DAY 5: Workplace Culture Lesson with the Savannah Bananas: Give People Something Worth Following
- Desi Payne
- Jul 10
- 2 min read
What We Have Learned So Far
Put People First: Let people know they matter.
Create an Experience: Give people something memorable to talk about.
Remember That Energy Is Contagious: Bring the attitude you want others to experience.
Do Things Differently: Question old habits and look for better ways to serve people.
Give People Something Worth Following: Build a culture with a clear purpose people can believe in.
As I sat among approximately 70,000 people at Kinnick Stadium, one question stayed with me:
Why do so many people love following the Savannah Bananas?
Yes, the games are entertaining.
Yes, the players are talented.
Yes, the videos are funny.
But I believe people are responding to something deeper. They are responding to joy, connection, authenticity, and a clear purpose. Jesse Cole has created something people want to belong to.
The Savannah Bananas have built a community around the idea that fans matter. Team members understand the mission. The audience understands it. Every interaction reinforces it.
That is the power of a clear workplace culture.
A workplace becomes energized when people know:
What the organization stands for
Why their work matters
How they are expected to treat people
What kind of experience they are responsible for creating
A motto cannot simply hang on a wall. It must come alive in the behavior of the people.
“Fans First” works because the Savannah Bananas practice it. Your organization may use different words. Perhaps your focus is patients first, students first, members first, customers first, employees first, or people first.
The words matter, but the actions matter more.
Employees will support a mission they can see, understand, and experience. Customers will follow an organization that consistently makes them feel valued.
Jesse Cole and the Savannah Bananas went from selling only two tickets during their early days to creating an organization that fills major baseball and football stadiums.
That growth did not happen because they focused only on baseball. It happened because they focused on people.
Thank you, Jesse Cole, for creating an incredible experience for fans!
The Five Lessons
Put People First
Create an Experience, Not Just a Transaction
Remember That Energy Is Contagious
Be Willing to Do Things Differently
Give People Something Worth Following
My Biggest Takeaway
The Fourth of July Savannah Bananas game at Kinnick Stadium reminded me that an energized culture does not happen accidentally.
Someone must create it.
Someone must model it.
Someone must protect it.
Someone must be willing to do things differently.
The Savannah Bananas have shown us what can happen when an organization makes people its priority and creates an experience worth talking about.
You may not be responsible for entertaining 70,000 people, but you influence someone every day.
Your attitude matters.
Your energy matters.
Your interactions matter.
Your willingness to put people first matters.
The question is not whether you influence your workplace culture.
The question is:
What kind of culture are you helping create? For more information on how I can help create a positive workplace culture in your organization, contact me today.
Let's Get Energized!
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