Today’s blog is inspired by one of our business mentors, Donald Cooper. He wrote an article on “Business Lessons from the Super Bowl”. We are borrowing some of his ideas and changing it to specifically suit our industry. Let’s always have fun with our businesses!
The Super Bowl is probably one of the most watched events on television in North America when it happens. Even those of us who don’t follow football are compelled to turn on the TV or belly up to the bar to indulge not only in the game but to enjoy a social activity. And let’s not forget the commercials! It’s a secret indulgence for the Blondes!
Today’s sports teams are BIG business! We have a lot to learn from those mega corporations. The game itself is a lesson in strategy, and here are some of the lessons that we can incorporate into our business plans.
Lesson #1: Have a Game Plan
Have clear Game Plan for your team and for each individual player. The Game Plan tells everyone on the team exactly what we’re doing and what specific outcome each individual is responsible for. What do you commit to achieve in the areas of:
- customer value,
- proactive marketing,
- sales,
- operational efficiency, and
- profitability
Clear, specific commitments focus and energize your team. That means systemize everything you do; plan it out and write it down. Look to McDonalds for expertise in systems.
Lesson #2: Know Your Competition
Study your competition’s strengths and weaknesses. Coaches and players spend hours scouting and studying their competition. Most businesses don’t. Do yourself a favour this week and take an hour out of your day and go and see what your closest competitor is doing. Not to copy or re-create, but as an indication on how to be different. After all, if you know what your competitor’s defence is, you will know what your own offence is!
Lesson #3: Plan an Execution
‘Winning’ is about executing the basics. In business ‘the basics’ are these 5 things:
- Creating, delivering and communicating compelling customer value.
- Creating an internal environment that attracts, challenges, engages and honors top performers at every level of the organization.
- Creating world-class operational efficiency that allows you to be price-competitive, service competitive and profitable.
- Being a responsible and positive force on the planet.
- Becoming your Vision. First, having a clear Vision of what the business commits to become in 3 to 5 years and, then, every week doing some planning, some work, something that has to do with getting you to that extraordinary Vision.
Lesson #4: Have Team Huddles
Have frequent ‘huddles’ to communicate the Plan, to encourage and support…and to help focus those who aren’t performing. Sometimes the planned and intense staff meetings are just too much! The football huddle can take place in the middle of the salon floor for a quick group chat before the start or end of business. It is a proven method of creating connectivity.
Lesson #5: Know Your Roles
Coaches ‘coach’ and players ‘play’. You never see a coach run out on the field, take the ball from a player and run down the field himself. Why? Because there a clear rules about coaching and playing and there’s a referee who will blow his whistle if coaches try to be players. Sadly, in business, there are no clear rules on coaching and playing…and there’s no referee. So bosses (coaches) often grab the ball and run with it. As the person in charge of the rules, they’re also the one with whistle…and they never blow it on themselves!
Lesson #6: Keep a Scoreboard
The ‘scoreboard’ is important. Great players, who are committed to winning, need to know how they’re doing. Many businesses aren’t willing to share that information with their ‘players’ and then they wonder why nobody cares about the team’s performance. The scoreboard IS the driving factor. And we all want to win.
Lesson #7: Mind the Clock
The clock matters! Winning has to be done within a certain time frame, or it doesn’t count. Winning teams have a sense of urgency! And the salon/spa industry lives and dies by the clock.
Lesson #8: Encourage Each Other
All players thrive on encouragement! Not only do great teams have loyal fans who encourage them, they also have cheerleaders. Imagine trying to play your heart out in an empty stadium. Is your team getting the encouragement and support they need to ‘play their hearts out’? In the end, it is always more than money that drives our service providers. We can make money anywhere, but can we be happy anywhere? What are we doing to be our teams’ cheerleaders?
So, there you have it: 8 business lessons from the Super Bowl. How can you use these to help you create a winning team and a better bottom-line in your business? Thank you so much, Donald, for your input!
Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash
