials — If Not Now, When or How?Featured Columns - Gaming MarketThis is a highly mobile, experience seeking, instant gratification demanding, status oriented, continuously and digitally connected to the world, customer base of the future. The best-designed loyalty program is important, but this generation will demand more of a property than did previous generations. Properties need to rethink the amenities and services offered now, if they are to be ready for this growing economic force. The casinos and resorts will have to change to meet the demands of the millennials coming into their own peak earning years. They want an experience; free, high speed Wi-Fi; and many places to recharge their devices. They want a place to meet up with friends and share the experiences offered by a resort apart from gaming and certainly out of their hotel rooms. Moreover, they will shop around until they find a place that offers what they want. Melodie is a 20+-year professional with experience ranging from the help desk to the director level. Her IT career began as an application support specialist with the I.R.S. working in increasing roles of responsibility with the U.S. Department of the Air Force, Ute Mountain Casino, and the Ute Mountain Tribal government. She is the first person to hold the title of director informa-tion systems for the Wildhorse Resort & Casino. She oversees the tech sup-port, network, and A/V sections. During her tenure, WRC has been through four expansions and has more than tripled the network size and complexity. She chaired the advisory council for the Interface Portland 2013 conference, and serves as a guest speaker for other IT conferences and events.As the numbers of ‘normal’ gamblers dwindle, this very demanding group will become the customers of the future. Millennials represent numbers of customers even larger than the Baby Boomers that make up the main customer base now. The hospitality and gaming industry has to get ready for them, and attract them, or they will leave us behind.“As far as I’m concerned, Gridstore’s HCA is perfect for everybody.”— Chad Dixson, IT Manager, Yavapai-Prescott Indian TribeGridstore All-Flash HyperConverged InfrastructureGridstore delivers intelligent cloud infrastructure that maximizes simplicity, optimizes workloads, and provides workload mobility. Our All-Flash HyperConverged Infrastructure is easy to deploy and manage, ensures the right performance for each VM, and delivers hybrid cloud infrastructure.For more information www.gridstore.com/customers69Spring 2016Just Plain Cool A wearable camera…that can take off and fly …take pictures…then come back. JUST PLAIN COOL.You HAVE to watch this video to see! Everyone should have one of these because really, WHY NOT!?Take a look at this cool product and videos at: http://flynixie.comTech News and FunInnovationThyssenKrupp premieres MULTI, world’s first rope-less elevator systemDescribed as Willy Wonka-style – these elevators can travel both up and down AND side-to-side. The use of magnets instead of cable, technology called magnetic levitation, is a game changer for this innovative and efficient space and power saving system. On November 5, 2015, only one year after announcing the concept, ThyssenKrupp unveils a fully functional 1:3 scale model at its Innovation Center in Gijon, Spain. Take a closer look at: https://www.thyssenkruppelevator.com/about-us/news?articleID=ThyssenKrupppremieresMULTI Futurist FactorLG’s rollable OLED displayLG shows off this futuristic prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES)- technology that CAN happen and WILL happen gets even the non-geeky consumers geeked up! To take a look closer just search for LG ROLLABLE OLED and take your pick! Everyone is talking about it!Our Favorite PinsThe purpose of sharing information on this page is not to promote any company or source but for general informational purposes onlyPh: 269-459-9890 • info@tribalnetonline.com • www.tribalnetonline.com17th Annual TribalNet ConferenceNovember 7-November 10, 2016 San Diego, CaliforniaSheraton San Diego Hotel and MarinaPh: 269-459-9890 info@tribalnetonline.comThe 17th Annual TribalNet Conference will bring together technology minded professionals from tribal organizations, health facilities, gaming and non-gaming enterprises nationwide for one of the best MUST ATTEND events of the year. Don’t wait, attendee and sponsor/exhibitor registration is open!www.tribalnetonline.comRegister today!Powerful and impactful networking opportunities keep attendees and vendors coming back year after yearNext >