Leadership lessons from pop culture
The BIG Takeaway™
newsletter
April 11, 2022

​What leaders can learn from TV, sports and movies this week

Hello current and aspiring leaders!

​What an amazing week of pop culture.
  • Tiger Woods returned. Baseball had its opening day. More new shows premiered. Kansas beat UNC for the men's NCAA basketball championship. And no one got slapped at an awards show.

​This week I am going to focus on what leaders can do to create a culture of innovation.
  • In honor of opening day, I will use an example from a baseball team called the Savannah Bananas; they made their national TV debut on ESPN+ on Friday.
  • They're aren't a big league ball club but but have more social media followers than many major league teams; that sounds, well...bananas.
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👉​Amazing stat:  Five: the number of awful banana puns that are in this week's newsletter. 
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Also, something new at the end: Rather than feature a deep dive I have added a pop culture poll and a custom Wordle. I am trying new things like the Bananas.​

​Let's learn!

Rich Trombetta
@trombettarich
April 11, 2022
Section No. 1: This week's assignment
Create a culture of innovation
Image: Savannah Bananas
Fans first. Entertain always. All inclusive.
How a team created an environment ripe for success

The context: The Savannah Bananas are part of the amateur-based Coastal Plain League (CPL); the Bananas also play teams outside the CPL.
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  • ​​The team features the Dancing Nanas, the Man-Nana’s, an owner, Jesse Cole, (the top banana) who wears a yellow tuxedo and an assortment of non-stop entertainment for fans.

  • They have unique rules - if a fan catches a foul ball it's an out - and the games go no more than 2 hours.

  • With over 150 consecutive games and tickets that are almost impossible to get, the Bananas are an absolute sensation. 

Watch this clip: You can get a sense of the Bananas with this "Can't stop the Peeling" video. Fun. Fun. Fun.

What we can learn: A team's culture drives innovation
  • Cole promotes risk taking, trying new things and learning from experiences; if things don't go well, it is a learning opportunity.

  • The team puts fans at the center of everything; this thinking is engrained in every employee. They're a lively bunch.

  • The Bananas are willing to challenge the status quo and provide everyone in the the organization the environment to do so. 

My take: When you peel things back, it's really that the Bananas enable people to feel safe to contribute ideas
  • Google did a study and asked "What makes the perfect team?" One of the most critical factors was people need to feel psychologically safe if you want them to contribute and be their best.

  • In a psychologically safe work culture employees say "yes and"  more than "yeah but," they appreciate and values different perspectives and, perhaps most importantly, they feel they can express their views without fear.

  • This type of thinking leads to great ideas and innovative solutions that thrill clients; it also increases employee engagement. 

What you can do on your own:
  • ONE: Note when you say or hear the following phrases: "yeah but," "the problem with that is," "that won't work because," and "we've tried that before." What does the interaction look like?

  • TWO: Watch this video on how to play "Yes, and..." Replace negative phrases with ones that promote curiosity and creativity like "yes, and" and "tell me more."

  • THREE: Measure how safe your team feels. Here is a sample survey. A low score probably means ideas like "Let's have Dancing Nanas" are probably going to stay neatly packed away, never to shared. So sad for the Nanas.  

    Side note: A lot of people use "yes and to say "yeah but."
    😀"I think we should call our clients!" 
    ☹️"Yes, and, our phones will die, it will take all of our time and work won't get done." 

    Buzz kill.

📢NEW: What you can do with others:
  • Use our discussion guides with your team or other colleagues to dig deeper into this topic. (Instead of a book club I like to think of this as our 'movie-or-TV-clip club) This week: Yes And.
​What they are saying:
  • "Whatever is normal do the exact opposite."
    - Savannah Bananas owner, Jesse Cole
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THE BIG TAKEAWAY:  ​
  • ​Leaders need to create CULTURES that enable everyone to feel safe to share ideas. Be like the Bananas and split from conventional thinking.​
Did you know we can design a custom leadership program based on topics like the one above? Click the button to learn more.
Section No. 2: Commercialized learning
Amazing lessons in about 30 seconds
 Video: Budget Rent a Car
News flash: Not every idea is a good idea

  • I can't stand the phrase "no idea is a bad idea." Why? Because there are actually bad ideas. Cue "Bad Idea Jeans" from SNL. 

  • Watch the video above. It is a great example of "yes and" that also illustrates the need for teams to know when an idea might actually be bad.

  • Here's the trick: While a "yeah but" might need to appear somewhere along the way, DON'T HAVE IT BE THE INITIAL REACTION.

  • Be curious and give ideas a chance to grow and be heard before passing any judgement.

THE BIG TAKEAWAY: 
  • Not every idea is good; it is the reaction to ideas that is key to creating a culture of innovation.​
Section No. 3: Tune in
What to watch this week through a leadership lens
Image: Boston Celtics/NBA
Here's what I will be watching this week:​
  • The NBA Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday then the playoffs begin on April 16. Go Celtics!
  • ​"Roar" on Apple TV. Looks like it will be pushing boundaries.
  • Binging "Better Call Saul" so I can get ready for the final season; LOVE this show.
  • Coachella returns this year; I will be watching social media to get the scoop.

Section No. 4: Social distortion
The amazing world of the web
 Image: Pexels
Here are some quick links:
Section No. 5: Have fun
This week: Trying something new
Image: CBS Viacom
 Image: NBC Universal
Let's vote: Who had the better opening? David Caruso on "CSI: Miami" or Jerry Orbach on "Law & Order." The CSI video is classic.  Yowwwwww!!!
​Try our custom Wordle: Did you know you can create your own Worlde? Try our version here. Create yours and share with others!

​THE BIG TAKEAWAY:
  • Play. Laugh. Have fun; the world needs laughter.
That's all for now

Go bananas this week! Have fun. Buy a yellow tux. Try something different.

​Please remember:
  • We archive our stories and put them here for the world to read so feel free to have a look.
  • If you have any ideas or feedback Contact me with your thoughts.
  • We can create a custom newsletters​ and training on the topics we write about.
Rich "where do I find a yellow tux" Trombetta
​@trombettarich

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