Think You Have Problems Motivating and Engaging Your Team? Surprising Ideas From a Manager of 100 Teenagers in an Amusement Park

Think You Have Problems Motivating and Engaging Your Team? Surprising Ideas From a Manager of 100 Teenagers in an Amusement Park

An Engagement Challenge! I have coached and presented workshops to managers in many challenging environments – from factories to Playboy — but never in an amusement park. I would think that managing 100 teens who are working for the summer in the games area of the park might be one of the thorniest management tests. They are usually untrained, unfocused and working in hot, dusty places, trying to sell to park patrons who have no interest in paying $5.00 to try to win a stuffed animal. Yet the host of This American Life, Ira Glass, profiles a super-successful young boss, Cole Lindbergh, who manages to turn raw talent into sales success in a segment entitled “Amusement Park”. And even more amazing, Cole’s staff loves working for him and returns summer after summer. (The story originally ran, of course, in 2011, when we could still have summer fun in places like amusement parks!)

WHAT Cole Does Different: Unlike most managers, Cole seems to love working at the park and motivating his team so much that his enthusiasm is infectious. Far from following any corporate employee engagement blueprint, Cole invents his own weird and wonderful training videos, music videos featuring his staff, and wacky new contests and competitions to increase sales. In one contest, for example, the winning team gets to throw Cole into a slimy pond. He then posts the video on YouTube.

How Cole’s Staff Responds: In response to all this lunacy, both Cole’s sales numbers and his staff retention rates soar. His staff comes in early, stays late, skips breaks and voluntarily works double shifts. They also engage their own creativity to make costumes, generate their own contests, invent creative ways to encourage customers and enthusiastically sell, sell, sell

What Should You Do?

Beg, Borrow or Steal: Don’t assume that you can do nothing about your employees’ motivation and engagement. Look at examples of other leaders who may be very different from you and work in different industries yet have great ideas about keeping your staff engaged. Don’t dismiss other programs as inapplicable to your situation.

Be Creative: Now more than ever, we all need to reimagine our work and our lives. Draw inspiration from funny movies, rap songs, art, your kids or pets. Brainstorm with other leaders and don’t dismiss their ideas as too far out. Try something new. Even if your idea fails, at least you’ll know what doesn’t work and what might work next time.

Rules? Of course, you DO have to follow your organization’s policies if they conflict with your plans but, if you’re not doing anything illegal, immoral or fattening, you’re probably okay running an experiment.

For more ideas about employee engagement in challenging times, go to:

New Rules for Employee Engagement: What Works Now
Want More Employee Engagement Now? Try Corporate Social Responsibility
Do You Know One of the Best Ways to Build Up Employee Engagement and Loyalty Right Now?

What Do You Think?

What do you think? What is your theory about the current anger in our culture? Call or write us at: 303-216-1020 or Lynne@workplacesthatwork.com