In this episode of the 5 Leadership Questions podcast Todd Adkins and Barnabas Piper are joined by Daniel Im to discuss the benefits and practices of internships, both for the intern and the organization. They ask the following questions.

* What is the value of an internship program for an organization?

* What are types and models of internship programs?

* What do you look for when selecting interns?

* What is the benefit for the person interning?

* What does the day-to-day of running an internship look like?

BEST QUOTES

“Internships should not be cheap or free labor.”

“Internships provide a way to do projects you couldn’t otherwise do.”

“If all you see an internship as is cheap labor you won’t get the full benefit and neither will the intern.”

“If an intern is a learner and moldable you’re able to shape them into the culture of your organization.”

“Recent seminary grads make the worst interns.”

“Mid-career guys make the best interns.”

“A typical internship program has measurable learning objectives.”

“Throwing interns in over their head is something not enough organizations do.”

“ Stretching someone is different than throwing them in and seeing if they swim or drown.”

“Too many internships are too defined and you don’t see the capacity of the person.”

“Fifteen to Twenty percent of their time should be focused on learning and development.”

“We want to make sure interns are better prepared for their future as they leave.”

“Anyone who has worked at Chick-fil-a can come intern with us.”

“Ask them what the top 5 things they are looking to get out of the internship.”

“I look for learners.”

“Students can bring a new perspective and new life.”

“The biggest benefit of interning is relationships and networking.”

“You can do super well in school, but if you don’t have networks and relationships it’s going to be so hard to get that first job.”

“Employers look at internships and see someone who invested in gaining experience.”

“Being in that professional context and learning those habits and rhythms is incredibly valuable.”

“70% of our development is on the job learning.”

“Include interns in your team interactions, meetings or social.”

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders

H3 Leadership by Brad Lomenick