How Wilson Sporting Goods puts Culture First, with VP of HR Geoff Watts

Damon Klotz:

So today on the Culture First podcast, we're going to be learning about how Wilson Sporting Goods puts culture first. And in order to do that in part two of this series, we're sitting down with Jeff Watts, who's the Global Vice President of Human Resources. So firstly, Jeff, welcome to the Culture First Podcast. Hey,

Geoff Watts:

Damon, thanks so much for having me.

Damon Klotz:

So for the audience to learn a little bit about you, I've had the pleasure of getting to know you throughout this year, but I think it'll be nice for the audience to learn a little bit more about you and your role. But first, where are we speaking to you from today?

Geoff Watts:

Uh, today I am currently in Vancouver, Canada.

Damon Klotz:

Awesome. And is that where you are born or just where you are right now?

Geoff Watts:

Just where I am right now. Um, I, I go back and forth between, uh, Chicago and Vancouver, um, for, for my role.

Damon Klotz:

And then in terms of Wilson, uh, obviously a very storied company in terms of, you know, the impact it's had on the sporting industry. I would love to maybe start with the first sport that you played as a child.

Geoff Watts:

Yeah. My first, I guess, real sport growing up was, uh, was rugby, uh, through high school and university until I had a really bad knee injury that, uh, that took me out of commission and I could never go into a tackle, uh, again after, after that injury. So I've, I've moved on to other sports.

Damon Klotz:

What position did you use the play in rugby?

Geoff Watts:

I was a flanker number six. Mm.

Damon Klotz:

Yeah, A lot, a lot of knee injuries with flankers, flankers just put themself in some of the hardest positions. Uh, so that makes a lot of sense. So what have you pivoted to now, now that your dreams of, uh, you know, becoming a world class flaker? Were, were taken from you?

Geoff Watts:

You know, my, uh, my biggest sports right now are running and cycling. So I, I spent years, uh, training for marathons, um, and then ended up doing some Iron Mans. Um, and that got me into cycling. And now I'd say cycling is my, is my biggest sport, um, that I, that I absolutely love.

Damon Klotz:

And then I guess from a a team's perspective, this one can always be a bit triggering, and I don't wanna lose, uh, too many listeners too early. But in terms of the sporting teams that you currently, uh, support, who means the most to you?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, so it's actually not a team Damon. It's, uh, it's, it's more certain athletes. So my favorite sport to watch right now is cycling. And, uh, there's some current young riders, I dunno if you know them, but, um, Matthew Vanderpool, uh, today Kar and, uh, well, art, they're just so impressive right now. They're passion, excitement, skills are just on display every single race. They're just going for it and having fun and, uh, watching them raise has been just like so dynamic recently.

Damon Klotz:

I will have to admit that none of those names meant anything to me because I have absolutely no idea about cycling, but I trust that they are all incredible athletes and definitely real people. Now, if we go back to, I guess Wilson, do you remember what your first Wilson product was?

Geoff Watts:

I do. And it was special because growing up, actually, I had a lot of used sporting, um, equipment and, um, I distinctly remember getting a Wilson Baseball glove and, uh, it was black with the w and i, I distinctly remember breaking it in with my dad and it taking like forever just to, to break it in. Um, but I, I think it's probably still in my mom's garage, . Um, but yeah, that was not as my first Wilson product.

Damon Klotz:

Wow. So I guess you, that's a really visceral brand experience to think about, like, you know, a relationship with a parent and the fact that there's something about sporting items that aren't ready to go straight away that kind of make them more, uh, important. I remember my first cricket bat growing up in Australia, and you have to, when you get a really good bat, you have to, um, do this process called knocking it in where you get like a, basically a leather cricket ball on the end of a stick and you have to just tap it for like several weeks until the bat's actually ready to be used. So I was like, uh, I dunno, I've got a very different relationship with that cricket bat that I had to do that with for the very first time. So something about those early childhood memories and us maybe having that delayed gratification.

Geoff Watts:

Yeah. Yeah. I, I remember my dad's glove because it was like really broken in and like, I preferred his glove because it was like actually like soft and flexible and, and useful, uh, compared to, uh, you know, my, my glove, but eventually got worn in

Damon Klotz:

All right, fits like a Wilson Glove. There we go with our first little tagline for the day. So now let, let's imagine that you are in, uh, Vancouver, Canada right now, and, uh, tomorrow a very curious 10 year old walks up to you and says, Excuse me, I see that you're wearing a Wilson shirt. Do you work for them? And if you do, what do you actually do there? How do you answer?

Geoff Watts:

You know, I, I actually do get that, that question, and I guess that the easiest way that I boil it down to is really that my job is to enable and empower people to do incredible work. Um, and I can leave it at that for probably people that are under 10 and then if, uh, if someone's like, Oh, what, what do you really mean? And, um, really it's, you know, there's a few concepts in there. One is friction, so like, as little friction as necessary to get the job done is, uh, is something I think about all the time. Um, and then I also think a lot about focusing all of the individual efforts of our people towards a common goal. And that being something I'm really accountable for. Um, and, and really the, the end goal there is excellent business results and, and very happy and engaged people.

Damon Klotz:

I definitely think we would split that into, there was the 10, the 10 year old who is like, I think I understand at the start. And then there's like the curious, maybe like college student who got the, like, more business business answer. So, uh, we always have to know our audience, but I would love to go a little bit deeper in, in your career as a HR professional, I'm the sort of person who has taken a few different kind of concepts that I've learned and bounced around in different industries and tried different things. But, you know, you've been a HR leader at some incredible retail companies, so just to name some of them, Lululemon, Arch, Arteris, uh, and now Wilson, what is it about leading the HR function in a retail organization that is really, you know, kept you there? What makes it unique or different compared to maybe other industries?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, you know, I, I wouldn't necessarily say that it's different from, from other industries. Uh, per se I'd say that all business is people. Um, and, um, you know, I I, I'd say in this function, people that do it really well, I think are are great at just really relentlessly attempting to figure out, uh, what people are great at, uh, and let and what they love to do. And then really finding, uh, and helping them to do more of that. Um, it's this puzzle that it's constantly in motion and evolving and, uh, I think a, an HR leader's job is to create an environment where it's safe to have conversations about what people want to do, and then really finding a way to, to, to enable them to do more of that. Um, I, I find that really rewarding.

Damon Klotz:

Is there something about, uh, having a, I guess working at brands that have these real, real products that you get to feel and experience that I guess makes it, I guess a more, uh, interesting way of it, I guess, you know, trying to bring that brand to life. Like, we talk a lot about brand being a promise to a customer and cultures how you deliver on it. Have you found something unique about working at these companies where you can literally wear the brand on your shirt?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, so I, I can't really imagine, I guess working at a company whose product I wasn't incredibly proud of. Um, there's, there's something about, you know, you're absolutely right, like working for, for a company that is just relentlessly making like the very best, um, product. And, um, and we, you know, we, we see that in, you know, when we ask people, you know, why they love working at Wilson, you know, the, the scores on being proud of here because of the product are off the charts. Um, so it definitely, it definitely is important.

Damon Klotz:

I'd love to maybe, uh, use that as a segue for, um, you know, part one of this series where we're sort of learning more about the history of Wilson and some of the current initiatives. You know, we spoke to, uh, Wilson's ceo, uh, Joe Duty, and I'd love to maybe hear, um, from you first about like, how did you feel listening to Joe talk about how he thinks about putting culture first? And I asked that because I think a lot of HR leaders would love to work under a CEO who can like, speak the language of culture first and deeply believes in it. So maybe from more of like a feelings perspective, how did it feel just to listen to that?

Geoff Watts:

You know, it's, um, it's something I hear often Damon because, you know, uh, in, in listening to the recording, that's how Joe is all the time. Um, he's, he's always putting people first and, um, you know, what really sets him apart is, is his ability to listen to people, to really take on board what they have to say, make them feel safe enough to have that conversation, and then really following through, um, with what their needs are, you know, and, and figuring out what they like, what they don't like, and, and doing everything we can to try to make it better. And, you know, having a leader like him, you know, uh, in those conversations is so empowering for me. Um, it, it makes my life a lot easier.

Damon Klotz:

And I guess for you, in your own leadership style, what have you personally learned from him?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, Joe's personal commitment to, I guess hear this directly from team members is, uh, I'd say what really sets 'em apart, you know, he wants to hear it creates that safe place for people to share it. Um, for me, this is Joe really leaning into our value, what one of our values at, at Wilson is no outsiders. And, um, you know, in that he's constantly seeking out diverse voices and welcoming their perspective into the conversation. Um, and that makes us, um, better for it.

Damon Klotz:

So I think outside of having a CEO who really gets culture first, I think the other, um, thing that people would really love is to be able to, uh, partner with the C-Suite and in particular the CEO about, I guess the culture first strategy, your people strategy. So like, what does that relationship look like, you know, between yourself and Joe when it comes to actually like driving people initiatives at Wilson?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah. Game, it's a great question. I'd say coming up with the strategies completely meaningless unless you can execute it. And Joe's been crucial in helping to execute our plans. Some people might think that someone that's been at the company for 25 years, like he has, uh, is, is inflexible or set in their ways. Uh, Joe, you know, frankly is the polar opposite of this. He's an excellent example of someone with a growth mindset. Um, so with his, you know, deep history with the company, the trust that he's established across the team and real, the the deep sense of credibility that he has, he, he has a unique ability to build momentum quickly when we're trying to go through change. Um, and this has really helped to put our people strategy into action quickly.

Damon Klotz:

And then I guess one of the other pieces, um, as we kind of just touch on this sort of relationship at this level is around, you know, now that you've got those initiatives, now that you've got some of those values that you mentioned, it's about helping those managers and the employees turn values into behaviors. So I'd love to maybe, um, sort of, I know Joe spoke about that, but I'd love to hear from you, like, why is that so important and how do you make that true?

Geoff Watts:

It's so crucial that team members are kind of seeing, hearing and feeling our values and behaviors on a day to day basis. And if, if they aren't, then, you know, I'd say your, your values and your behaviors don't exist at the organization. So it really is, you know, it's, it's up to us to create the foundation for, um, these values, these behaviors to, um, be lived on a day to day basis, um, to be rewarded. And employees need to see that every day in order for them to feel able and safe enough to, you know, sometimes stretch themselves and, and make a decision that maybe isn't the easiest decision. Uh, but because they see people practicing our, our values and living our values, it makes it easier for them to make a crucial decision.

Damon Klotz:

I'd love to change, uh, sort of gears now, and I guess I think it's really important to define some of the big concepts that we kind of hear in the people and cultural space, just to understand how certain companies really think about it. So obviously one of the biggest terms that we hear a lot about is employee experience. So, you know, I, you know, culture, you know, physicians itself as an employee experience platform, we like to help companies better understand and measure employee experience. But I'd love to maybe hear straight from you, you know, what does the term employee experience actually mean for Wilson?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, so we, we, um, first off, we, we look at employee experience really through an empathetic lens. I need to give some credit actually. There's, uh, there's, uh, someone I've worked with for, for years, Uh, he works at a consulting company, he's a president there, uh, Steven Fitzgerald at Habanero. Um, he really instilled this. Oh, you okay. Yeah, yeah.

Geoff Watts:

And, uh, he instilled this concept in so many different layers of work that we've, we've worked on. All right, So it's, it's actually embedded in my, my thinking, um, all the time. So I'm always constantly thinking, you know, what are people seeing? What are, what are they hearing? What are they experiencing, What are they feeling? And I'm asking myself this question over and over, and it's really simple. It's, you know, what do you want your people to see? What do you want them to hear? What do you want their experience to be? How do you want them to feel? And how can you generate that at scale across a global organization that has manufacturing and distribution and retail and office based team members? Um, and then if I think about like, employee experience, like what are we actually trying to create? What are we trying to do in, in simplistic language, I go back to kind of my description of my role, and it's really to remove unnecessary friction from their day to day to help them to do their work easier, to make the world's best products and, um, and achieve our vision, which is, you know, creating a better world through sport.

Damon Klotz:

So, you might not know this, but, uh, Steven and Ha era was one of cultures first ever partners, and they've been like a customer of ours for several years. And yeah, like, I think they really helped us get connected to some of the different brands and organizations operating outta Canada. But I think more from a, a mindset and a philosophical perspective, I think they were just a company that really understood what we were trying to do from the idea of putting culture first and then creating software to help companies measure that. So it's just really amazing to kind of hear like how that work impacted you and how it had such a foundational, like, I guess, um, been such a foundational part of how you think about employee experience.

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, so Steven actually introduced me to Didier many years ago when I was with Arteris. And, and that's what led to, you know, um, Culture Amp coming into our arteris and really led me to, you know, love the platform, you know, really love what you guys are up to and really making a difference in the world. And, um, so that's what led me to bring, you know, Culture Amp into Wilson. So it's all, it's all thanks to Steven.

Damon Klotz:

Big shout to Steven, if you're listening, you're getting a lot of love today on the Culture First podcast, . So I guess one of the biggest challenges for large multinational organizations is creating a unified sense of meaning, a culture of belonging and connecting around a shared purpose. And you are doing some really exciting work in regards to storytelling and producing internal content to help with that. So can you share with the audience, I guess, how you're actually producing that, and what is some of the content that you're sharing internally with Wilson employees?

Geoff Watts:

Thank you for saying that. It's, it's nice to, it's nice to hear, uh, you say that. Um, I appreciate that. First off, I'd say it's a really a testament to the work of many of our team members at Wilson who really take it upon themselves to create our culture each day that they want to be part of. I, I'd say the, the very first step is, um, is to ensure your foundation is solid. Um, when everyone believes in the reason that you exist, which we look at as our purpose, um, when they believe in where you're going, which is our vision, and, uh, and they believe in, in, in how we work, when we're doing our best work, which we look at as our values and behaviors, uh, then it becomes very, very clear, um, where to go and what decisions to make through all that, that, um, I'd say communication is, is the absolute crucial ingredient. We have a global workforce. Um, so it's so important to be sharing intentionally with them on a real regular basis, um, from, from high level strategy to individual people stories. We're really constantly curating content to share out these stories, to really help with context and to celebrate the incredible achievements of our, of our people.

Damon Klotz:

I'd love to maybe double click on that a little bit because I think that's one of the challenges that organizations try face when it comes to internal storytelling is that you need to create stories that impact a company as a whole. So really get, like that everyone needs to know about, you know, strategy, mission, vision, values, but then you also need to hit them at a more personal and individual employee level. It's like, me as a manufacturing manager in this part of the organization and this part of the world, sees myself in this story. I understand how this matters. So I'd love to maybe hear like, what are some of the examples, or I know you've got, you know, w magazine and other internal mechanisms to do this. How do you balance that need to make sure people understand where you are going and still very feel very connected at that individual level?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, I'd say, um, it kind of comes back to, um, our, our empathetic approach. And it's important that people see themselves in the stories that we're sharing. So the way we actually look at this is we kind of have a, a matrix of, we have about 1400 employees around the world, and, uh, every story that we're sharing is kind of checking a number of boxes. So, you know, is this, is this employee, um, you know, based at our manufacturing location, you know, how long have they been here? You know, what's their perspective on, on things? And, you know, you're, you're checking some, some boxes, you know, uh, you're checking some boxes on, you know, is this reinforcing what strategy? Um, and then so for each story that you're doing, you're really thinking about the representation of the different ideas and perspectives, um, from around the world. Um, and then you're constantly zooming out to make sure that you're, um, telling the right stories in a representative way, uh, to move the whole organization, uh, forward. Um, and it's constantly shifting. It's constantly imperfect. Um, but we have found it to be a great way of, you know, trying to make sure that, you know, our diverse voices at Wilson are, are heard on a regular basis.

Damon Klotz:

I, I just love this topic of, I guess, making culture something that's real and tangible for employees inside of the company. And, you know, I think storytelling is one of the best ways of actually doing that. So I'm just always fascinated by what different, I guess, tools or strategies companies are using when it comes to storytelling. And I think one of the reasons that we do spend a lot of time making sure that employees do feel like that, you know, their communication is, you know, is actually reaching them and impacting them, is that we don't just want them to be a culture consumer. We actually want them to take that story and feel like they can go do something with it. And, you know, going from a culture consumer into a culture creator. And I think that's why the stories need to be personable. They need to hit, and then where they also need to be action based so that people are like, Okay, I understand this. Yep, I, I felt it, and I can go do something with it, which I think is where that power is. So I'd love to know, like, what role do you want employees to play to feel empowered to create the culture that they want to be part of?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, you know, Joe, Joe spoke about this in your, in your talk as well, um, around, you know, there being, you know, kind of a spectrum of, um, perhaps people that can, you know, come in and consume culture. So, you know, they, they expect culture to be created for them. However, you know, we, we have a group of, uh, team members, you know, all of our team members that feel accountable and responsible for creating the culture that they want to be part of every single day. Um, and, um, I, I would really say that that's, that really sets us apart. Um, it's not someone else's responsibility to create the culture. It's, it's, it's each and every person's, you know, you need to start with that right from right from the beginning of, you know, hiring, hiring people that feel that deep sense of responsibility to create the culture, and then you need to make it okay for them to create the culture. So you need, you need tools, you need trainings, you need to be constantly assessing whether or not people feel safe enough to, you know, create the culture and speak up. But, um, I, I would say that that is, um, that is Definit definitely a differentiating characteristic within Wilson

Damon Klotz:

In many ways, a strong culture first strategy that details expected behaviors and clear goals can help employees make more effective decisions about their work. And I think, uh, decision making at its core is something that sounds really simple, but like, at the actual reality level of how decisions get made, it is one of the most complex part of how organizations actually operate. So how does Wilson create a culture where employees know how to say no and have the capacity to focus on the big goals that is really gonna drive success for Wilson?

Geoff Watts:

That's such a big question, Damon. Um, I, I'd say there's kind of many layers to it. Um, first up, I'd say it's crucial to have a long term plan. You know, where where are you headed as a, as an organization in the next few years? You know, what are the big choices? What are those big investments? Uh, then it's critical to create understanding and focus on what's important today. Um, so at Wilson, we do this by establishing what we call our must win battles, uh, each year. And very simplistic, this is, you know, two to three objectives that must be true at the end of the year for us to succeed. Um, so we get really clear on that. Um, then, you know, what we, what we did this past year, which worked really well, is each of our leaders recorded a three minute video, uh, to reinforce what's important in their function in their region or in their channel, uh, to win this created clarity and context cross-functionally, uh, for what's actually important.

Geoff Watts:

Um, so it didn't just serve to reinforce with that team what's important. It reinforced, um, what's important with those team members, partners, um, which is, which is almost more important. The third thing that I think is, you know, crucial to do is you gotta resource the plan. Uh, you need to ensure that you're focusing your resources towards the opportunities and towards the choices. I'd say those are the crucial leadership behaviors that set the, set the stage for, uh, future success. Then really, it's, it's, it's so important that that managers work with their team members, uh, to clarify their, um, individual priorities. Uh, and this is a constant process. It's not, it doesn't happen once, it's, it's all the time. And those priorities will continue to evolve. And the key characteristic here, or, you know, behavior or feeling is that people need to feel safe enough to talk about their priorities, to ask questions, to re-clarify when constraints arise, that may prevent something from getting done. So I'd say that's the, uh, you know, it's a, it's a multi-layered, um, uh, process, but really it's, you know, clarity of direction, you know, clarity of focus for, for this year, right. And then, you know, uh, people feeling safe enough to re-clarify their personal priorities, um, to, to get done what, what must get done this year.

Damon Klotz:

And I'm assuming the term must win battles is just something that you would hear at every level of the organization. Is, is that right?

Geoff Watts:

Yes. And you know, it might, it might be a corny expression, um, but it, it, it works well for us, you know, just, just thinking about, you know, what are we really taking on and what are we gonna, what are we gonna make sure is, is true at the end of the year? And, um, that, that language and and perspective seems to work really well, uh, with our team.

Damon Klotz:

Shared language is so critical, like you need to say it so often that the person who said it the first time gets like literally physically sick at the idea of saying that. And only then is that sometimes the first time that someone hears it, and I think people remember stories. So if you create this language around something that is maybe, yeah, a little bit corny or on the nose, but like at the end of the day, you're also a sporting re you know, company, right? So like, I must win battle. Like I know for me, if I'm playing tennis against my brother, I know when I'm in a must win rally, I'm like, this is a big one. This is like, get your focus. Like, and other times, whole games have gone past where I've not been focused and I haven't been in the zone, and I've just let an entire game go. Um, so I think, you know, people need to, one, hear the language consistently, two, know that they have the power to do something with it, and three, actually feel in the moment that it's applicable to their role so that they know that they, you know, it's up to them to actually action it. Mm.

Geoff Watts:

I'd also add, like, one, one amazing thing actually brought on from the pandemic, um, and, you know, working remotely was that we, we zoomed out to think about, you know, how do we share what we need to get up to across the organization? And I think like many organizations, this led us to create, you know, videos, um, and videos that we, you know, translate, you know, to different languages around the world. Um, and if I, if I think about years ago in, in, in what we did, we, we didn't, we didn't do anything like that. It was, you know, communications perhaps that were, you know, quite focused to, you know, office based headquarters employees. Um, and so, you know, people around the world were missing the critical context and understanding about what was important. Um, and I don't, I don't know if I ever realized that, um, until, and, and this is, this is a, a real shame until our, our headquarter staff was not in the office, and it was crucial to ensure they had the necessary information, um, you know, that, that led us to, to do this, um, that now is like, wow, like we should have been doing this forever.

Geoff Watts:

Um, so it's a, you know, it's a, it's a hard, hard lesson to learn, but definitely something I'll, I'll take with me forever.

Damon Klotz:

I've worked in, uh, industries in the past where there's definitely been cultures of like HQ versus everyone else, and, you know, the, everyone else is the ones who would actually be like delivering the services, right? So it's like, if you think about the healthcare industry, you know, there's like hq, which is like running the business of healthcare, then you've got like your nurses and your doctors and your ward staff and your cleaners and everyone else is actually delivering the service. And I think, you know, rightly or wrongly, for a long time, a lot of culture wasn't delivered equally. It was kind of delivered through headquarters and then unequally distributed to different locations hoping that messages made it. And I think what the pandemic forced a lot of companies to do is go, All right, if everyone has the same access to this company through virtual technology, what is the culture that we wanna deliver?

Damon Klotz:

How do we actually ensure that messages make it to everyone? How do we contextualize this to what people are going through? That's why I think, you know, um, there is obviously so much pain that the world has experienced over the last few years, but certainly one of the silver linings has been the way that company culture has had to change to make sure that it actually does reach everyone, Which I think maybe brings me to this, this next point about culture at Wilson. Um, and you know, it sounds like maybe that the pandemic was gonna help you with this because, you know, you are launching this a brand new initiative with retail stores. And I think what you was talking about when you were talking about, you know, the culture being more equally distributed and using technology, um, you know, sounds like that's probably gonna help you now with this brand new initiative where you're gonna have people out there actually in a Wilson store for the first time. So how are you thinking about making sure that the culture of Wilson comes out in those physical stores compared to the past where you were more so just distributing products?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, we're, first off, we're, we're so excited to be opening retail and, and to be connecting with our athletes directly. Um, there's been so many great, great conversations that have been had as a result of, of that. Um, before we opened our very first store, um, we had some kind of planning conversations around, you know, thinking about how, how are we really gonna show up at retail? We took a real intentional approach to thinking about our athlete advisors, which is, you know, our, our, our frontline retail employees. And, um, we, we, we landed on this notion of the advisor is the most important role at Wilson. You know, this is, this is the person that is interacting directly with the people that are buying, buying our product. This is the person that can, you know, receive feedback about our product directly and, and pass it along the way.

Geoff Watts:

And this led to a number of, you know, really, you know, crucial decisions. You know, very, very simple, you know, we're gonna pay top of market, you know, for, for this role. We are going to make sure we are able to, you know, hire the very best, uh, within this position. It also had to do with, um, you know, thinking about valuing their time. I, I, I, I'd say a lot of, um, uh, a lot of organizations think about retail and think about retail employees as their time not being, you know, particularly valuable. Um, versus like our, our real approach here is like every single hour that that person, you know, isn't equipped, uh, to do their very best work to educate, um, our, our athletes that are coming in is time wasted. Um, and so we, we really value the time of, of our athlete advisors.

Geoff Watts:

Um, and, um, you know, to start with this, uh, notion when we're opening our very first retail store, I'll tell you, it generated a lot of conversation inside the, the company because there's lots of other really important roles, uh, within the organization. Um, and this isn't taking anything away from, from those roles. This is really, you know, um, putting that person that's interacting directly with our, our athletes in, in the, in the front seat. And, um, we got, you know, great alignment on that. And, and, um, every time that we're in the conversation to, um, explain it, people absolutely, uh, get the, get the notion of what we're trying to create.

Damon Klotz:

I think what's really special about that is, you know, when you described your first Wilson product and the impact it had on you and how, like, you know, visceral that memory is the fact that you now have, you know, athlete advisors, they're helping people actually like, have that first moment saying like, Hey, like, this is the right product for you. This is what you should use. This is how long it's gonna take. Like this is the expectation. And be able to share some of the stories like, hey, like imagine a young girl walks in and gets her first NFL ball and someone's like, you know, every single touchdown in the history of the NFL was trying with this ball. And like, this is the first one that like, you are owning. Like, I hope this means something to you. Like that is a core memory. Like that is a brand coming to life. And the fact that you can have these people who can actually be part of that story, I think is just so powerful, which is why I'm really excited about the direction that Wilson's heading.

Geoff Watts:

Yeah. And, and to think, you know, we are, we opened our first retails store 108 years into our, you know, journey as a brand, right? Yeah. Um, and, uh, so yeah, our, our, our, our future is bright. We're, we're really excited about where, where this, uh, where this can go. Um, and, um, you know, the impact we can have on, on, on our athletes,

Damon Klotz:

As you mentioned, Wilson has been around for over a hundred years, and that is a long time to be taking employees on that journey. Obviously many people have worked for Wilson over the years, so I'd love to maybe hear, you know, being such a story brand, how do you take employees from every level, whether it's their first job, all the way down to someone who's been at the company for 20 years. How do you take employees on that journey with you?

Geoff Watts:

Yeah, Damon, I, um, I heard a great Bill, Bill Gates quote the other day. Um, he talked about his decision to partner with Paul Allen and, uh, and Steve Baller as the very best decision of his life. And, uh, when I think about that, it, it really comes back to, you know, first you need to hire incredible people. You know, this is the crucial first thing. Um, and then I'd say like, the second thing is you need to instill, you know, within your, within your culture this, um, this idea and concept that development is a personal responsibility. And you know, this, this comes from hiring people with a growth mindset that not only want to learn, but they, they need to learn. So it's, I'd say those, those two ingredients are, are what, say set the stage for scaling in the future.

Damon Klotz:

Yeah, I, I think a lot about how single decisions change the rest of our life and how, um, you know, and you know, we spoke earlier about the decision making frameworks at Wilson and how to say focused on making good decisions and how to like, sort of block out distractions or external noise. And, um, you know, and I think a, you need to know how to strike that balance of having that, like that focus and that curiosity and how to hold those two things at the same time. You know, being curious about what does the future of this company look like? How do we do things differently with the relentless focus on what's required now to win? And I think, uh, every employee struggles with that, you know, knowing how to let the new come in and how to focus on development and growth and knowing what you know and unlearning things that don't serve you anymore with that balance of focus. So I think that's why it's so critical for companies to help employees as much as possible structurally with that and hiring great people who just at their core know that that's what's important to them.

Geoff Watts:

I, it, as you were, as you were talking there, Damon, it made me think of my, my very first HR lesson, and it's not really HR lesson, it was a business lesson. Um, and, um, in my, in my very first HR job, all I wanted to work on was strategy. And I was like failing miserably as an HR coordinator, cuz all I wanted to do was what wasn't my responsibility. And, uh, it took the, the VP of HR sitting me down going like, You're actually failing at what you're accountable for. And he used the analogy of, you need to own what's in your sandbox, and then your sandbox will get bigger. And that has stuck with me forever, um, around making sure that I'm controlling, um, and making sure that I'm doing what needs to be done today, uh, to be successful. And then I can do something, something else is at the stage for tomorrow.

Damon Klotz:

Yeah, it's like a, the analogy I sort of think about is like, you know, scaffolding and then building structure, then scaffolding, then building structure. If you're always trying to build something without the, like, the scaffolding of the foundation of your work and your role, then before you know it, you're up very high and you're trying to do all these things and you don't have any solid foundation to come back to. So it's like, what is the deepest need right now of like, what, what is his current, you know, role? And I think that that's what's been so interesting about working over the last few years is that the environment has changed so much that like the deepest need of our role and that scaffolding was changing so much. So we're all like, all right at its call, what are we, what are we trying to do right now?

Damon Klotz:

You know, make sure employees are safe, make sure our employees are connected, make sure that employees feel that they have everything at, at their disposal to work. Then what do we build upon? And then what do we go from? And I think those early career stories really stay with us. And, you know, that was a great learning opportunity for you. Maybe a, a different leader would've just said, You know what, Jeff's all over the shop. Like, let's just get rid of him. I need someone to come in here and just do the spreadsheet. And that would've been a huge missed opportunity for you, right?

Geoff Watts:

Oh, it was, it was an absolute game change, um, for me. And, um, it really has instilled a sense of, you know, disciplined action in my career.

Damon Klotz:

So when I was wrapping up in part one with Joe, I basically, I had to ask this question about the impact of Wilson, the volleyball from Castaway on the company, and just like the answer, like, I was like so excited to ask the question and the answer definitely like, went above and beyond what I thought I was gonna get in terms of that. But if you're wondering, what did he say? You're gonna have to go to the back and listen if you haven't. But I'd love to know for you, what has been, I guess, your most proud moment in the company, Whether it's something internally, whether it's something to do with a Wilson product being used in the market or used at a sporting event, or having a Wilson athlete win something, and what that meant for you and your team. Is there, is there a standout memory during your time?

Geoff Watts:

I'd say it's the number of memories, Damon. It's, um, you turn on the TV to any sporting event that's happening, you know, whether it's the, you know, nba, you know, the nfl, um, you like a, you know, Wimble in or right now the, the US Open. And, um, seeing our product in the hand of the world's best athletes, like, mean something. So yeah, it's the, it's the sheer, you know, volume of those moments across, across our sports, um, and, uh, you know, the world's best athletes, you know, using our product is, is, is inspiring.

Damon Klotz:

Well, I know it's inspiring for us here at Culture Amp as well. When I was, uh, working with some of the internal teams about bringing these stories together, there was meant, uh, several Culture Amp employees who said, I've loved the products for a long time. I love it even more, knowing how much they care about putting culture first and how intentional they are about what, what they're doing. So I know we feel it here at Culture Amp as well.