Elevating Leadership Dynamics in Ski Resorts: Fostering Unity and Organizational Health

In many past posts, I have written about leadership and culture. Leadership is the source of health and culture, good or bad. I don’t think anybody would argue that the culture and health of a ski resort or divisions with a ski resort come from the leadership of those entities. Arguably, there are many forms of leadership, and there are numerous sources to learn about leadership, from books, podcasts, and articles in various journals.  I will go offline and share my thoughts, not mine but those of the Table Group, founded by Patrick Lencioni. I have had some training from the Table Group and read all of Lencioni’s books, so I’m well indoctrinated.  This is not fussy, off-the-wall stuff but rather simple, common-sense thinking laid out in a sensible process.

Many leaders don’t realize that there are two parts to a ski area’s health or culture. Here is a simple diagram to consider:

Most ski resorts get the Smart side right and have people who can technically manage these functions well. On the Health side, I’d say that ski areas have a lot of room for improvement. Yes, some have it dialed in with the excellent culture and Health.

If leadership wants to step up and address the ski area’s Health side, some important factors must be addressed before proceeding. As a leader, are you self-aware? What is your motivation for being the leader? I don’t give you much chance for success, if it is money or power. So, assuming you passed the test, I’d ask the same question about your leadership team and review these points about what currently is in place.

 ·        Leadership isn’t assigned with a promotion or a position title.

 ·        It is something you learn.

 ·        Not everyone is meant or cut out to be a leader, but anyone can become one if they want to.

 ·        Following is OK and cool – followers want real leadership.

 In preparation for a recent talk I gave, I did a bit of research and used AI to come up with a definition of leadership, and then modified it to reflect a bit more of what the study showed me.  Here it is:

Some keywords deserve thought. They are:

 ·        Behaviors

·        Qualities

·        Inspire

·        Guide

·        Aspires

·        Common goals

 As the ski area leader, he/she must demonstrate the behaviors and qualities that can inspire and guide the staff toward an aspiring set of common goals.  To take this conversation to another level, I will assume that this leader buys into what has been said and wants to move the ski area to become a Healthy organization, generating smarter thinking on the Smart side of the ski area.

 Creating a Healthy side and a positive aspiring culture is a simple four-step process requiring much hard work. Time and fortitude, not money, are needed.

 This is the process.

Figure 1

 These four steps will create an environment where a healthy organization can grow.

The first task is the toughest for those involved.  This team could be:

The C suite or Executive Team of the ski resort or Mountain Operations department heads or a manager, supervisors, and team members of a department

This process is best if it starts at the top of a ski area, but if that isn’t going to happen, don’t hesitate to begin the process in your area. Once the results are seen, others will jump on, and the top will recognize the need to join in.

 What is a behaviorally cohesive leadership team? Building one follows a pyramid-like process, starting at the bottom.

   ●       Trust is essential to the organization's foundation, and for the leadership team, it is vulnerable trust. More than “I know you’ll show up,” it means I can ask for help, say I don’t know, and know you will not laugh at me or think poorly of me. It is often referred to as getting naked, emotionally naked—complete openness without filters.

●        Conflict—Once we have trust amongst the team, members are not afraid to engage in passionate dialog around issues and decisions that are key to success. Disagreement, challenges, and questions are all in the spirit of finding the best answers and discovering the truth. 

●        Commitment—Because there is trust and the decision-making process is open and argued, the leadership team can commit to fully engaging in moving the decision forward. No one walks out disagreeing with the decision—everyone is onboard and committed.

●        Accountability—Teams that commit to decisions and performance standards do not hesitate to hold one another accountable. Teams don’t look to the leader to hold them accountable; they will go peer to peer, holding each other accountable.

●        Results – the goal – team members don’t give into the temptation to place their department, career aspirations, or ego-driven status ahead of the collective results that define team success.

●        Although all this is difficult to achieve, it isn’t complicated, and there is no out-of-pocket cost associated with it; it is just a commitment to teamwork and the time to get there

The second step is the responsibility of the Executive Team after it has completed the first step. They arduously develop answers to the six questions shown in Fig 1. This process can be arduous for some, yet it provides direction for everyone in the organization. This is not a marketing exercise. The leadership team needs to exit this process with every team member able to offer the same answer to each question. The leadership team needs to be intellectually aligned around these six questions and be able to communicate this down the line so that people 2 or 3 levels beneath the leadership team are on the same page.

 The third step is where the information from steps one and two starts to get broadcast to all the staff at the ski area. The answers to the six questions must be overcommunicated to the staff. Once is not enough. It is believed that staff need to hear what leaders are communicating seven times before they believe it. This means constant communication about why we exist, how we behave, what we will do, how we will succeed, what’s important now, and who will do what. Weekly department meetings are where this information should be shared, and hopefully, managers can tie in the department’s activities to each of these questions with relevant examples. At any opportunity, a leadership team member should repeat the answers to these six questions and provide examples in the discussion. Get to the point where when you load a lift, you can ask a lifty one of the questions and get the right answer back.  Remember, leaders need to walk the talk and look in the mirror.

The fourth step begins to tie everything together: Reinforce Clarity—Leaders must also do everything they can to reinforce the answers to these six critical questions structurally to ensure they are embedded in the fabric of the organizations.

This is done by every human system and is designed to reinforce the answers to the six questions. This includes:

Recruiting & Hiring

Interviewing

Onboarding

Performance Management

Compensation and Rewarding (Promotion)

Recognition

Firing

Meetings

The challenge is to do this without too much structure - institutionalize the culture without bureaucratizing it.

Now that the leader has taken the time and energy to go through the four steps to build a healthy ski area with the beginnings of an aspiring positive culture, the work does not stop. Overcommunication continues; it becomes part of every meeting and every conversation within the ski area. Every system and policy enacted must reflect the answers to the six questions. As people leave the leadership team and new people replace them, the new leadership team members need to go through appropriate training to be brought up to speed on the why, how, and what of the company.

This may seem impossible, but be assured it has been done by companies large and small across all industries.  It can be done at your ski area. It is probably the most significant step you can take to enhance your competitive advantage.

All of what I have shared here can be found in two books written by Patrick Lencioni: The Five Dysfunctions of Organization and The Advantage. Mr. Lencioni has written several books to assist with the items listed in step four. His books are not textbooks. They are written as stories or fables that make the content relevant and understandable. They are easy to read.

Imagine having all the staff at a ski area on the same page. This is the answer to making that a reality.