Two people I know in the recreation industry were chatting this week and I learned something that gave me a smile regarding the difference in leadership there and in some large corporate settings.
Recreation is a different kind of business, it is weather dependant and many decisions must be carefully planned, but implemented in last-minute crunches. For people in the recreation industry, it is even more vital to apply careful upfront planning prior to season changes due to the havoc delivered from an early fall, early spring or significant alterations in expected weather.
Most folks in the recreation industry serve their customers in an outdoor venue, such as ski venues, winter/summer tours, heli-skiing, river rafting, golfing, etc. and are almost entirely weather dependant. They are more so during the opening and closing months for their industry. Significant dollar losses and gains are possible almost by the hour. It’s highly recommended that the long-time experts in the industry own the responsibility in decision-making onsite due to the delicate nature of profit and loss during these seasons.
So what did I learn in the conversation?
One of the individuals was being asked to cut costs. In corporate, that typically means getting a list of employees, figuring out if any are dead-wood or if any are low performers and cutting employment. Production slows slightly, but responsibility for duties seems to slide to one of their co-workers and corporate will describe it as pulling up the bootstraps.
Not in this particular instance, the Recreation Industry Manager was charged with reducing costs without a significant hit to the delivery of a great product. So here is what they did:
They cut all company Data Phones from the budget.
Why? It is a lot more expensive to replace knowledgeable people than it is to replace cellphones. Did they cut a larger number of phones than people, sure did, but wouldn’t it be great to work at a place that cared for the people more than the phone?
(Can you imagine management staff in a corporation believing they can even ‘live without’ their Data Phones?)
In the recreation industry employees are vital to a single role. For instance; a lift operator on a ski hill can’t double as a ticket seller at the same time has operating heavy equipment; a river scout can’t guide 12 people down a wild white-water river ride and manage to drive the busses to the end-point at the same time; and a golf pro can’t double as your grounds keeper while teaching members how to golf. Begin cutting people, and you will dangerously hack away at your customer experience (which is what customers are really paying for).
Remember, recreation is what consumers spend money on when they have a little extra. When they spend money on recreation, they want the best experience possible with a rush of fun, excitement and pleasure that can’t be gained in an office setting. Customers want to arrive knowing the whole operation is running smoothly and safely AND they want choices. People don’t want to find out that the 18 holes they booked to play was reduced to 9. They don’t want to wait 3 hours because 3 boats were scheduled to go down river, but because of budget cuts, only two will go and the third will follow later.
Many lessons can be learned by following the Recreation industry and their experts, the people who have been managing and running them for over 25-40 years and who know their stuff. They have been through a lot of down-turns, a lot of weather changes and a good-deal many daily decisions made instantly, expertly, and with the understanding that change is not their enemy but their friend if they are prepared for it with upfront planning. It is, after all, a business that needs to remain profitable to continue offering those exciting experiences that keep the rest of us sane.