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Lessons from Behind the Keyboard: Opryland

It’s summertime in Music City!

Pedal taverns are pedaling, guitars are picking, and the kids are out of school. Swimming, boating, baseball, ice cream, and even soccer— aside from a little bit of heat and humidity what’s not to like?

For me, summers were always my favorite time of the year. That is, until the infamous summer of 1997.
Longtime Nashvillians know exactly what I'm talking about.

It was 1997 when our beloved Opryland theme park was closed and replaced by a mall.

For anyone here who grew up going to Opryland USA, the decision to close the park felt like the apocalypse.

No more cooling off on the Flume Zoom, no more screaming on the Delta Demon or the Wabash Cannonball, no more getting soaked on the Grizzly River Rampage, and no more leisurely drives on the Tin Lizzies.

Just like that, the centerpiece of Nashville’s summer for locals and tourists alike was gone.

No one really understood why this happened. Why would anyone choose to replace America’s most famous music theme park with--of all things—a mall?

Ga***rd, who owned Opryland was under new leadership & they claimed the park wasn’t profitable. Their vision at the time was to get into the “shoppertainment” business and they felt that tearing down the park in favor of a mall would be a good business decision.

Bud Wendell, the legendary former CEO of Ga***rd had left the company a few months before the decision was made said the move was the “Dumbest thing I’ve ever seen."

Hindsight is 20/20, but imagine if we still had Opryland today. With Nashville’s growth, there’s no doubt Opryland would have been a massive economic boon to the city and that Ga***rd would have made a fortune (look at Dollywood.)

I find myself thinking about Opryland not only every summer,but every time our company is thinking about making any significant change.

On the one hand, businesses that don’t adapt to an ever-changing world can get left behind (remember Blockbuster video?).

But on the other hand, fixing something that’s not broken is extremely risky if not well thought out.

The people who replaced Opryland with a mall thought they were adapting. But given where Nashville is now, & the fact they ended up eventually selling off the mall, it seems they might have been wrong.They ignored the “don’t fix it if it’s not broken rule."

Maybe one day Opryland will be revived, but until then we will have to be satisfied with a business lesson and a mall.

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Lessons from Behind the Keyboard: The Forced Overpromise

Avoid the "forced overpromise".

Manager: "You can finish this by Friday, right?
Employee: "I'm not sure"
Manager: "You have to finish by Friday---can you get it done?"
Employee: "I think so...yes.".

Whether it is fixing a car, remodeling a kitchen, or developing software-- forcing someone to overpromise always leads to the trouble. Giving everyone on your team the freedom to say "I'm not sure" keeps projects and companies healthy.
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Sharing some lessons learned in business and tech over the years. All feedback welcomed!

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Lesson from Behind the Keyboard: Playing Defense

In business we generally define winning as growing and innovating faster than our competitors do. Especially these days, when technology is at the core of most businesses, we see the Amazons and Teslas of the world do well by playing good, aggressive offense.

But there is another way to win in business that's not as glorious but can be just as effective.

Some businesses can win by simply making fewer mistakes than their competitors. Sometimes, steady, methodical, low risk, and downright boring can be a path to victory.

I call it the “pickleball strategy.”

In pickleball, good defense beats good offense. The player that avoids mistakes usually wins.

How do you play defense in business?

First and foremost, be patient.

This is easier said than done because most entrepreneurs are eager risk-takers by nature. But the more patient you are, the better you will be at avoiding the mistakes that many others make in their quest for glory.

Second, think like a "risk manager" always putting the odds in your favor to ultimately win. Things like keeping debt low, staying focused on what you do best, keeping your prices low to keep your customers happy—not very exciting, but often very effective.

And finally, just like winning in pickleball, be humble.

You may never hear the crowd roar or make the front page of the business section when you play not to lose, but if you win, who cares?

Warren Buffett says, “Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule No. 1." I bet he would be a tough pickleball player to beat.

Thanks for any feedback as I share some lessons learned from over the years...!

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Lessons from Behind the Keyboard: “Helping is the sunny side of controlling.”

In business, “helping” is generally regarded as a good thing. If a co-worker is struggling, offering to chip in is something every good team member does.

But there’s another side to offering help. Sometimes a helper’s motives are less altruistic but more about a need to exert some control.

Are you offering to give your sales person a hand in closing a deal because you’re not confident they can succeed or because they are overworked?

Is your offer to help the marketing department edit a press release born out of a desire to help them meet a deadline, or a fear that they won’t do a good job on it?

Did the person you’re helping ever ask for help?

You may be asking, why does it matter? Most of time I’ll take all the help I can get.

In a work environment, where helping for the wrong reasons can be perceived as stepping on toes, battles for control can ensue and company culture can suffer. Resentments on the part of the helper and “helpee” can build, resulting in a dysfunctional team—something no one wants.

If you find your offers of help meeting with resistance, it might be wise to step back and consider your motivations, as well as how it might be received. It’s even possible that your good intentions come across either as control, or worse: as a lack of faith in another’s capabilities.

Stay tuned for more biz-tech lessons learned..

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