Case Study - Strike

Strike was established in 2002 and has since opened 10 Strike Bowling Bars across Australia. Whether it is socialising at the bar with friends, a quick game of pool, a karaoke function or a bowl with mates, Strike offers an experience like no other.

The Challenge

To transform great managers into great Strike leaders.

Strike Bowling is a young company, with 10 entertainment venues across Australia. It places a great importance on the experience of staff and customers alike, and it is this combination that drives the company’s ongoing expansion.

Strike Bowling has a culture that inspires high commitment from its staff, and wanted to provide its teams with the opportunity for ongoing professional development. Previously staff would reach management positions with a great understanding of their operational duties, but often lacked structured training to transform them into great leaders. Strike Bowling wanted to establish a framework that supported leadership development for managerial staff, while keeping true to the existing culture and brand that has made it successful.

With extensive experience in the hospitality industry, i perform designed and facilitated a unique leadership training program that met the challenges Strike Bowling had identified.

The Approach

Collaborating to define Strike Bowling leadership and skills development to create brand value.

i perform worked in close consultation with the Human Resources and Operational Manager to ensure that the company vision was kept central to the training program. i perform’s experience training Generation Y in similar companies, meant that the delivery could be tailored to the strengths and working approach of this dynamic audience.

A conference day launched the Strike Leadership program where, as a company, an agreement on brand values formed the foundations of the leadership program stages. This provided an opportunity for Strike managers across Australia to take ownership of the training content and see the company grow collaboratively. The leadership program comprised of four key components: brand-based leadership, communication, team development and performance management. These were delivered in a modular format to enable staff to internalise, act on and review the effectiveness of key skills, learnt from each module.

The Outcome

A common leadership culture has been developed, with measureable impact on the bottom line.

The i perform program had an immediate and positive effect on the culture of leadership. Engagement levels improved and a common leadership language has been created on which the company can develop its talent. Participant evaluations showed that i perform’s training was deemed a ‘perfect fit for the brand’:

• 100% of participants continue to recommend the training for relevance and applicability
• I perform’s overall facilitation, training methods and content are rated 9.5 out of 10 across all modules held

Leaders also worked on enterprise projects with i perform’s support, which resulted in 10 meaningful sales, service and team projects being produced. Results achieved include:

• Improved retention and team culture
• Higher operational efficiencies
• Increased sales with one project alone contributing over $70,000 in revenue
• Shared learning, allowing the group to improve its processes and performance as a whole
• Implementation of successful initiatives nationally

i perform is now entering its 4th year of partnership with the team at Strike.

“There are always two critical areas in training, one being the actual content but the second and most important are the individuals delivering the messages. We are lucky to have such a dedicated and fun training partner.”
Chief Operations Officer