I was very fortunate to be able to have an interview Medhat Mahdy, President and CEO of the YMCA GTA. The YMCA of Greater Toronto encompasses over 400 locations and over 5000 staff. I wanted to interview him as he shared with me a few weeks back the process he goes through with new employees and I thought it was amazing. I found it so refreshing that I wanted to share it with you as it so different than most organizations. Before he outlines the process he goes through with new staff he wanted to set the stage with 2 points:1.Staff and Volunteers are the “Secret Sauce”
Medhat makes it a priority to meet with as many employees as possible. He has met with staff at over 100 locations and over 1500 staff. He made a profound comment: “The staff and the volunteers are our secret sauce”. He indicated that they are the “glue” that holds the organization together so therefore wants to ensure they are really really taken care of.
2.Strong Start, Strong Finish
Medhat is of the belief that if people have a strong start they have a strong finish. This applies to children, new immigrants, and of course new staff. The reason he makes it a priority to meet all new staff members is that if they have a “strong start”, they will likely have a very successful career and a very strong future.
Process for Meeting with all New Staff
Medhat outlined that as part of the training for new staff members, he spends
approximately 2 hours with them. He typically talks for about 30 minutes then spends the rest of the time in discussion and answering questions. He has 3 key points that he reviews with the new staff:
1.Explanation of why they meet in a Circle
2.Shares His Expectations
3.Shares his Vision
Explanation Of Why They Meet In A Circle
Medhat has everyone sit in a circle as he feels it is very symbolic of what the Y is all about. Medhat feels it is symbolic for the following reasons:
1.You can always fit more people around the table or the room when people sit in a circle. This is what the Y is all about as it is all inclusive and will always welcome new people and everyone and every person is always welcome.
2.Every point around the circle is equidistant from the Centre – This again is what the Y is all about as there is equitable access for all people. All people can access all aspects of the Y no matter of their race, gender or economic situation.
3.The Circle represents and infinite number of points – There are no limitations and once again, this is what the Y is all about.
4.In The Circle You Can See Everyone At Once – In the Y, every single person is visible to all staff and volunteers and every person is important in their own way.
Medhat took me for a tour of the YMCA GTA headquarters and it was amazing as the entire office facility is set up based on the above principles. The office setting is wide open so that everyone can see everyone else and is open to all lines of communication. Medhat himself as well as the other members of the Executive team all sit in the same open setting and the same office set up as all other employees which speaks to the all inclusive nature of the Y. When I toured the meeting rooms, every meeting room including the room where I interviewed Medhat had round tables. It is great to see that Medhat and the staff live the values and they personally“walk the talk”.
Shares His Expectations
After explaining the reasoning behind employees sitting in a circle he spends time outlining his expectations of staff. This is the reason I had asked Medhat for an interview as I found it very refreshing.
His expectations of staff is that they have 5 priorities and the Y should be the 5th priority in their lives. I found this very interesting as most employers would have the expectation that the job should be the number 1 or 2 priority(whether they communicate this or not).
Here is Medhat’s expectations of employees priorities:
Priority 1 – Health and Well being of the employee is the top priority.
(He indicated that priority of the next 3 priorities can be in any order and that is the employees choice.)
Priority 2 – Spirituality/Greater being
Priority 3 – Family
Priority 4 – Education
Priority 5 – YMCA and the job
He outlines that the 5th and last priority if the employees life should be the YMCA. He also outlines that Human Resource policies of the Y support these priorities. He goes on to review some of the added features for employees such as the robust Employee Benefits plan, EAP programs, the focus on Health and Wellness etc. I can personally share that through my interaction with Melanie LaFlamme and the rest of the Human Resource Team, that they “walk the talk” in terms of living these values for the employees. They continually look for ways to ensure that the above priorities are supported with each and every employee and all employees have access to all resources available.
I believe this is the reason the Y has won numerous Employee and Employer awards for many years including:
- Greater Toronto’s Top Employers – eight consecutive years
- Canada’s Best Diversity Employers – fifth consecutive year
- Canada’s Top Employers for Young People – fifth consecutive year
- Canada’s Greenest Employers – fifth consecutive year
Share The Vision
Medhat’s vision for the organization is based on 3 key priorities. Everyone who comes in contact with the Y(parents, kids, childcare) should have the following experiences:
- He wants everyone who comes in contact with the Y to have a “Wow” experience. He outlines that it is up to all staff(everyone) and volunteers to ensure that all those that come in contact with the y, have that “wow” experience
- His vision is also that all staff also have a “Wow” experience. He outlined that work at the Y is not easy, however it is very rewarding and fulfilling for most people as staff is helping people and the world be a better place.
- His 3rd aspect of the Vision is that if any person has a problem or an opportunity, that they will call on the Y to help them. The Y is there to help people with an issue or solve an issue for them.
He went on to share that all of this happens(achieving the vision) because of great staff. I asked Medhat to explain what the Mission is for the YMCA GTA. He outlined that it is to help people become better and help them fulfil their dreams. When he thinks of betterment or improving it is in the Y’s key areas of Mind, Body, and Spirit.
Medhat’s Personal Focus on Health to lose 65 lbs.
I first met Medhat a number of years ago when I was Chair of the Board of YMCA of Hamilton Burlington and used to attend the National as well as the Provincial meetings. I had not seen Medhat for a number of years following that initial time period however I almost did not recognize him as he had lost a lot of weight and looked years younger than the last time I had met him. He shared that he lost a total of 65 lbs so I asked him to share what he did in order to regain his health back on track.
Here is his story:
Medhat was very athletic when he was young through various activites including tennis at a high level as well as running. In fact, his first encounter with the Y was when he was a Tennis instructor at the Toronto YMCA. Following various positions he was promoted into Management and therefore did not pay as much attention to his health. He was working late hours, was in a stressful position and was really on the job 24/7.
He then went to work with Y Canada where he was on the road visiting the YMCA associations across Canada much of the time. He often had good intentions in terms of fitness and eating habits however when on the road he was booked solid the majority of the time and started to gain weight and encounter other health issues. He came to the realization that he better get his health in order and change his habits.
How did he lose 65 lbs and regain his health?
Medhat felt that the best way to regain his health was to “jump start” his health and do it quickly. He therefore took a 5 week vacation in order to get healthy and get on the right track. During this time he worked out daily, changed his eating habits for the better and also worked on his spiritual/mental health. This was a recipe for success as during that 5 week period he lost 15 lbs and had changed his old habits.
Over the course of that year he lost a total of 65 lb., mainly through changing his diet and exercise. He has continued that trend over the past number of years and gained a little back however is still 50 lbs less that he was at his peak.
A huge congratulations to Medhat for first identifying that he needed to take action and then actually taking action. This will pay huge dividends for him in terms of long term health down the road.
I hope this blog has hit a personal chord with you and once again please feel free to pass it on to whomever you think could benefits from it,
Yours in great health, Kev
6 comments
Love your blog and the interview with Medhat Mahdy of the YMCA was amazing. If only all employers
encouraged this priority list. Keep up the amazing job. I always look forward to reading your stories.
Marlene
Great YMCA story, Kev. Good of you to take the time to collect and share.
All our lives are circles. Sunrise to sunset.
Great blog, Kevin.
Hi Kevin. Thanks for sharing this story with us. Once again you have given great insight into the lives of people you meet. I am sure that the readers of your blog will enjoy reading not only about the Y, but also about Medhat’s personal achievement. Great job.. Marge
Wow! Makes me want to work for the Y. Thank you for sharing Kev.
An inspiring story (and reminder) about what matters most in life – and about leading by example. Thanks for sharing.
Having said that, who do I need to speak to about getting 5 consecutive weeks of vacation?!