Sean Henry, President and CEO of the Nashville Predators is your five minute mentor today.
President and CEO
of the Nashville Predators:
Sean Henry
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Hockey in Nashville probably sounded like an anomaly eight years ago, but Sean Henry, President and CEO of the Nashville Predators, and his team were able to transform the organization into the number one sports franchise in the U.S. There are several paths to success. Here's what it looked like for the Nashville Predators. Meet your Five Minute Mentor, Sean Henry.
Define success, and make it a goal to be number one at what you do:
Sean's team made a conscious decision to have one achievable goal, and to be the best at that thing. There was no fall-back or Plan B for the Preds. "I've never seen anyone be successful at anything who said their goal was being number two," he said.
Say 'yes' to new ideas:
"Our motto around here is, we say 'yes' to every single idea," Sean said. Giving the team an opportunity to contribute to the ultimate goal is the best way to achieve it. Ask questions, help them flesh the idea out, but understand that every idea has a reason behind it. Getting to that reason and connecting that reason with the overarching goal is one path to success. "Even if you're wrong in execution or wrong in what the idea was, the goal is still pure."
When people challenge the 'yes' theory:
Embrace it. "Even when someone says, you know, 'why don't we all get a 500.00 dollar bonus?' I say 'Okay. How? Why? Why should we do it and what should we do?' And no one at the organization knows this yet, but next week everyone is getting a 500.00 dollar bonus," Sean said at the time of the interview. His employees are receiving the bonus because the team surpassed their ticket budget in January, a 40% increase year over year.
Sean on team motivation:
"Everyone should be rewarded, but it's not about just writing a check," Sean said referring to motivating his 250 full-time employees and 1000 part-time employees. For them, it's about team contribution towards the goal. "Their thoughts mean something, and their actions mean something." At the Nashville Predators, every person, including the fans, has a purpose that helps the team reach the goal.
The Nashville Predators are currently ranked first in the Central Division.
There's a new practice rink for the Preds called the Ford Ice Center Bellevue, thanks to the success they've had at the rink in Antioch.
There are two podcasts I like to listen to in keeping up with the Preds: Predators Official Podcast and It's All Your Fault by the Nashville Scene.
SH: Sometimes, when you look at what you want to do in terms of Initiatives, process and goals, things become [stagnant] like wallpaper. We are always trying to solve shaking things up by having some fun. It'd be great if someone would come along and invent that material that we all take in every morning to remind us of how fresh things are. Give us the same feeling like how it feels the day you get back from vacation.
SH: Failing. Failing is good. It sounds cliche, but if you aren't failing, you really aren't working as hard as you should, and you should never let failure get you down. If all you are is successful, you'll never learn how to try and learn new things. Who cares about your successes? Failure is really the more important part.
SH: Reading. Every morning when I wake up, I read three newspapers. The advice I give to people is to read the newspaper, and read cover to cover.
SH: When someone says to follow your five year plan, and live it and stare at it, I don't understand that. I think it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. When someone says 'put yourself in a box' for five years and tell me what you can achieve in five years, you might achieve it, you might fall short, I don't know, but why can't you achieve that five year plan in five weeks, five hours, five minutes? I don't understand it.
I know for myself, I went to college to get out of college, and I had very humble goals. I thought I’d be a sales guy, in whatever industry, buy a house, and maybe I'd get a company car. I always had an opportunity, but if that became my five year plan, I'd be really behind the eight ball. But basically that's what I've always been taught that I needed to do. I've been very fortunate to have a lot of opportunities, and I’ve always said 'yes.' I never asked how much money I was going to make, never cared what the title was going to be or even where it was in the nation. I just said 'yes,' and I've always practiced that. I always tell people "throw that five year plan in the trash, and If a good person gives you an opportunity, just say yes." If you do that, you'll find yourself so far ahead of whatever that five year plan was.
SH: The biggest thing is: Don't be afraid to be successful, whatever that means, and don't be afraid to tell people what your goal is that you want to achieve. Far too many people will tell you why you can't do something, and why it's impossible. But you should never be afraid of what you think is the right path for you to be on. Yell about it, scream about it, be proud of it. Don't worry about the hedgehogs of the world, constantly popping their heads out of the ground telling you "no, no, no." You know what is right for you. Stop asking for advice and just move forward. I hate when people ask me for advice because what they are asking for is for me to agree with them. If you really know what you want, go forward with it, be reckless with it, have fun with it! And don't let anyone get in your way.
Sean Henry is the President and CEO of the Nashville Predators. You can find him on Twitter @PREDSident.
Recent Achievements:
"There are a lot of awards out there we get every year, but the thing that makes me the happiest is that we are the best workplace in Nashville."
Nomination:
Gordon Knapp, CEO, Bridgestone Americas. Look out for him in a future edition of LaunchLetter.
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LaunchLetter is a weekday newsletter from Southern/alpha, a website that features collections of stories and resources for underestimated startup communities.
LaunchLetter is for founders getting started on an idea or business. Our goal is to share the perspective, habits and positive messages of more experienced founders and CEOs. We hope you find it relatable and delightful as you get focused for the day on your own goals. Enjoy the ride.
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