I love the Peter Drucker quote “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” I’ve always been a firm believer that when a well-defined, clearly communicated, customer and employee-centric culture exists, great things follow! Simply put, it’s all about rediscovering what’s important in business (and life) and acting on it.
Being part of something we’re passionate about and good at stimulates our creativity and we have fun! We tend to take our work seriously, but not ourselves. We lighten up a little and see our business and those around us with a happier and healthier perspective. This leads to many positive organizational outcomes:
- Employees are more engaged, which means the good employees are more likely to stay with the organization. This is not only cost effective (we escape that expensive and endless cycle of recruiting, hiring, training and onboarding), but the positive impact they have on customer satisfaction and retention is immeasurable.
- Highly satisfied employees and customers help drive increased sales, both by adding new customers and selling additional products/services to current customers.
Our Fun Is Good team has had the privilege of working with hundreds of organizations over the years and in almost every instance, we’ve learned things in the process. From incredibly large Fortune 20 companies to small, family created shops, we’ve been fortunate to take away some key points that make them successful. Here are just a few that we hope resonate with your work in leading private clubs across the country.
Stay Curious and Question Freely
These are traits we tend to dismiss early in our career. We hesitate to ask questions because either we don’t want to look uninformed or we think “We’ve already tried that.” When a company has an environment of open curiosity and a willingness to question everything (without getting defensive), new, creative ideas have room to surface and grow.
Take Thoughtful Chances, Encourage Some Mistakes and Celebrate Failure
Successful companies encourage healthy experimentation and the inevitable failure that comes along with taking chances. Nothing new or groundbreaking is created by maintaining the status quo. Even when we think we have the formula figured out, we need to find innovative ways to stay in front of ever-changing customer expectations.
As odd as this sounds, celebrating failure is critical. We need to publicly acknowledge and praise those who have earnestly tried to improve our product or the customer experience.
Be Kind and Respectful
Some believe these traits are lost in today’s world, but some of the best companies have built these actions into their everyday behavior. At the end of the day, everyone wants to be respected and know we can make a positive difference in what we do and the people with whom we interact. Being kind and respectful is contagious within an organization and is apparent to all—fellow employees, members, customers, vendors and even our family members. It’s the right thing for business (retention and growth) and for our personal well-being.
Laugh and Have Fun
We often use the phrase, “Take your work and the product you deliver seriously, but not yourself.” We love to be around people who can admit they mistakes and can laugh at themselves. Yes, our jobs are very important and we need to do them well, but if we can’t laugh and show our vulnerable, human, mistake-making selves, we lose a lot of our audience. Most of the highly successful organizations we see have moved on from the autocratic, “my way or the highway” leader and built an inclusive, fun and engaging culture.
What’s In A Name?
In a long career of crazy, fan-centric promotions, one of many that stands out has to do with pigs! Way back in 1993, as the Saint Paul Saints were just getting going, I learned Saint Paul, Minn., was originally named “Pig‘s Eye” after Pierre “Pig‘s Eye” Parrant, one of the city’s early residents. Our creative brain went into overdrive and the rest is history, with a live pig being the annual mascot for the Saint Paul Saints. For almost 30 years, Marilyn and Dennis Hauth have raised, trained, designed costumes and brought the Saints pig to the ballpark, entertaining fans and bringing baseballs to umpires. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
Of course, the fans need to be involved! So each year thousands submit names for the new pig. Contest winning names have included Kevin Bacon, Stephen Colboar, Mackleboar, Brat Favre, Slumhog Millionaire, Notorious P.I.G. (aka Piggy Smalls), Pablo Pigasso, Daenerys Hoggaryen, Porknite, Little Red Porkette, and in 2012 there were two mascots: Kris Hamphries and Kim Larashian.
While having a new pig mascot each year is a lighthearted and silly event, its impact is impressive. To see the smiles and fan involvement each game and to know that for just a minute, people are having a common experience of laughter and joy, we know the power of fun is real.
Mike Veeck is an author, Co-Owner of several minor league baseball clubs, restaurateur, college teacher & Founder of Fun Is Good – Employee Engagement Speaking Organization. He and his team can be reached at [email protected].