This was originally published by me for the US Elite Coaches Association. Given current recommendations I thought it would be timely to repost.
At the highpoint of the USA Gymnastics crisis I read many editorials and social media posts calling for change. There are multiple ways you can manage an organization to make sure that the right decisions get made when change is in order. One way is to be rules-based and the other is culture-based. You might also choose an option somewhere in between.
Rules-based organizations are those that try to plan for pre-determined scenarios by creating processes and procedures. A great example of a rules-based organization is McDonalds. Every situation you can think of has been documented and scripted, from how to cook French fries and burgers, to how to clean the bathrooms and repair the HVAC unit. This approach works well in organizations that have a lot of structure and a defined hierarchy where everyone knows their role down to a tee. If a customer makes a complaint, for example, the process begins with an assistant manager and then gets pushed up the ladder to the manager, the district manager and on up the chain as needed.
On the flip side is what you might call a culture-based organization, where it is the cultural values of the organization that drive actions and decisions rather than rules. As an example, consider a YMCA or Church based group.
They are both global organizations that gives autonomy to each individual mission or center throughout the world. Unlike a McDonalds franchise, which follows the same set of rules as every other franchise, YMCA’s and churches rely on their strong cultural values to make decisions.
While this might seem like it borders on anarchy to some, it’s actually quite effective because the organization’s values and culture are so powerful that they force everyone to be accountable to them.
As USAG looks to replace it’s CEO/President we need to find someone whose long-term goals are compatible with that of the base.
When it comes to USA Gymnastics, what kind of system would you prefer? A Rules based organization or a Culture based? How about with your club?
I think a hybrid solution that combines the best of a rules-based and culture-based system like we see in the U.S. military. The military, as we know, is very hierarchical and rules-based to the point where no one jumps ranks or disobeys orders at the risk of being severely punished. And yet, when it comes time for a unit to enter combat, the military’s system allows for much more creativity and decentralized decision making once shots are fired.
Should it be all about rules or all about culture, or possible somewhere in between?
In the gymnastics community there are some things which need to happen for us to have REAL change.
• Leading by doing: Our best clubs, coaches and administrators must lead by example.
• Engaging all levels: Driving change too much from the top can actually be counterproductive. For change to occur all levels of the gymnastics community must be involved.
• Showing, not saying: Everyone needs to know what the new behaviors will look and feel like, so they can be brought to life for everyone. In essence, the desired behaviors must be embedded into every aspect of the organization, so they will eventually become hardwired into what gymnastics professionals do and how they act.
UPDATED (on an airplane on my way back from Calgary. Sorry for any typos)
My goal for gymnastics is to leave a legacy- not just a financial legacy for my children and possibly in the form of scholarships but a more lasting legacy might be a cultural legacy.
When my children were younger and we went camping often our motto was to leave the site better than we found it. Picking up the trash left by others. I want to do the same thing for our sport. When it is time to sell my clubs and move on to retirement I want the sport to be better than I found it. A sport known for excellence and safety. Something we can all be proud of.
My gyms are successful but I certainly am not a business genius. My success comes from being a principled person and surrounding myself with smart people, principled people and staying loyal to them. In return I earn their loyalty.
I judge my success not in how many gymnasts made nationals or won states but by how many graduations and weddings I get invited to. There is nothing more important to me and my organization than having happy well adjusted athletes. AND FOR THE RECORD- WE WON STATES AT A NUMBER OF LEVELS AND HAVE CONSISTANTLY QUALIFIES ATHLETES TO JO NATIONALS. It is possible.
For the long-term viability of the sport you need a viable corporate culture. It, too, had to be long-term. We need to cultivate good people and kept them. From these modest principles we can grow an empire.
Tony’s Rules for creating the right culture.
1. Hire the right people
Hire for passion and commitment first, experience second, and credentials third. There is no shortage of impressive CVs out there, but you should try to find people who are interested in the same things you are. I have always tried to hire people that share our philosophy. I can teach the the rest. I don’t want to be simply a stepping stone on a coaches journey. Asking the right questions is key: What do you love about coaching? What inspires you? What are you going to do that makes those around you better?
2. Communicate
Once you have the right people, you need to sit down regularly with them and discuss what is going well and what isn’t. It’s critical to take note of our victories, but it’s just as important to analyze where we messed up. We need a culture that recognizes when things don’t work and make adjustments to fix them to.
Listening is probably more important than talking. Great cultures grow around people who listen. It’s also important to listen to what’s happening outside the sport. What developments, trends, and calamities are going on?
3. Tend to the weeds
It is easier to plow a garden under than to plant and tend to it. USA Gymnastics has to be passionate about growth and we cannot grow with out pulling some weeds. One of the most destructive weeds in a gym is the whiner. Whiners aren’t necessarily public with their complaints. They don’t stand up in meetings and articulate everything they think is wrong with the gym. Instead, they move through the organization, speaking privately, sowing doubt, strangling passion. Constructive criticism is healthy, but relentless complaining is toxic. One of my rules for my business and my team is “Do not come to me with a problem without a potential solution”.
4. Work hard, play hard
It’s easy to do what you love. In the gym we can measure who has a superior work ethic, who is getting the most turns. Not many gyms these days thrive on a forty-hour work week. A culture where everyone understands that long hours are sometimes required will work if this sacrifice is recognized and rewarded.
5. Be ambitious
“Make no little plans: they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” These words were uttered by Daniel Burnham, the Chicago architect whose vision recreated the city after the great fire of 1871. The result of his ambition is an extraordinary American city that still has the magic to stir men’s blood. Ambition is sometimes seen as a negative these days, but without it we would stagnate. We need a culture that supports big steps and powerful beliefs. Cities are the most visible examples of successful and failed cultures. Bilbao and Barcelona did so and became the envy of the world and prime tourist destinations. Pittsburgh reinvented itself when the steel industry withered. But Detroit wasn’t able to do the same when the auto industry took a dive.
6. Celebrate differences
When choosing gymnasts for out team program, we consider more than just their strength and flexibility. If you had a dozen strong and flexible gymnasts who were from the same socio-economic background you might not get much in the way of interesting skills or routines. Great cultures are built on a diversity of background, experience, and interests. These differences generate energy, which is critical to any enterprise.
7. Create the space
Years ago, scientists working in laboratories were often in underground bunkers and rarely saw their colleagues; secrecy was prized. Now innovation is prized. When we first started using the Ranch it was barely inhabitable. Now the gym and motels are much better. I am not trying to incite debate as to whether we need to stay at the Ranch (I do not have any inside information) but MAYBE it is time we build something we can all be proud of. A state of the art facility for all disciplines, A brick and mortar gymnastics university. Where we can innovate. Where we can share knowledge. In cutting-edge research and academic buildings, architects try to promote as much interaction as possible. Design a space that encourages interaction between the disciplines.
8. Take the long view
What is success? I think some of our recent issues occurred because we sacrificed long term stability for short term wins. The Women’s Developmental Camps and TOPS are focused on long term success. If our culture is dependent on this quarter’s earnings or World Championships in October, then it is handicapped by short-term thinking. We tend to overestimate what we can do in a year, but underestimate what we can do in five years. The culture needs to look ahead, not just in months but in years and even decades.
