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This blog was written by Lewis Lancaster.
The year was 2003 I was sitting in my dorm room watching the final game of the NLCS and the epic collapse of the Chicago Cubs after the infamous Bartman incident one game earlier. I was devastated, it felt like we had missed the only shot I would live to see at breaking the dreaded curse...there was no hope left. This feeling continued for the next 12 years. Yes we did have a few playoff seasons between then and now, but the team never felt the same. The Cubs became a revolving door for star players out of their prime and guys who didn’t want to play for their manager, the organization and most importantly for each other.
Enter 2015. The Cubs started the year with moderate expectations being set by the “experts.” “They’ll be good next year, but this year don’t expect much.” “They are getting the right pieces in place, but there is still work to-do.” “They’re too young.” Blah, blah, blah. As of October, 5th the Cubs had the 3rd best record in all of baseball, a shoe-in for Rookie of the Year in Kris Bryant, the NL Cy Young front runner in Jake Arrieta, and to me the most important piece of the puzzle, soon-to-be Manager of the Year, Joe Maddon.
I’ve had many conversations with friends about why they are so good this year. Our conversations often include quotes like, “Something feels different, there is a different vibe.” “The team is having fun and want to play for each other.” “This is the start of something special.” Bottomline, what has paved the way for the Cubs success this year is the team culture. As I continued to think about this I started to draw parallels to corporate culture and landed on a few key takeaways that can help you shape your company culture and/or evaluate a company for your next move.
Play the game but don’t take it or yourselves too seriously
Dance parties, pajama parties and petting zoos! I know your first thought is, “Kid birthday party ideas!” No, sorry, those are just a few of the things the Cubs have done before and after games this year to keep up with the “work hard, play hard” motto and to make sure the players aren't constantly draining themselves by always thinking about the game. They celebrate their successes and don’t dwell on their shortcomings. Everyone knows they have a job to do and realize when they haven’t done it to the best of their abilities. Key takeaways here are:
- It’s OK to fail, we learn and move on.
- Work hard, play hard
- Don’t take yourselves too seriously, there are more important things in life than the game we are playing.
Bring in players that fit the mold
When building a successful team that can establish and deliver on a vision and set of goals, finding the players that play well together and provide the right mix of talents and personalities is key. The Cubs have a young team but have brought in established veterans (David Ross, Jon Lester, Miguel Montero, etc…) that still keep the vibe young but are there to provide coaching to the younger players. Also, the younger players know they are part of something special and enter with a sense of humility and self-awareness that makes everyone open and coachable, leading to improvement and camaraderie. Key takeaways here are:
- Everyone should unite around shared values and goals
- Humility and self-awareness create a culture of inclusion and support
- If you have a young team, supplement with veterans and if you’re young, open yourself up to veteran advice and support
Have a leader that is the embodiment of the culture
Finally, we come to Joe Maddon. If you listen to his press conferences you will see he is honest and transparent in his answers and doesn’t always say what he’s supposed to/the politically correct thing. To me this creates trust with his players, the Cubs organization and the media and builds on his reputation as a winner on the field. A few weeks ago my wife and I had the opportunity to attend a charity event that Joe put on to support a community boxing gym on the South Side of Chicago and got a glimpse into the type of person he is away from baseball. My conclusion is that he embodies all of the takeaways I outlined above. He is humble, supportive, grateful and exemplifies what it means to be a servant leader. One of the most impressive things about the event was that almost every single player showed up to support Joe and this cause. To me this is a true indication of the culture and how much respect these players have for him, the Cubs organization, but most importantly each other. Joe leads by example and everyone wants to follow him because they trust that he will lead them to achieving their goals. Key takeaways here are:
- Everyone is the leader I described above, but for executive leadership, culture should come first
- Honesty and transparency builds trust and respect
- Servant leadership should be practiced by everyone in the organization.
The culture that you create and the people you select to help create it are the most important piece of any successful organization.Here at Solstice Mobile, culture comes first. If we have happy employees working towards a shared vision we will deliver great experiences for our clients. Whether it is trivia nights, our CEO dressing up in a bear costume, peer developed and led training initiatives along with a self-directed training budget, self-organizing teams working for each other, weekly AWESOMENESS award … you name it, we got it. Even with all of this we aren’t perfect, but we are always looking to improve each and every day and culture is the #1 priority of our executive team.
