It is important to allow the management team to develop these sub-goals and to come up with reasonable and simple ways to measure them. Time should be taken to prioritize the sub-goals to narrow them down, as it is important to keep them specific. In fact, it is better to have fewer sub-goals to ensure the program is successful—especially in the first season.
The next challenge is creating a system to keep the sub-goals at the forefront of everyone’s mind and using rewards to motivate each team member. For this author’s company, this led to the creation of ‘The Puzzle.’ This team building strategy was developed as a way for the company to set and attain its goals.
The Puzzle
The word ‘puzzle’ has two meanings: to feel confused because one cannot understand or make sense of something, and a game designed to amuse by presenting difficulties to be solved by ingenuity or patient effort, to test ingenuity or knowledge. This is exactly what pool and spa businesses are confronted with every season. In some cases, employees may be confused or cannot understand how to achieve their company’s top goals, but they want to figure out how to succeed in a seasonable business. They also want to accomplish company objectives even when the days are long and busy. The challenge is to stay focused on the company’s goals even during the peak of the summer season, when it feels difficult to step back and look at the big picture. Owners want employees to feel integral to the businesses’ success. They want employees to know they belong to a team and will be rewarded for helping the business attain its goals.
For this author’s company, the answer to this puzzle was, in fact, creating a physical one—a large, tangible puzzle, or ‘big picture,’ that everyone could see on a daily basis throughout the busy season. The puzzle, which is approximately 1.5 m tall x 3 m wide (5 ft tall x 10 ft wide), was built on wheels so it could be easily moved around the building, allowing every employee to see the ‘big picture.’
Thirty-two sub-goals were developed and turned into cardboard puzzle pieces. When any sub-goal was completed, one of the company’s top-level goals would also be achieved. To motivate everyone and keep the goals top-of-mind throughout the busy season, the author’s company awarded monthly prizes for each goal that was attained as everyone worked towards completing all 32 sub-goals. The prizes corresponded with the goal that was written behind each sub-goal puzzle piece.
| Everyone’s success is to the greater good |
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| ‘The Puzzle’, which was used as a team building system by this author’s company, provides a practical framework that motivates employees to actively engage in achieving important goals during the busy summer period. Despite how frantic the summer may seem for some businesses in the pool and hot tub industry, it should be remembered this trade also has the luxury of having an off-season. This is the perfect time of year to reflect on what did and did not work during the previous season, as well as how the company’s goals need to evolve.
The off-season should be used wisely to set goals that can be attained. It is important to sit down and evaluate the season immediately after Labour Day, when it is still fresh in everyone’s mind. Get the entire team to jot down what went well, what did not, and what they think the goals should be for the following season. ‘The Puzzle’ worked for this author’s company, and hopefully it can be used by other pool and hot tub businesses as a way to achieve goals while working hard during the hectic season. Businesses should use the entrepreneurial spirit that transcends through the pool and hot tub industry’s retailers, builders, and service professionals to their advantage.In the first year of using this team building system, this author’s company sub-goals ranged from adding 50 new customers to shipping all of its orders in less than 48 hours for 30 straight days—from order placement to loading the product on the truck. The team also decided it was important to create goals that fell under the ‘company enjoyment’ category. These are fun goals that make it enjoyable for employees to come to work each day (e.g. successfully tossing a beanbag through a target on a board). The prize for this particular sub-goal was the employee’s chance to have his/her name pulled from a hat to create a personalized target. This comprised laminating a photo of the employee on the board. |
