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If you have been to a ice skating rink you have noticed the vehicle that “cleans” the ice. The technical term for that machine is an Ice Resurfacer but many people call it a “Zamboni” but that is a name brand. Ok now that we have that out of the way and now you can impress your friends by having this useless knowledge, you’re welcome. I used to drive the “Zam” as we called it at the practice facility where the Colorado Avalanche (and no not a fan) practiced in the burbs of Denver. Looking back at those days to me is equivalent to forgetting listing experiences on your resume. At the time they do not seem relevant but they are. Here are 5 life lessons I learned that were part of my time spent while driving one of the “coolest” things on the planet to drive.
Time management
Every rink has a schedule of all of the events through out the day and with having more then one rink time management is crucial. Having each Zamboni ready for each time it goes onto the ice means making sure you have water (hot) already filled into the tank. Knowing that every time you make a sheet of new ice you have depending on the schedule either 15 minutes or 10 minutes to get the ice in pristine shape. The other factor for the time management is there time in between events on both ice rinks? This means if that coming off the ice do you need to park and get to the other rink and start the process again? Time management is one of those behind the scenes like watching a concert and not seeing a costume change. Knowing the schedule is essentially your outline of knowing how much time you have in-between.
Leadership
Whenever I trained a new driver it was about leading by example. The key was that when you have to “show them the ropes” it was for me more then showing them how to drive it was about letting them learn and even make mistakes. Talking to coaches and asking them if they need additional nets or letting the referees know the game was ready for them were things I would point out to the new driver that no it is not part of the job but it is appreciated. You lead by showing people that you care and people do not know how much you care until you show them.
I’m the CEO
Have you ever heard the phrase “treat the company as if it was yours?” This is something that has changed me as both as an employee and business owner. Being at the rink early in the morning things would happen such as broken machines, people not showing up to work or teams showing up for a practice that is not on your schedule. When unexpected life events happen this is where you treat the business as if it was really yours. What needs to be done first? When I did have a team show up I looked at the ice schedule and saw that there was no conflicts and yes I let them on the ice (I did find out later I was scammed by the coach). I am not mechanically inclined so when machines break you need to figure out things like can I run my day with only one? There were many times I did and could not complain about it, just move on and make it happen.
Show up
I know common sense here but vital. Personally I truly loved being around the rink because I was not only a hockey fan (Go Hawks) but as I stated I treated it as if it was my rink. Making sure I was on time to have the facility opened, timing to have the rink lights on, locker rooms picked up and if someone forgot something could I find what they needed to play. All of these little things meant that I had to show up on time and to even be visible as well.
Confidence
When you actually watch the person driving the Zam you might notice they are constantly looking out on the ice or maybe the gages on the dashboard making sure everything is going well. There is a wheel that controls the giant blade that shaves the ice as the Zam is out there. I was able to look at the ice and see how much that needed to be cut and by adjusting the blade built my confidence because at first you (OK me) are very nervous to make adjustments to the blade. Spending more and more time driving and seeing the ice and looking for ruts or low spots built my pride up when people would say “great ice.”
I hope you enjoyed a bit of behind the scenes of an ice rink and what it takes to keep the operation going. The same for your business regardless if you work as an employee or a business owner it is can be about these 5 points I have presented to you. My hope and one take away is the 3rd point of being the CEO. Treat that job as if you own the company and can maybe make a difference in your life. I learned early on with my Zamboni career that a smile can go a long way because it was wonderful when the kids would wave to you before they were getting ready to step on the ice as the Zam was passing by them. I also learned that driving a Zamboni is yes a great conversation starter but the most important thing was just simply those times when someone would say “great ice.”
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Photo Credit: Getty Images