How American Football Strategy Can Help You Excel in the Hospitality In?
Roger Godin
Experienced and Creative Multi-Site Hotel General Manager with Global Luxury Expertise Driving Excellence and Engagement for Sustainable and Profitable Growth
As the #SUPERBOWL approaches... The only true collective sport since that even if you do not touch the ball, your role in the collective success remains essential. A combat sport, with gladiators playing chess in a giant arena, in search of the perfect achievement. A sport where discipline, attitude, resilience, determination, and never giving up are qualities that reside in every champion.
I have always loved football. Native French citizen, I started to play when I was 16 in the suburbs of Paris late in the 80s. At that time, the sport by itself had all my interests; I had no clue about strategy or how to wear and fix my shoulder pads. I just knew at that time we had to go from North to South to score, and this could be done only if played as a team.
A few years after, with two national titles (Division II) playing like a Defensive End combined with a few years coaching teenagers and my hospitality expertise, I have an idea of what it takes to be successful and without simplifying a complex situation comparing the dynamics of a football team to a business, a few convergent points emerge.?I only selected a few, as I could spend all night talking football!
American football is the quintessential team sport, where each individual is assigned to a specific task, working together in perfect coordination to perform a comprehensive strategy, resulting in the addition of a sequence of games selected to defeat the opponent. This strategy will differ from either you are near your end zone on the left hash marks, 3rd down and 5 yards to go, or close to the red zone (opponent’s field) on a 4th & Goal weak side, leading by only 3 points.
Since strategy is instrumental to that sport, we need to clarify what a strategy is.
A strategy, or the art of troop leader, is a “stream of decisions” (Henry Mintzberg ) “to compete” (Michael Porter ) and to “shape the future” (Max McKeown ) that “will ensure long-term success if followed faithfully” (Dr Vladimir Kvint ) under conditions of uncertainty, which involves:
?TRY HARD, NEVER GIVE UP, NEVER SETTLE
Something I have learned from football is when you are part of something, you have to make something happen, whether it is on the field, off the field or at work. Do not look for excuses, never complain. You can stop playing if you are hurt, not because you have pain. Hard Knocks!
The other thing I have learned is that talent is not enough. A person who has talent was overtaken by someone who worked harder. We might not be expected to play perfectly but the effort has to be perfect to do the job; One other thing is you learn humility as much coming off of a loss as you do a win and if you cannot reach your objectives but you are in a position to help the one beside you, the rule is to make him shine!
Always remember, we are as good as the last breakfast we have served > Never Settle.
It also taught me it is ok to fail as long as you learn from your mistakes understand what went wrong and how it can be done better next time, which helps me constantly improve.
YOU CAN NOT WIN WITHOUT A GAME PLAN
Hall of Fame football coach Paul Brown was a visionary in developing game planning. He planned every single aspect of the game not just to reactively respond to the weaknesses of the competitors but also to proactively take advantage, using videos to scout opposing teams and analyse plays.
In business, a traditional plan consists of successive and specific actions contributing to the overall goal and how it can be achieved, leading a team toward success opposite to someone running around looking for an opportunity.
Although each play needs to be thought out and executed as well as possible, if one play fails, remember that it was just one play in a long game. The Head Coach (GM) and the Quarterback (Operations Director) will find the right play within the playbook to perform. Depending on the evolution of the game (defence cover, blitz coming), a hot read will help to adjust the targets, even calling an audible for an option run for example. Do you see the analogies?
It is the same in Business. You have to stick to the plan but on the route, adjustments will be necessary to stick to the market tendency and remain competitive (pricing strategy, refurbishment, recruitment, packages...)
ORGANIZATIONS CAN PERFORM ONLY WITH PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS
Whether in business or Football, managing success involves organizational charts, employee handbooks, contracts, and other written, visual, and structural documents. Team members must know and understand what is expected of them and at the same time what to expect from each other. A business can perform only if processes and systems are implemented and detailed (Standards Operational Procedures - SOPs). And only if you control it works.
PREPARATION – EXCELLENCE DOES NOT HAPPEN BY ACCIDENT
Never underestimate the value of preparation because there is a direct correlation with your performance. You need to take the time to prepare for a meeting, an interview or a product launch to put yourself in the right mindset to handle any situation as you would prepare for any sports competition.
Giving 99% of yourself is not the perfect effort. 100% is. Most of the time, some people do not succeed not because of a lack of talent or natural ability but because they do not have the discipline to become the best at what they do.
After a few years “away” from the operations working as a Purchasing Manager, I took on a job as deputy general manager in a 4* hotel on the French Riviera, an International tourist destination, extremely competitive with a very demanding top-class clientele. I had worked with the Owner in the past and he knew my skills but above all, he knew my potential. When I signed the contract, to perform the challenge, I knew the huge amount of personal work that would be needed. And during the first two years, I worked nearly 4000 hours of extra time. It can seem to be enormous but as previously said, I know what it takes to be successful. I am trained to perform until and including the 4th quarter and to score even on a 4th and Long.
You now understand that drive and discipline may turn someone with less natural ability into a real superstar. Which I am not, the team always will be and I have always been fortunate to work with great team members.
“The will to prepare is more important than the will to succeed.” Tom Landry (Dallas Cowboys )
SCOUTING – COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE
All football teams utilize all available information to build defence, offence and special team game plans. The amount of sports data available is huge and the precision of the stats is amazingly ridiculous. With the video, we can review which play works best on 2nd and 3 or 1st and goal, which covers to defend in our territory, if we double cover “Z”. The solutions are limitless.
Business is no different. As in sports, #scouting your competition (it should include your data) every day will allow you to cover and understand a zone/market, which to a certain extent will prevent them from closing a deal because you will intercept precious “intel” to better performance once in the red zone, even to “scoop’n’score” (the ball is picked by the defensive player and takes it straight to score in the #endzone). In business, you can translate the last analogy taking a contract from your competition and sealing the deal.
"The only thing a prevent defence prevents is a win." John Madden
HUDDLE – WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CALLED FOR A MEETING?
A huddle is a vital on-field meeting of players to communicate instructions before each upcoming play. The leader of the huddle is the team captain (the quarterback for the offence and usually the “Mike” linebacker for the defence). Imagine if the O-Line had no clue if the game was going to be a pass or a dive: it would be chaos on the field as no one would protect the quarterback properly (poor him!) and would probably lose the ball after a fumble.
The same applies to a business team. You would not imagine starting the day without knowing what happened last night and what are the issues of the day. Information sharing can be accomplished through meetings. Involve your team in the process. For any team, the leader needs to set clear expectations and exemplify the qualities you want to see in your employees.
Call a morning briefing every day, Head of Departments’ meetings every week and department meetings every month. It is of course not necessary to specify, pre-service briefings (before the opening of the restaurant for example) are not a plus, that’s compulsory.
I am a strong believer in the team dynamic and 11 minds are much better than one. Talk to your people, all the time, from the most senior to the 7th round pick. Leaders listen to people and make them realize they are valued team members. Encourage them to have a strong voice in any given situation as only Teams win.
LEADERSHIP - WHAT MAKES A GOOD HEAD COACH / MANAGER?
Staying on top requires the same commitment to excellence that it took to get there! Remember,?Excellence does not happen by accident.
领英推荐
It would be very easy for me to select as a model Bill Belichick, the iconic head coach of the New England Patriots . He won 6 times the Super Bowl with the “Pats” and 2 other rings as a Defensive Coordinator with the NY Giants . He holds the NFL record for a streak of eleven consecutive?playoff?appearances as well as the NFL?record?for most?playoff?games coached (42) and most?wins?by a head coach (31). And because champions attract champions, the best players who want to play are looking at wearing the same jersey.
One skill I retain from him is what I call “corporate shuffle”. For your team to be the strongest possible, you can ask one of the employees to take on a role that has not been filled or to cover for someone.
But what makes him stand out from the other coaches?
First of all, he knows how to motivate and inspire a large group of people to work together and execute for each other every day toward the same goal as the only superstar is the team. He talks to all of them and has all the players express themselves, from the Senior Executive to the newly recruited. He’s demanding of everybody, but not in a way that is hard to be around. Kind of person you like to work with because it’s all about winning and that is all that matters.”
“They call it coaching, but it is teaching. You do not just tell them [. . .] you show them the reasons.” Vince Lombardi
For a clear perception of what makes a great leader in my opinion, I like to refer to the "All-Time Pro CEO" Lee Iacocca and its 9 C’s. You will find a useful link at the end of this article to understand the philosophy.
IT’S ALL ABOUT THE TEAM, THE TEAM AND THE TEAM
Sorry, Conrad (Hilton), I had to adapt your quote to the situation but of course, location remains important.
American Football teams understand they are in the people business even if organizational success is paramount. Each employee, aware of their performance goals, receives:
Failures are expected but the organizations are in a constant mindset of improvement and team success. In our businesses, the time spent optimizing the performance of our associates must prevail.
THE 4TH QUARTER
“Ninety per cent of the game is half mental” Peter Berra (former American baseball player)
It is popular to say during the 4th quarter, everyone gets tired, loses vision, does not respect assignments, loses their temper and focuses on what we have been trained for.
In 2010, the NY Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles . In the last quarter, NY leads 31-10. Only 7:46 left, and Michael Vick is going to execute one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history, to finally win the game. Final Score: 31-38.
During this game, like any business do, the QB led his team by being:
What we learn from this game is a short-term success is not synonymous with victory and emerges from a potentially losing team of committed players and leaders. They played the game, not the score and gave everything they had. They finally ended up scoring…
The Giants, like some sales reps making a good sale, gave up too early thinking that’s it, we won (don't get me wrong, I have been a Giants since I was a teenager and I still dream of joining their organization). But when you make a good deal, it is time to go out to close another sale and another one. That’s your momentum and you are in the process of making money.
No matter what the situation is, consistency is credibility
RED ZONE CONVERSION
The red zone is the area of the field between the 20-yard line and the goal line, where the chances of scoring are statistically higher. Performance in the Red Zone is an indicator of success in football. The defence locks down and has fewer fields to cover, so the offence has fewer options for how to score. Everyone and everything on your team should be functioning perfectly to score.
Once a team crosses their opponent’s 20-yard line they want to do everything in their power to capitalize on this field position and not leave without putting some points on the scoreboard. This is where the team (and coaches) bear down and focus on delivering.
Businesses have very similar patterns. For hotels, that’s where you optimize your RevPAR, make sales and generate revenue! The defence is the Resistance, the uncertainty of closing the sale or optimizing the occupancy with the right ADR (7 points) and not only 3 points (with a field goal). Or you even can convert with 2 extra points instead of 1 for a total of 8 points for the ultimate ADR.
It is critical that the team is focused and that you have a clear plan for how you close that sale. Get your playbooks ready, and get your scripts ready. The team plays hard all the time, but they need to step up even more when they are in the red zone.
CONCLUSION
I could keep on sharing my passion for football and pertinent analogies we face every day (the blind “backup of the GM” side, the 12th “customers/fan” man, the “sales” blitz, the creativity of Coach Bear Bryant who led Crimson Tide to several victories implementing the “wishbone” offence (nothing to do with the fish-bone from Ishikawa).
What we need to remember is that none of us is as important as all of us. Clear goals and expectations, along with the right tools provided to the team to perform, will help you to succeed if you:
Prepare yourself with consistency and work hard to reach your goals. More importantly, have fun and passion in what you do.
Thank you for taking the time to read those notes and as always, I am interested to hear your views.
Roger Godin
Cc: John Bello , Jade Burroughs , Damani Leech , Jessica Slenker , Corry Rush , Dasha Smith , Russell S. Baxter , Tracey Otey Blunt , Kansas City Chiefs , Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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