How do I motivate them? The Grease.
Come September in Melbourne everyone is close to being fed up with the rain, wind, and cold. It's nothing like London in February where everyone is cranky due to all of this plus a prolonged period of going-to and coming-home-from work in the dark, but the craving for sunny warm weather is shared by all. Nothing illustrates this need for brightness more than my local golf course. The water table is almost soil surface height and most of the grass is brown and dormant with many muddy patches. The course is craving spring just like the rest of us.
Last week a buddy and I went out for a practice hit and played as many holes as we could until a massive weather front hit and we were forced to scamper for the clubhouse bar before we got soaked. Over a beer we watched the course form puddles within minutes and we reflected on the state of the course and wondered if it would be closed for yet another weekend as it had been a few times recently.
At the same time Brian, the General Manager walked past and said 'G'day'. We all watched the deluge and chatted generically about the rain, the course, and the plans he had for it. But, when we started to talk about the club in general things got more interesting, especially when he mentioned his recent visit to the PGA Australia conference he had just been to. The CEO (of PGA Australia) performed a presentation to the cohort in activewear and during the speech he asked the audience how many would allow him to play golf wearing these clothes. Only a few hands raised.
Golf has a history of being an elitist sport where 'gentlemen' and 'ladies' are expected to wear golfing attire with collars, trousers, appropriate footwear... you get the idea. The CEO made the point that golf needs to be more welcoming and inclusive if it is to attract more women, families, and new golfers to the sport to grow the industry in a competitive market place. Brian was telling us this story and told us this was the reason why he had ripped down the 30 year old dress code sign off the entrance wall to the Pro Shop.
It was an interesting moment, because my friend and I feel it is important to have certain standards (for dress code) without being too tweedy about it, as one could argue this correlates with behavioural standards. One example of this is what another golfing friend of mine once told me when he said, "I grew up going to the golf course with my dad. Him and his buddies taught me how to act". He was referring to the etiquette everyone abides by. Things like taking your cap off indoors, not wearing muddy shoes in the bar, and even little things like how to greet others on arrival, and of course what to wear. Without being too formal, there is an air of respect that forms in these environments - respect for facilities, respect for each other, and respect for oneself. It is an idea I can generally buy into and is a great way to justify to my wife why I have brought more golf gear 😉.
But, the counter argument from Brian was interesting as he wants the course to be inviting and inclusive. One point we argued was the appropriateness of high viz clothes on the course (ie. tradies and contractors wearing their work garb when playing). Our experience told us that these blokes tended to be a little looser with their behaviour on the course and a little less respectful than the general player. But Brian countered by saying they were the guys that buy lots of gear from the shop, buy lessons from the pro (because they are desperate to beat their mates), and spend money at the bar. They bring in revenue! And, according to Brian it is the increased revenue that will assist the course to be improved as per the request of the members (like more drainage for the rain we were watching waterlog the course at that moment).
It was a fascinating discussion where we all tugged and pulled at the issue. It was friendly, informative, and respectful. But, the most interesting thing happened towards the end of the discussion. When it was obvious we wouldn't sort this all out there and then Brian simply said, "well, I guess it all comes down to what you stand for".
Boom - there it was. A perfect illustration of how core values and 'who we are' connects to the decisions and actions within a business, and therefore the culture of the place. What I learnt is that Brian's job would be to consult and navigate through a process to figure out what the club's values are and use them as a guiding light to anchor decision making and to attract like-minded-people to the club. Clarity around who we are and how this relates to our operation is at the heart of leadership and drives people to want to belong as well as buy-in to the initiatives and culture of any entity.
An example of this is Disney. When someone is recruited to work at a theme park they go through Disney University to learn how to be a Cast Member (the title for customer facing theme park staff). In induction they learn the primary focus of every cast member:
Safety - keep people safe and secure (what we all hope would be listed!)
Courtesy - be polite, warm, and friendly
Show - present your self and your area in the best possible way and bring the guest's senses alive
Efficiency - use resources wisely
The interesting thing about this, is that the order these values are listed in above is the order of priority. This is clever and super important for staff to understand. The reason is that staff will constantly be faced with situations that demand a decision from them, but culturally there will be competing or conflicting requirements. An example may be when a ride operator is feverishly issuing tickets to a long queue where everyone is getting fed up with waiting but then sees a lost child wondering past by crying. What should the operator do? The prioritised values make it an easy decision that can be made without hesitation or fear of 'getting in trouble' or 'doing the wrong thing' no matter the consequences.
If we are clear about who we are, what we value, and what our priorities are then we can lead with clarity. Not only does this make one's leadership easier, but it drives people to want to belong and execute their work without fear, worry, or anxiety. It motivates workers as they are empowered to make decisions autonomously and take responsibility for their remit which in turns fuels their success. A virtuous cycle is sparked. We can clarify our priorities on a personal level to hone our own lifestyles. We can clarify for our professional jobs, teams, departments, and organisations. With this the machinery tends to flow with less friction, less irritation, and less breakdowns. It is the oil in the cogs that greases the mechanism to work with less energy and go farther. With mental clarity (and a bit of sun) we can all find ourselves in a happier and more motivated place.
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