What if you worked here?

What would change if you worked here? A stadium.

Shed the typical world of work for a moment and re-imagine your job as play, professional play. Believe it or not, you’d likely be highly inspired and infinitely more accountable. Here are a few reasons you should ‘play in a stadium’ and five simple steps to make it happen.

Pick your favorite sports stadium. Imagine it teeming with fans, buzzing with excitement. How would stepping onto the field affect your performance?

Excitement

For one, you would be excited. Why? It’s sort of hard to say. Great stadiums just exude an intangible awe. It’s not the size. There are plenty of large factories and office buildings that don’t exude more than an “ugh, it’s Monday again” feeling. Stadiums are different.

Focus

Imagine the focus that comes when you step into the batter’s box (choose your analogy). You know precisely what you need to do. You know precisely how to do it. You’ve practiced thousands of times, and now it counts.

Accountability

Perhaps scary at first, you might feel a little naked. But with time, the transparency becomes exhilarating. Everyone knows you, the real you, and they know what you are capable of. Every pitch is recorded. Every stat provides feedback you will use later to improve. You are honing your craft. Your coaches (not bosses), teammates, and fans respond to your every move. There is no doubt, you will give your best.

Teamwork

You are not alone. No matter what happens, your team has your back. Each of you is a specialist. Each of you pulls for the other because each of you is essential. You don’t have a boss; you have a coach fighting for your best.

Sound fanciful? It’s’ not.

While perhaps out of the norm, the stadium experience can happen right where you work. Here are a few of the essential elements.

1. The venue

First, it is pristine. It may not be fancy, but your workplace needs to look it’s absolute best. It should shine with pride. Think about the infield of a baseball stadium. It’s not a lawn; it’s a piece of art. Get rid of anything non-essential. Fix anything that is broken. Make it immaculate, and establish responsibilities necessary to keep it that way.

Second, the lines are chalked. They players know what to do. There is a visual layout of the game. Is there a visual for your sales, quality, and service processes? Create one. Make it prominent.

Third, there are artifacts of excellence. Pennants, trophies, photos, and other visual cues celebrate and honor great performances. People need a daily reminder that winning is possible, no matter the situation. It has been done and can be done again.

2. A scoreboard

Progress must be up in lights. A highly visible scoreboard should monitor the team’s real-time progress toward mastery of their work and achievement of their objectives. Reports gather dust. Computers and smartphones can be turned off, but a scoreboard stays on. It is showing your performance whether you are there to see it or not. (Ready to go beyond the whiteboard? Look for our new Scoreboard later this spring.)

3. Team

It’s part of the human condition that all acts of man go astray with time. You need people with you for the journey. The best at what they do, backing you up, complementing your efforts, and encouraging you daily. If you are competing with your colleagues, you aren’t a team. If you work alone, conscript a team…get together with a group of complementary professionals. Fight for each other.

4. Coaches

Bosses demand and judge. Coaches nurture and challenge. Coaches are on the field. They are deeply engaged with their players. Every pro is coached, not bossed. Get a coach or be a coach.

5. Fans

You may think of fans as strangers. Not the fans I’m talking about. I’m talking about the most loyal, beloved, rabid fans on the planet who eat and breathe your game. I’m talking about the VIPs in the private suites who intimidate even the players a bit.

Who loves you? Who cares most about your success? Who would you least want to disappoint in the whole world? Those should be your fans, and they should see you play. (You are probably going to need some technology to make this possible. We have you covered).

Okay, game time. Your name is in lights. Your favorite song comes over the P.A. system. The fans begin to roar. You survey the field, glance at the scoreboard, narrow your focus. It’s go time.

That is why you should play in a stadium.

What have you done to create a stadium experience where you work?