Five Ways Professional Wrestling made be a better Leader
Growing up I loved watching professional wrestling and although I knew I never wanted to be one, I always wanted to act like one. Throughout my years, I realized that life and management is like being a professional wrestler. After decades watching it (and not getting hurt from trying to reenact it), here are five major lessons I learned from professional wrestling that can be applied to life in general, especially to those who wish to manage and ascend.
#1 It’s scripted — so have a plan.
Surprise! Professional wrestling, now more appropriately called Sports Entertainment, is scripted — at least to a degree. Typically, the ending is planned with a few “spots” to highlight athleticism or storytelling. I love how at times you can almost predict what will happen by the set up for moves. The crowd becomes electrified right before the finishing moves and you can just feel the win coming.
In the real world, it’s almost like this. When you plan properly, you gain momentum and people can start to feel how the meeting will end. Although you may know where you’re going, the space in-between may not be decided yet. Certain wrestlers are known for certain moves, but will need to work with the other wrestlers to get to that point so that it’s effective and memorable. Picking the timing and sequence is important to get the most result.
So what does this mean for you? You won’t get a standing ovation for doing your job but you can still follow the lead:
1. What are the end goals of the meeting?
2. What type of actions do you want your audience to take?
3. What type of barriers are there and how can these be overcome?
4. How does this meeting set up for future successes?
One of the most important lessons I learned is that a match is hardly just a match. It’s a setup for another match or series of matches down the road. Think not just the outcome of this one meeting, but how does this meeting segue into future meetings and your plan for success. How does this help ensure that the staff are onboard and we’re communicating what needs to be?
#2 Moves, Counter Moves, and Surprise Moves
One of the most thrilling times in professional wrestling comes from seeing your favorite Superstar perform their move set. It’s consistency and helps build their character move set. What’s probably even more exciting is when another Superstar counters. When you get to the bigger matches you may even see counter after counter, and this is when you really can appreciate the creativity and athleticism of the sport. It also shows that not everything is an “end all, be all” and that anything can be countered — and sometimes that’s a good thing. I am always paying more attention when I see these counters as it keeps me engaged and prevents me from just feeling bored.
So how do you plan the counters and keep the meeting fresh?
1. Who are the people involved? What are their agendas and how does it fit into yours (e.g. does it compliment or oppose)?
2. Would the discussion topics invoke strong emotions? If so, consider how to best manage these through logic and examples.
3. What type of objective examples can you share to illustrate your points? Which members would give the most opposition? What type of examples would these members use to counter your talking points?
4. What type of pre or post meetings would need to be done to obtain buy in from your more difficult audience members? Could you have other members attest on your behalf? What other ways can you increase your credibility?
5. How do you follow up and build on that momentum after the meeting? Thank you and emails are nice, however, definitive action that is inclusive and measurable will help set the tone.
#3 Catch phrases
When you hear certain theme songs or you hear catch phrases, you can instantly identify the wrestler that is associated with it. This type of entertainment tells the audience that “business is about to pick up”. The best wrestlers can use these phrases to both convey clear messages and keep the audience fully engaged.
Do catchphrases have a place in the real world? Yes, as this builds consistency and consistency builds predictability. When people can predict what you would say and how you would act, they would tend to follow or at least better understand you. People will be more likely to consider what you would say.
Here are a few of my personal ones:
· One problem at a time — meant to convey breaking down a problem to one component and focusing on multiple items is not the way to go. I use this whenever the to-do list seems overwhelming and need to focus and push through the tasks. Overtime, my hope is that people will start hearing my voice reminding them that anything is possible, one problem at a time.
· Don’t worry, we’ll get there — seems to show positive view that it will be work, however we have a plan and will work towards it. Typically, I would say that after I explain the plan. It’s meant to give a little encouragement and direction. It also means that we are in it together.
· Starts at the top — shows where responsibility comes from. Typically, used when discussing workflow and communication. Using a process oriented mentality, I would follow the workflow until the very beginning to identify root cause. This can also be used when identifying culture or communication issues as there typically is a primary person involved. It also helps point to accountability and why events happen the way it does.
#4 Sometimes you have to lose…to win again.
No wrestler ever wins every match. They can’t, it won’t be good storytelling nor would it keep people engaged. It also would not be reflective of real life — not that Sports Entertainment is the epitome of reality.
In our real life, not every meeting nor every sale goes the way you want. It may be that you did not adequately calculate outcomes, or people just behaved in an unexpected manner. It may be that events beyond your control are also at play and you just end up taking the “L”. Although unfortunate, we all go through it. In wrestling, although scripted, you know that it’s not about winning each match — it’s about winning as many as you can and learning from it.
What to do when you feel like you lost?
Ask yourself How can this loss be strategic to you? Besides being motivating, did it show you an area that exposed your strengths? If so, how do we improve upon that. For example, we were being monitored for productivity and during the meetings we were compared to our competitors. However, I had to point out that it was an unfair comparison as we did more than our competitors and you “get what you pay for” as in we gave a concierge level of services to our customers, and they should not expect that level of attention from our competitors should they leave us. Suffice to say, they stayed with us.
Ask for feedback from others. For example, right before we completed the acquisition of an office the deal fell through. We were shocked when the other party suddenly dropped out, and asked why this occurred. We identified several red flags, such as technical issues that were unresolved, staff retention, and not building enough trust in the community. Our next acquisition was very successful based on these learning lessons.
#5 Passion and Dedication
Professional wrestlers are professional athletes, even when they are in fully in their character setup. They train hard and study the moves of their predecessors while watching how to innovate like their contemporaries. From there, they start to hone their craft and develop their own unique character.
Just like in Sports Entertainment, there’s a place for everyone in life. In my organization, I try to determine where everyone best fits. You may always hear the saying “rat race”, but in reality who makes this race. It’s the leadership. My ideal place is that everyone should have their own niche and be in their own “race”. They’ll be the best version of themselves in their roles. That could mean the most accurate and fastest data entry, the most precise coder, or the most organized project manager. We may be looking for Superstars, but we’re not looking for just one. Over their time with the company, we have honest discussions on what is needed to be that much better. Everyone has the potential to be one, the work comes in helping them see it too.
This is wear any professional athlete will tell you that they spend hours and hours watching tapes of their predecessors, teammates, and their potential opponents. They spend hours in the ring training with their coaches and teammates going over drills and simulations. In life, that’s how it is. We need to reflect after every event, and maybe even after week or so how things are going. How can we continue to grow together?
As a manager, you should be learning more leadership styles, keeping up with trends in your field, and slowly building your network. If you manage technical staff, I would suggest learning more about what’s about to be released, and what’s in the research and development phase. I generally see myself as their coach on how they can be the best in their role — whether it be more training, more tools, or perhaps even a career path. As a manager, you should also be mentoring your successors on how to perpetuate and grow the success. Your legacy is dependent to those we leave behind.
I may never be able to wrestle professionally, but I must thank the professional wrestlers for making me a better manager, or at least more entertaining to the staff.
