DAY 4: Workplace Culture Lesson Savannah Bananas Do Things Differently

Savannah Bananas and the Fire Fighters

What We Have Learned So Far

• Put People First: Make people feel important.

• Create an Experience: Turn ordinary interactions into memorable moments.

• Remember That Energy Is Contagious: Your attitude and actions affect everyone around you.

  
  

Jesse Cole could have continued operating a traditional baseball team. He could have followed all the customs, rules, and expectations that had existed for decades. Instead, he asked what people disliked about baseball and began removing those frustrations.

Banana Ball introduced faster play, unusual rules, nonstop entertainment, and more opportunities for fans to become part of the experience.

Jesse was willing to question the way things had always been done. That willingness to do something different helped transform an organization struggling to sell tickets into a phenomenon capable of filling some of the largest stadiums in America.

Every workplace has traditions and procedures. Some are important. Others continue simply because no one has stopped to ask whether there is a better way.

“We have always done it this way” can become one of the most dangerous sentences in an organization.

Innovation begins when someone asks:

• Why are we doing this?

• Does this still serve our people?

• What frustrates our customers?

• How could we make this easier, faster, friendlier, or more enjoyable?

• What would happen if we tried something completely different?

  
  

Creating an energized workplace culture does not mean recklessly changing everything. It means becoming curious enough to look for better possibilities. The Savannah Bananas did not abandon baseball. They reimagined how people could experience it.

What could your organization reimagine?

Day Four Lesson: Be Willing to Do Things Differently.

Let's Get Energized!