Can you Run a Ski Area without People?
Anyone who has read the STEEP Newsletter over the years understands my position on culture and putting your people, especially your front-line staff, first in line for fair compensation and equitable treatment. This belief became more evident to the broader audiences this past holiday season in Utah. That situation had much coverage, but this was the tip of the iceberg. The business operational model must change. These two articles are relevant to the argument of putting people first and building the ski area business based on the belief that your people are your most important asset.
Here is one of two McKinsey articles relevant to creating new thinking about addressing the people issue. Author Talks: Why ‘really’ putting your people first pays off October 29, 2024 | Interview
The next article addresses vulnerability, which is the essence of building trust. It uses the CEO of organizations as an example. I’d argue that all leaders within a ski area need to create trust by being vulnerable with their staff and themselves, and I’d even take it further and suggest that all team members need to trust one another to be an effective team, so vulnerability has broad application. Here is the second article: How leaders can tap the power of vulnerability
I encourage you to read both articles. I know some of you will skip as you may think they are fluffy, but they aren’t. They each discuss ideas that can help you become a much better leader, and if we can create better leaders in our industry, the industry will be more sustainable and profitable.