You've heard about Great Game All-Stars, but what does the transformation of a company that achieves All-Star status actually look like? This Gravitas Impact webinar, the second half of a two-part series, features Rich Armstrong as he discusses the real-life case study of Great Game practitioner Practice Velocity, measurable results, detailed MiniGame™ examples and more with Gravitas Impact President, Keith Cupp. 

At the 26th Annual Gathering of Games, we had the opportunity to host Gregg Stebben from ForbesBooks Radio as he interviewed participants from this year's conference. In this interview, he highlights Venturity Financial Partners which was selected as this year's Rookie of the Year.  This award recognizes a company that's been practicing The Great Game of Business for less than two years and has achieved remarkable results. Check out his interview with Deanna Walker and Chris McKee from Venturity below! Sneak Peek: What's Included in this Podcast The "Why" at Venturity Financial Partners and how they make accounting sexy. How all business issues have an accounting implication. Challenges their leadership team faced in revealing financials with the rest of the business, and the fears they had to overcome to start The Game. How company culture has transformed as a result of GGOB and opening the books.  How implementation has changed Venturity's hiring process.  How the leadership team now spends their time after implementing the Game.  Changes Chris and Deanna have seen among team members' interactions and relationships with clients. Venturity becoming a living laboratory- opening Huddles to clients and service providers. Plans to further the Great Game in their company and across Texas. Listen to the full podcast to find out how this All-Star company will continue to take their Game to the next level.

Like many business leaders and owners, my partners and I found it difficult to find time to work “on” the business, because we were so busy working “in” the business. We were already working 60-hour workweeks and with a rapidly growing company, we feared working “on” the business would result in 70+ hour workweeks. Our company had increased the top line at a breakneck pace, but the bottom line lagged behind and our bonus plan was flawed.

You may be wondering if the Great Game of Business is what your company is looking for. We've asked our All-Stars what their most crucial advice is for companies considering implementing the Great Game of Business. Here is what you need to know from the best of the best in open-book management if you're looking into implementing the Great Game. 

Historically, businesses using traditional management styles have been reluctant to give all of their employees the knowledge they need in order to make good business decisions day in and day out as they do their jobs. Open-book management takes a much different approach. It’s all about capturing and sharing both financial and organizational knowledge with every employee and empowering them to use that knowledge to contribute to the long-term success of the organization, as well as their own personal success. The benefits of knowledge sharing are numerous:

At the 26th Annual Gathering of Games, we had the opportunity to host Gregg Stebben from ForbesBooks Radio as he interviewed participants from this year's conference. Check out his interview with our 2018 Keynote Speaker, Ann Rhoades.    A Sneak Peak: What's Included in the Podcast Ann Rhoades' background with companies including Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, DoubleTree Hotel, and PF Chang's. Ann's experiences that led to her book, Built on Values: Creating an Enviable Culture that Outperforms the Competition. Ann's role in the People Department at Southwest Airlines, and how the Great Game was implemented at the company with the help of Jack Stack. The powerful impact of Great Game practices at Southwest and how they saved 15% in healthcare costs.  Her role as a founding executive at People Ink,  formed in 1999 to create  organizational cultures based on values and performance. Bridging the gap for women in leadership. The Great Game of Business and Millennials- a generation speaking up about what employees have wanted all along.

The For You Leaders podcast, hosted by Kirk Dando, focuses on actionable leadership and business growth insights from some of the world's best leaders. In this episode, Dando interviews the CEO of Kerbey Lane Cafe, Mason Ayer, as he explains what he's learned as the leader of a highly successful restaurant in Austin, Texas.    Sneak Peek- What's Included in the Podcast: Mason’s transformation from his law career to becoming the CEO of the family business.  How Mason chose to make this shift in his career, and the advice for those on the verge of making a significant life change.  How Kerbey Lane Cafe uses open-book management to empower employees with financial information to help meet the goals of the business. What pushed Mason to implement open-book management, and how he overcame his initial resistance to the concept.  How Mason aligns all of his employees with the company's EBITA goal. Why Kerbey Lane Cafe gives every hourly employee financial education. Challenges of transforming the business to open-book, and the impact on financials and culture.  How the company is able to thrive in an area filled with successful restaurants. What every leader can learn from the restaurant industry. The one job Mason recommends everyone have at least once in their life.

When I’m asked to explain the best way to talk with employees about company financials, I am reminded of an old axiom from Jack Stack, “Numbers are just stories about people.” And it’s true. All numbers on your financial statements have a story behind them – a story that explains how it came to be.  When you communicate numbers and the stories behind them, they take on a whole new meaning. Employees will begin to understand the “why” of what they do and how they can make a difference. Here are 7 things to help you “get to the stories behind the numbers”.

Gravitas Impact is a global coaching network that guides, challenges, and supports CEOs in their growing companies. They work with internationally-recognized thought leaders to help CEOs ignite groundbreaking insights to empower positive growth and ongoing success. This webinar hosted by Gravitas Impact President, Keith Cupp, features Jack Stack as they cover his role as a passionate leader over 35 years and concepts from the Great Game of Business.   Sneak Peek- What's Included in the Webinar: What is the Great Game of Business and why does it make a difference? What are companies afraid of when implementing The Game and what are barriers to implementation? How SRC has not only survived four recessions, but doubled in value within five years of each of these economic downturns.  What is SRC's Critical Number™? The Living Laboratory in Springfield, MO. The Great Game applied in Non-Profit organizations and international countries

Check out what drove the best of the best in open-book management to implement the Great Game as we asked companies from our 2018 All-Star Team, "Describe your Aha! moment. When did you know that the Great Game of Business was what your company needed?"  

At the 26th Annual Gathering of Games, we had the opportunity to host Gregg Stebben from ForbesBooks Radio as he interviewed participants from this year's conference. Check out his interview with Thomas Hill below!     Thomas Hill III has been involved with the family business his entire life. Kimray is a family owned and operated manufacturing company in Oklahoma City.  In his interview, Hill explains the ups and downs of taking over the family business established by his grandfather in 1948. His story, found in his book Recovering Leadership, reveals his path of running the company with a "wrong belief system", his termination and re-establishment as CEO at Kimray, and what he learned to come back as a better leader. 

If you’ve watched the movie National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, you probably remember the failed “Jelly of the Month” bonus program. Picture Clarke W. Griswold daydreaming about the pool he couldn’t afford, based on a bonus he was simply expecting to get. Did the bonus make him work harder? Did it make him feel good about his job? Feel more connected to the goals of the company? No way! The bonus was seen as an entitlement; it was not intended to motivate behavior in any way. Most bonus plans disappoint employees because they’re a mystery, they’re unpredictable and they’re never, ever enough. So what can you do?