Last month, a nervous 11-year old girl showed up for the first of seven ski lessons. Perhaps being blind and unable to see was part of what led to being less than fully confident, but in less than two hours, she was able to convert apprehension into joy and wonderment, truly wanting to see how far she could progress each day. The seven-week journey was fun, her transformation (both confidence and ability) was astonishing and being her ski instructor was an immeasurable gift!
We started the season slowly making our way down a beginner slope holding onto a hula hoop, ended the season racing against each other on a short section of a Blue Run (Intermediate) and talked about skiing Black Diamond (Advanced) runs next year. How did this happen? And more importantly, how can you take a few simple learning principles and turbo-charge your employees?
Create the right environment
In the business world, the term used to describe work environment is “Company Culture.” On the ski slope, we lived by the Rules for Creating Awesome. In specific order: (1) We will have fun, (2) I will keep you safe, (3) You will learn how to become a better skier, (4) Failure is a requirement. We will celebrate each time you fall, talk about and learn from what happened.
In your company, what are the core values, firmly held beliefs and desired behaviors that every employee lives by when they show up to work each day? Are these known or a well-kept secret? Is employee/team development and growth slow or fast? Effective or ineffective?
Teach from the heart
When you truly care about a person, they can sense it. Begin by understanding what motivates your student (employee) to perform at their highest level. For my student, it was wanting to feel like she was flying. That’s what we focused on the entire season. During ski lessons, we lived by the Rules for Creating Awesome and went on a fun journey together, one small step at a time. She knew what flying felt like to her and we worked towards helping her achieve freedom on the mountain.
In your company, what motivates your employees? How effective are you at creating an environment where they want to perform at their highest possible level?
Talk about the next step and then do it!
During weeks 6 and 7, my student wanted to see who was faster. Now that’s quite a stretch from being nervous and tethered by a hula hoop a few weeks earlier. Not one to back down from a challenge, we set up a course and ended each run with a short race. At the beginning, she would slow down slightly when reaching an uncomfortable speed so I would barely “win.” Well, on the last two runs, she showed zero hesitation and full commitment to going at top speed. It was fun to offer congratulations on these wins and her smile absolutely lit up the sky. We ended the final day talking about next season and what it will be like skiing Wildside, which is a Black Diamond run. This the run where her parents like to ski during our weekly ski lesson. Next year, she will be able to ski Black Diamond runs with her family.
Looking inward at your company, what are the goals your employees are setting for their growth and development and how are you helping them live into their potential? Focus energy on producing magic and the results will astonish you. Invest some time and develop Rules for Creating Awesome inside your company. Do this effectively and chances are high that profits will increase, employees will fully commit to helping the company succeed and you will feel less stress running the business.