November 10, 2020

Be in the Moment with Joel Manby, Ep #6

18 minutes

Author Joel Manby is the former CEO of SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment and also former CEO of Herschend Family Entertainment, which manages such brands as the Harlem Globetrotters and Dollywood. He has also spent time in the automobile industry. This second part of our interview takes a look at how things took off for Joel while at the same time, things seemed to fall apart. You will want to listen as Joel gives us great advice on how to balance success in the workplace with success at home!

Highlights from this episode

One of the keys to finding a work/life balance. [4:00]
Three key pieces of advice Joel loves to share on podcasts. [11:38]
The 7 words that define love, the verb. [13:16]
How you can get Joel's three-part series on how to lead through crisis. [16:42]

Be the role you are in

While with Herschend, Joel still traveled quite a bit but was managing to keep it within reason. Being happy with his work helped with his family life as well. He said that while he felt he had a good balance at the time, he was still always "on" for work. What this experience ultimately taught him was to BE the role you are in, in that particular moment. To enjoy the moment you're in because, in a flash, those moments are gone. In those moments, you are building and depositing into your relationships. When that five o'clock whistle blows, you really are investing in your family and kids.

"There is always an excuse, but be the role you are in — physically — in the moment." - Joel Manby

Hitting rock bottom and learning from there

SeaWorld recruited Joel after thirteen years at Herschend. Being the CEO of a publicly-held company had always been on his bucket list. SeaWorld was going through a period of negative publicity due to the Blackfish movie coming out earlier that year. He took the position with them to help turn this negative image around. Within ninety days, he had a ten-point plan and things took off! Some board dynamics changed about halfway through this process and Joel says this is when things started falling apart. He said this is the point the situation became untenable.

Joel was under a lot of stress to perform during this time. He was working long days. He was not maintaining his relationships at home nor taking care of himself. He ended up divorcing in 2017 and resigning from SeaWorld the next year. Joel said that for him to lose the identity of his job and his 31-year marriage was definitely the worst part of his life. It was a wake-up call for him to realize he had not "put the love in the right order." He said he went through a lot of darkness, but there is a happy ending — listen in to learn how he turned it all around!

Where the magic is

Many companies define their values but what they don't do very often is define the processes behind them. You have to measure things — they have to be reviewed just like financial statements. People have to be incentivized. Joel says those process points — defining, reinforcing, promoting those values — are where the magic is. That is what he likes to help others do.

Love Works challenges you to think differently. The word "love" is often misunderstood in the context of business, When you describe it as "love, the verb" and apply the ideas of patience and kindness, plus the other five principles of the book, you begin seeing results. Joel's book is a great inspiration for leaders to take these principles into the workplace. Listen to the episode to hear all seven principles and learn where to buy Joel's book!

Resources & People Mentioned