Ep 274 | Does Your Company Have Tradition

Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick and welcome to the No Days Off podcast, where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Let's get into it today. I want to talk about tradition. I want to talk about tradition. What got me thinking about this? Well, in yesterday's episode, I was talking about the Masters, probably the most well-known golf tournament on the PGA. The Masters is held in Augusta, Georgia at Augusta National Golf Club. And as I was watching the Masters, just observing not just the amazing play of the professional golfers, but just the atmosphere. I've never been to Augusta. I've never been to the Masters, but you just watch what's going on there. And you see just the atmosphere and the prestige, uh, of that course and that tournament in the world of golf. And it got me thinking about traditions and how rich Augusta happens to be with traditions and how those traditions contribute to this insanely unique atmosphere. And, and I started thinking about tradition and how that applies maybe, you know, in my businesses or even in my family, you know, what, how tradition plays such a significant role. So let's talk about the Masters real quick. What traditions does the Masters have? Some things that stick out to me, some of the notable traditions associated with the Masters. Number 1, the green jacket. Like even if you're not a golf fan, you're probably aware of the green jacket. It's arguably the most iconic tradition of the Masters, and that's the presentation of the green jacket to the winner. When you win, you're awarded a green jacket. The champion gets it, and that's been going on since 1949. And the green jacket's worn by the reigning champion during the following year's tournament. It symbolizes membership to the exclusive club of Masters champions. If you ask any professional golfer what would be the greatest honor, I guarantee a lot of them would be saying putting that green jacket on, if they've yet to do so. In addition, or next I should say, tradition, honorary starters. Every year the tournament kicks off with some ceremonial tee shots hit by some honorary starters. They're usually legendary golfers who have made significant contributions to the game of golf. This past year it was Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Tom Watson. They kicked off the 88th Masters. Uh, the honorary starters, that's— it's a pretty special thing, and it's really cool to watch those individuals do it. And it's something I think that every golfer hopes to one day, like in the twilight of their career, be able to do that sort of thing. Other traditions, uh, I was watching today, Amen Corner. This is the term that refers to holes 11, 12, and 13 at Augusta. And it's known for, you know, this corner of the course is known for its beauty, but it's especially known for strategic challenges. It's been immortalized, Amen Corner has been immortalized by golf lore. And it plays a crucial role in the tournament's outcome because of its difficulty and the potential for all sorts of drama that occurs in, you know, at holes 11, 12, and 13. I mentioned the Green Jacket, but of course the Green Jacket ceremony. That ceremony after the final round on Sunday when it's presented to the tournament champion, it's watched by millions around the world, and it marks the culmination of the entire tournament. You've got other smaller traditions. Like the floral displays, the flowers at Augusta. They bloom throughout the course during the tournament, and the colors contribute to like this, this visual spectacle of the event. Lastly, there's all sorts of strict rules. There's strict etiquette. As a matter of fact, this past year, a golfer, a professional, was asked to remove his sweatshirt, his sweater, because it was loud. It was— it had a lot going on, and it didn't play to the subtle subtlety that Augusta, you know, likes to be known for. That it was just too prominent. It was taken away from the game of golf. There's other strict rules and traditions regarding player conduct and attire, and even fans, like the behavior of fans, they'll be thrown right out. Some other minor, you know, uh, traditions like the cost of food and the cost of a beer. It's next to nothing relative to, to, you know, other tournaments. Anyhow, just some cool traditions of the Masters. Now, like I said, in watching the Masters got me thinking about tradition and why tradition's even important. And maybe why you should be thinking about it a bit more. If I were to ask you, what's the traditions held by your business or by your team? Or even by your family? What are those traditions? Well, traditions hold importance for several reasons. Number 1, just identity, cultural identity. Traditions often reflect a team's or a business's values, its beliefs, its history. They give this sense of continuity and a connection to, to the past, a connection to where you came from. And this helps individuals, it helps your teammates understand there's cultural identity and there's heritage. It makes them proud. Tradition makes your people proud and helps them acknowledge where we've come from, which leads to just social cohesion. Tradition fosters a sense of belonging. It fosters this sense of unity among people. In that they share common customs and rituals, and participating in traditions can strengthen these social bonds. The traditions of your team, the traditions of your business, the shared experiences that your people, you know, may have had or may look forward to having, it brings individuals and communities together. Another reason why tradition's so important, which leads to, you know, tradition being important because it's the passing of values. It's a passing on of values. Traditions serve as a vehicle for transmitting values and morals and wisdom from one generation of a company to the next. They teach important lessons. They reinforce ethical principles. They provide guidance for behavior, you know, within, within a team. There's a sense of comfort. There's a sense of stability when there's tradition. In an ever-changing world, in a company, for example, that's got to constantly be on the move, on the go, staying ahead of the competition, in this ever-changing world, tradition gives a sense of stability. When you engage with familiar customs and rituals, it can offer comfort. It can reduce anxiety. It can provide a sense of continuity amidst all of life's and the business's uncertainties. Last couple things when I think about tradition, respect for those that came before you. Many traditions of companies are rooted in reverence for ancestors or elders or past generations. And if your company's going to exist for not just a few years or even a decade, but for generations, which I think many of us aspire to do, you've got to have respect for those by, you know, by which the company was constructed on their respective backs. So maintaining and respecting these customs, in doing so, we honor the contributions and sacrifices of those that came before us. Lastly, traditions give us a sense of ritual and a sense of ceremony. Traditions can mark significant milestones or transitions or even events in the history of a company. And these rituals add meaning, they add structure, right, to, to the, you know, they honor important occasions and they contribute to their significance and impact. So overall, tradition serves as a powerful force that shapes individual and shapes collective identity. It also aids in fostering social cohesion and preserving just heritage. Ultimately, it enriches our lives. By connecting us to the past. Now I'm talking about this because when you study the best companies out there, when you really think around the companies that, you know, stand the test of time, odds are those companies have tradition. They have things that they just continue to honor, things that they do. I think about companies like Disney. And the way Disney behaves, or you think about Apple and its traditions, or Amazon and its traditions. You could point to a number of— GE, if you really want to go back in time, right? You could pick Heinz. You could pick a lot of these companies. If you study them, what you're going to find is that there's a cadence. There's events. There's rituals. There's a common language. That's spoken. And again, it's to create that cohesion. So the focusing question for you: if I asked you about your company's traditions, what would you say they are? Better yet, if I asked your people without you around, tell me about the traditions or the customs of this team. What might they share, if anything? Would you be proud of what they share? Odds are, if you're like me, There are some things that you would call tradition within your company, but the presence is not great enough. It's certainly not Augusta. It's certainly not the Masters. So the question then becomes, knowing that it's not as strong as you'd like it to be, how do you start creating and fostering more tradition within your organization? How do you create this cohesiveness? What can you do starting today that starts to, I guess, create these rituals or these traditions that people can be proud of, that can make them, you know, remember or recall those that came before them. I think it's something really cool to think about. It's certainly a competitive advantage, something that can be leveraged when times are tough, and we're all going to experience that if we're in business long enough. That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening. And remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.