What I Found in the Gutter
This is my design sketch for the Gutter Ball table I built in Kelowna
Years ago there was a game I loved to play – it’s called Gutter Ball; I’d be surprised if you’ve heard of it. The object is simple: two players stand on either end of a 12ft. trough-shaped table, sort of like a shuffleboard table, and they exchange a cue ball in hopes of knocking all three of their opponents stationary billiard balls into their gutter. Believe it or not, I learned an invaluable lesson while playing Gutter Ball that I still draw upon now that I’m an entrepreneur:
Time spent face-to-face with clients or prospects should be less about work and more about making a connection.
A Gutter Ball session was an important part of my work as as a youth pastor (that feels like a lifetime ago, 1996-2002). The times I spent whipping cue balls back and fourth presented an amazing opportunity to laugh with, listen to, and encourage those I played. Both the teens I worked with and the volunteers who so graciously gave their time were not opponents but were in fact visitors “in my office”. My goal was not to win but to make a connection. When playing Gutter Ball I wanted to make sure they knew I was there for them. If there was something specific I wanted to discuss I’d bring it up between rounds but would keep the game moving, letting the conversation happen naturally. By focusing on this silly game we had just the right amount of distraction and opportunity to have a meaningful time together – and that was more valuable than any meeting, phone call, email exchange, or whatever.
Years later I still use activities to build relationships and it’s become an important part of the growth of my business.
Whether it’s time spent with collaborators, clients or prospects, I prefer to spend face-time as relationally as possible. Walking, hiking, going for lunch, hitting multiple cafes (this is my default), playing billiards, darts, or watching a hockey game. It’s amazing how much business can get done without actually working. The details, deliverables, and the finer points of a work effort can be dealt with online later. By bringing up key issues or questions during an activity you can actually get to the heart of the things that matter without the clutter of tasks. If there’s nothing pressing to discuss then you can let your minds wander out loud and you can exchange ideas without having to be creative on demand.
By focusing on your relationship instead of work you’re creating new memories and building rapport. You can’t do that in a concall or in a boardroom. You certainly can’t do it with an open laptop or with a clipboard in your hands. When you have fun with the people you work with, or for, you build trust – a precious attribute of a great working relationship. I’m finding that the more trust I build the more successful we are together.
I need to take a moment to send a shout out to my friends who where very much a part of this Gutter Ball era as our talks, banter, sarcasm, and competitiveness have left a deep, and meaningful impression on me: Eric, Brian, Rick, and Daniel. You guys mean the world to me. And for the record, I don’t remember our Gutter Ball scores but I do remember schooling you in S.W.E.A.T (a made-up game involving a pool table, two balls, a first-aid kit, and a bucket of drywall mud). Game on boys.
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Took me a second to remember Gutter Ball and S.W.E.A.T. Good times, good times. Ever planning on mass marketing Gutter Ball?