We are about a week away from the official start of “March Madness.” It is a three week period where fans, and non-fans alike, participate in office pools to pick the winners of the NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament Games. In 2008, it was estimated that close to 40 million people participated in office pools and close to $2 billion was lost in worker productivity during March Madness.
In the world of old school leadership and management, it might make sense to look at the lost worker productivity during March Madness and find ways to combat it. But we now live in a new world and new economy after a prolonged recession. It requires a new type of leader to create thriving success. The new economy requires an entrepreneurial leader to create thriving success!
The entrepreneurial leader constantly and consistently looks for the opportunity in the surroundings. March Madness provides a great opportunity for entrepreneurial leaders willing to harness its energy and excitement. These leaders know how to implement the 6 steps to capitalize on other momentum changers out there, and thus, they will find ways to turn the excitement around the NCAA Basketball Tournament into 2010 thriving success.
Entrepreneurial Leaders will find ways to embrace the interest and participation of their employees in the March Madness Phenomenon. They will find ways to build morale and camaraderie – something that is much needed in most workplaces after the last 18 months. But the truly great Entrepreneurial Leaders will not only build morale and camaraderie, but use it to help their organization take a giant leap forward!
They will establish a mini-breakthrough goal and theme for their organization during March Madness. The theme will allow their employees to fully engage in NCAA Basketball Pools AND it will help them direct and re-direct the energy of that engagement to some significant organizational breakthrough. It will require more than just holding team sweatshirt days, offering flexible work schedules, keeping the brackets posted, and allowing workers to stay tuned to the games and results.
There are 4 keys to turning March Madness into 2010 Thriving Success:
- Create an exciting organizational theme for the three weeks
- Involve everyone at every level of your organization
- Establish a related breakthrough goal for your organization
- Use the energy around March Madness to create real daily and weekly “wins” for the organization
© Copyright 2010 Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D.
