Management Insights from a Stanley Cup Winner

Okay, these aren’t lessons from Lord Stanley himself, donor of the hardest trophy to win in sports. Instead, here’s a few observations culled from the season-long march of 

Blackhawks Owner Rocky Wirtz

an Original Six member of the National Hockey League, the Chicago Blackhawks, who recently brought home a second championship in four years.

Follow these lessons learned and you'll be more likely to claim your own version of the Stanley Cup some day:

§         Think Long-Term: When Rocky Wirtz took control of the Blackhawks after his father’s death the picture wasn’t pretty -- few fans, fewer season ticket holders, front office malaise and no TV. Wirtz hired long-time Chicago Cubs marketing whiz, John McDonough, secured a TV contract, held on to a promising core of young players and rebuilt the front office.

§         Spend Wisely: In the salary cap era the Blackhawks are the only team to win two Stanley Cups. The right balance of long-term contracts for young players and key supplemental veterans willing to be role players means the team has a player roster that’s the envy of the league.

§         Know Your Customers: Fans resented that legendary Blackhawks players from the 1960's era had been abandoned by the team. Relationships were reestablished with Hall of Famers Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito. The former players became team ambassadors at a time when the young stars of today were still finding their way.

§         Prepare for Setbacks: When the Blackhawks deposed head coach Denis Savard, a team legend in his own right, management quickly dug into the ranks to elevate one of their scouts, Joel Quenneville, to take the coaching reins. This was no coincidence; Quenneville had been in the league for years, including successful stints as head coach for both Colorado and St. Louis.

§         Take Care of Employees: Wirtz has a well-earned reputation as a boss who cares. Each year he invites parents of the players to travel with the team on a road trip, a practice that other clubs now emulate. Also, for the sixth game of the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals, Wirtz picked up the tab for about 200 family members to join the team in Boston. It turned out to be one of the most stunning wins in Stanley Cup history, experienced by the players and families, thanks to the unusual generosity of the team owner.

§         Ignore the Little Things: A double-F bomb outburst at the Grant Park Stanley Cup celebration by the unlikeliest of characters, usually soft-spoken goalie Corey Crawford, was one of those things best described as “boys will be boys.” Crawford’s a goalie, not a public speaker. Stanley Cup winners deserve a pass for this sort of transgression.

§         Stay Humble: Wirtz and McDonough signed a full-page ad in the June 28 edition of the Boston Globe thanking the Bruins and their fans for their graciousness and respect during the playoffs. Both teams are a class act which seems to be found in hockey more than other pro sports leagues these days.

Lessons from Freddie Roach

Freddie Roach is a tough son-of-a-bitch. Once a pro boxer, now a boxing trainer living with Parkinson's disease, his life is laid open on the riveting, critically acclaimed HBO series, "On Freddie Roach" (8:30 pm CST Fridays).

Sports documentaries on HBO are typically high caliber. With actor Liev Schreiber weaving together the narrative, viewers are entertained. "On Freddie Roach" is not not like that. There's no velvety, disembodied voice (sorry Liev) to move along the narrative.

"On Freddie Roach" isn't reality TV either. This series strives to be much more and achieves status as art because the pacing, grit, pathos and real-world experience shot cinema verite style can leave a viewer breathless in the span of just 30 minutes.

After experiencing the first two episodes I thought a long time about what makes "On Freddie Roach" worth seeing. Excuse my indulgence here as I look at this through a branding lens:

What makes the show work is it's real, pulls no punches (bad pun), offers insights, teaches me something new, makes me think and alters my perspective all while being unabashedly honest.

Wouldn't it be great if somebody could say the same thing about your brand?

Work-Life Balance

Keeping it real. Work-Life balance is important.

Here's how I try:http://t.co/hr5aUVk

Social Media Gains are Impressive

For the last two years the good fellows at CMO.com have published an exceptionally important chart that shows the impact of nine top Social Media (SM) tools. Everything from LinkedIn to Facebook, from YouTube to Tumblr is examined. And rated.

The CMO's Guide to the Social Media Landscape is even color-coded. At a glance you can see what tools are having the biggest impact. Lay eyeballs on this and it becomes abundantly clear that SM needs to be in the mix for any organization seeking to make valued connections to key audiences.

To see for yourself, click here (http://tinyurl.com/6bhrhjb).

Small Business Summit

The Chicago Tribune's Carolyn Rusin was kind enough to interview me recently to help preview an upcoming Barrington Chamber event designed for local business owners.

Click here to link to the story.

In 2011 I take my turn as the elected Chairman of the Barrington Area Chamber of Commerce. One of my goals is to be sure that chamber membership is ever-more relevant for small business owners, especially the many new start-ups that have resulted from the economic downturn of the last couple years.

It seems more than ever that a local chamber provides a nurturing atmosphere for business owners who may be confronting new challenges for the very first time. Whether a new business owner needs help with marketing, accounting, banking, branding, sales, product development or just wants to have a friendly conversation with somebody who's "been there, done that," a local chamber is an effective tool to successfully launch a business.