While attending a New York Mets baseball game at Citi Field in New York City in July, I looked around at the crowd.
Although far from being sold out, I marvelled at the massive number of people who had come to cheer for their team, the large number of staff doing a myriad of tasks really well and the crowd of people outside the ball park who were selling their wares.
The entire experience from hopping on a train at Penn Station to handing in our tickets, going through security, watching people greeting or cleaning, and others hawking programmes with the glee and energy you see in old movies, people selling hot dogs and beer in the stands, to observing others selling everything from lobster rolls to memorabilia, all doing their jobs professionally and joyously was astounding to be a part of.
Everyone was happy and the joy was contagious. It didn't matter if you were there to watch The Mets or The Phillies, and it also didn't matter if you were working or a ticket holder. Everyone was respectful, observant and delighted to be in the middle of a stadium in Queens on a hot summer's night. Why was this experience so meaningful and why has it made an imprint on my mind?
The number of seats in Citi Field is 41,922.
The population of Whanganui is around 40,300. To see the entire population of Whanganui fit in to a baseball stadium is remarkable.
And, to witness the seamless operation of engaging tens of thousands of fans is spectacular.
The New York Mets will have around 50 home games. If they sell 40,000 tickets to every game, that's two million people demanding food, beverages, a baseball cap, a clean space and to be entertained. Oh! And, we want our team to win!
My experience was so good because everyone who works at Citi Field was taking their roles seriously with a focus on each customer and by doing it with a smile. They felt like part of The New York Mets baseball team. And, although I do not know the corporate culture of the owners, the staff that I interacted with were helpful and loved their jobs. There was a passion for performance on and off the playing field.
What can we learn from high performing teams?
The baseball coach was playing to his team members' strengths. He had carefully chosen the best player who could run the fastest, hit the farthest, and catch the line drive or outfield fly ball. Every player has been trained to focus on their expertise and complement their teammates.
