If human emotions largely result from thinking, then one may appreciably control one’s feelings by controlling one’s thoughts – or by changing the internalized sentences, or self-talk, with which one largely created the feeling in the first place.
Unfu*k Yourself: Get out of your head and into your life by Gary John Bishop. Harper One. 2017. p.9,10
A big part of showing your team how much you recognize and appreciate them is to spend some company money on them. They helped earn it, after all, so they should also get to celebrate with it. Experiment to find out what are actually meaningful as gifts, and keep those offerings fresh and surprising. Boring old pizza parties need not apply.
To afford this experimentation, we've established a One Percent Rule (yes, rules are bad, except this one). We allocate 1 percent of our top line for Surprise and Delight moments for our team. I strongly believe every company should do this. If you're a $5 million company, that means you have $50,000 right there to spend on your team. If you make $2 million a year, that's $20,000 for team surprises. Besides, that $20,000 isn't considered profit since it's taken from the top line.
In other words, this isn't about finding money in the budget. It's about having it and giving it, no matter what. By including team care money in the budget, we don't have to ask permission to do these things. We don't have to worry about taking money from other areas. We don't have to fret about whether or not we can do it. It's in the budget, so it's easy. It's formal and official. It eliminates friction around how we spend our money.
And with this allocated money, we can give amazing gifts of appreciation to our team. Gifts that actually mean something to the person being recognized.
Emily Cole believes being Fans First starts with just "being a good human." She highlights how coaching good behavior starts during the hiring process. "This gives us a chance to really work alongside someone and show them how things operate in Bananaland. If they can naturally mirror the way we treat people, that's the first requirement. We can coach the skills part.
For example, we send handwritten thank-you cards to people who interview for full-time positions. If we get a handwritten thank-you card back, it's a great indicator that they listen carefully and respond. It also means they can pick up our culture's language. "When great individuals join our team, they automatically become even more caring, different, enthusiastic, fun, growing, and hungry because that's the Fans First Way, and that's what we focus on daily," Emily emphasizes.
These little tests may sound like a lot to do just to be hired, but people love our interview process. It has three parts. First, applicants do a cover letter so we can see their personality. (Coach Gillum's was legendary, helping him to beat out a coach from MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates.) Second, they write a Fans First essay and explain how they fit our core beliefs. Third, they write a future resume because we're more interested in what they'd like to do in the future than what they've already done.
That last part leads to deeper engagement with our new team member. We ask our staff members what they want to do in the future so we can work toward those goals and better support them. We can have open conversations about their goals. We may hire them to work for the Bananas, but we also want what's best for them as opposed to what's best for us. We acknowledge that it's not all about us, that they are not living just for this company, and that they are still their own separate people, with their own hopes and dreams and creativity.
Tell me and I forget,teach me and I remember,
involve me and I learn.
Quote often attributed to Benjamin Franklin, although no substantive evidence that Benjamin Franklin crafted this expression. The earliest partial match known to QI occurred in the writings of Xunzi (Xun Kuang), a Confucian philosopher who lived in the third century B.C.E.
Quote Investigator. "Tell Me and I Forget; Teach Me and I May Remember; Involve Me and I Learn". Accessed on July 5, 2023.
.jpeg)
Jim O’Brien said the Suns will warm up quickly to Vogel. They will appreciate his basketball knowledge and preparation, whether it be for a game, practice or drill. They also will be drawn to his personality and see that his positivity is genuine. He will hold everyone accountable and he will expect to win.
“Jack Ramsay said once that every player he had ever come into contact with wants organization and discipline,” said O’Brien, referring to the Hall of Fame basketball coach. “And I think they do. But when that organization and discipline and plan comes from a guy that really is ultra-respectful to other human beings, it’s a great combination.”
"What does Frank Vogel bring to the Suns? His former Pacers give a glimpse," The Athletic. June 21, 2023
