Easier said than done, right?
I have always been told that "One resounding way to know how well you manage is to see how the park functions when you're away." Well, while those sentiments may be true in many ways, they don't ALWAYS ring true.
The truth is, you can train your Managers and Shift Leaders to perfection (And I mean to know what will happen and what could happen, and inevitably the Universe will throw you a Curve Ball!) You will have prepped the staff with an extra floater per shift, written out a detailed map for what groups and parties are coming, when and how best to handle them and you even make a "Standard Operating Procedures Manual" with every hiccup your business has seen in the last 10 years and how to solve it... and THEN the Universe let's a blizzard hit Charleston, SC (Not really, but that's what it feels like...)
So how do we enjoy Vacation? The easy answer is, I don't really know... BUT, I will tell you how I deal with it...
1) Be prepared! No Manager, Owner or Consultant can be upset with you (for good reason at least) if you are as prepared as anyone possibly can be. Prepare for anything and everything you can think of and rely on the strong management team you have trained to do what they can to hold everything together until you return. And know that the company isn't going to die after 1 or 2 weeks (But 3 might be pushing it :-) )
2) Empower your Team! Empowerment will save you a lot of trouble in the long run! If your managers feel comfortable taking care of the day to day workings of the park, they will manage the ship much better when you're away. (And if you are a kind, understanding and well respected manager - they will WANT to keep the facility pristine for your return because they will want you to come back from a relaxing vacation to roses and candy - not destruction and turmoil.)
3) Remember: Most of the things that arise are not going to decimate the business... Your ICEE machines randomly fails... not the end of the world... Your Dippin Dots cooler goes out and you lose all of the product... That stinks, but it's not the end all, be all... Your Fire Marshall comes and gets upset about a sprinkler head problem... He will wait for you to return... (Ours does at least...)
4) Encourage the Owner to stop in more often - It's great to have an Owner who all of the employees know, but who isn't there everyday for one very good reason... when they arrive on the scene, everyone stiffens up and stays on task. "The owner's here!" They whisper to one another as they clean their stations and tidy up the floors and bathrooms... That kind of owner should come in a few extra times while you're gone... It will help :-)
5) Lastly, leave an encouraging letter or email for your managers reminding them of what you'd like to see and what you'd like to have done before you return. This isn't a to-do list that you fire someone over, but a way to remind them that you aren't just gone, but you're expecting something to be different when you return. Maybe you want to see that change in Redemption you've been waiting on, or the benches out front that need to be mended. Maybe its the cleaning check lists that need to be updated or the Jump Castles need to be detail cleaned... These are easy, but they tell you things were getting done while you were away... And as the proverb says, "The attention of the worker bee is heightened by how hard he works..."
Brian Lee
A Manager who's about to go on Vacation...
