The first time I went to a roller derby bout I had no idea what was going on. One of my co-workers had joined the team, so I went for curiosity’s sake. I didn’t do any research into the rules beforehand, which meant I watched skaters circle the track while points stacked up in what seemed like an arbitrary manner.
There was no announcer to explain things and my smartphone wasn’t getting good service. I was lost.
Luckily, another person in the crowd saw my incomprehension. She moved over to sit next to me and started to tell me the rules and point out what was going on.
It began to make sense. I could understand why people cheered, and which team was doing a better job.
Even now, years later, I still enjoy going to a roller derby bout every now and again, which is probably why I decided to do something on the Ohio Roller Girls for this month’s Uniquely Columbus. These are strong women from all walks of life who spend countless hours of their own time on something they love.
But what does this have to do with business? Here are a few lessons, looking back at that small moment in time when I first encountered roller derby:
Put the time in
I didn’t do my research, and as a result I was confused and lost. Just like in life, in business it’s important to always be learning. Ask questions, and don’t be afraid to show your ignorance.
The best leaders lead by listening, which is something I hear over and over again from the CEOs I interview.
And, of course, the next step is to take what you’ve learned and use it on a trial and error basis to figure out what works best.
Also, remember that when business is booming, it’s the best time to employ that trial and error. You have the mental elbow room to examine what you’re doing and look for ways to improve it without sacrificing quality of efficiency.
Leave your ego at the door
I lucked into an explanation of what was going on when someone took pity on me. It didn’t occur to me to make the first move. I should have looked at my neighbors, found one that seemed to be following the action and asked for help.
From my years of working as a newspaper reporter, I’ve learned that people are genuinely friendly. Most of the time, strangers are happy to connect when you approach them in the right way.
Business leaders need to always be willing to reach out to their employees, peers and advisers.
I’ve heard that the key task of business leaders is to direct human activities. In order to do this, you have to know a little about a lot — have versatility — and employ those who have specializations.
No one expects you to know everything, and if you do it might actually bog you down in the details. You always want to be expanding your versatility so you can better direct the big picture.
