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By Michael
Cerha
As a young manager in our
industry, I want to thank each of you for the opportunity to present some
thoughts on our business. Typically I would write about subjects like new
technology or communications, since they are interests of mine, and areas
that impact each of our facilities. But as I look at the makeup of our
industry, I see a lot of similarly young faces in the crowd at the national
conferences.
In speaking with some of the industry veterans, there’s definitely an influx
of youth to management positions of not only arenas but also all public
assembly facilities. I started looking at the most important lessons I’ve
learned since opening our facility in Memphis and what will benefit me and
other young managers the most as we continue to develop into a complete
manager.
In short, I believe the most important lesson is that relationships are the
key to everything as a manager. Budgets, event mixes, energy management and
all the other things we as managers need to understand will come with time,
but one needs to be cognizant of relationships from the beginning to ensure
a successful facility, staff, community and career.
I don’t claim to be an expert on relationships or management, but I want to
share a few notes that I’ve learned over the past few years from observation
and several conversations with mentors about how to develop and maintain
relationships.
Don’t Underestimate the Small Things
Simply stated, don’t overlook how what may appear to be a small decision
could affect your relationship with a promoter, facility staff or the
community at large. Think back to high school and the one kid who sat at
your lunch table a couple of times throughout the year. Since he wasn’t in
your normal crowd, you gave him the cold shoulder, and soon he stopped
sitting at your table. In your mind, this act wasn’t a big deal; the student
would get over it.
 Come
springtime you ran for student council and lost. You found out that the
student you rebuffed had significant influence over several other students
and pushed them toward your opponent. A simple thing like acknowledging a
person at your lunch table kept you from winning the election.
Each time you make a decision, think of the potential impact it will have on
your relationships, no matter how small or large. Haggling over a $500
difference in settlement could cost you future shows with a promoter.
Ignoring employee issues could cost your facility valuable assets that make
your facility run smoothly. Not serving as a good community neighbor could
lead to potential problems when your facility needs help from the community.
Acknowledge and Foster Relationships
One of your greatest tasks as a manager is to foster and acknowledge
relationships with all of your partners. Managers should take time every day
to reassess their relationships and evaluate which ones are in need of
further development.
For example, we all rely on our relationships with public safety officials
in our community to help maintain the safety of our guests, staff and
facilities during events. Whether it’s as simple as traffic control or as
complex as having the Homeland Security designation as a National Special
Event, these groups play a significant role in the operation of your
facility. Public safety officials, frontline staff and contractors are often
your first interaction with your guests and neighbors. Having a good and
open relationship allows you to focus on what’s important: the enjoyment of
the guest.
Develop these relationships through regular meetings or informal lunches,
sometimes not even talking about work. Do the small things, such as offering
your facility as a training facility on dark days. This will have minimal
cost impact and go a long way towards furthering your relationship.
At FedExForum, we are adjacent to Beale Street, which is one of the top
tourist attractions in the state of Tennessee and attracts tens of thousands
of partygoers on New Year’s Eve. As such, there is a heavy concentration of
uniformed police compared to a normal weekend. We took this opportunity to
further develop our relationship with the Entertainment District Unit and
start relationships with other units we’d never had contact with, such as
the Organized Crime Unit. We simply made an offer of coffee and a warm place
to rest in our lobby. It was a minimal cost to the facility, and to this
day, I still run into officers I met that evening who have a positive
outlook on our facility.
As I mentioned earlier, I don’t consider myself an expert on relationships.
However, I’m lucky to have developed a good relationship dynamic with
several senior managers who have shown me how to grow my relationships and
realize the impact of decisions towards those relationships.
Will you ever master the art of relationships? The answer is a resounding
“No!” Development and care of relationships is an ongoing and lifelong
process for all managers.
For the young manager, look to the senior manager who you can develop a good
relationship dynamic with — someone who’s not afraid to help address your
weaknesses with relationships. For the senior manager, I encourage you to
develop your young managers, and remember that there’s no plateau to the
learning curve on relationships.
We should all strive to continually get better and simply do the right
thing. In the end, our jobs are not about widgets, setups or budgets. They
are about developing relationships and maintaining them.
Michael Cerha is director of
facility services for the Memphis Grizzlies/FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. |
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