“Having a voice in a company is the first thing an HR leader needs. The second thing they need is The Predictive Index.”

Erin Sutton is the VP of People Operations at Spartan Race, the global leader in obstacle course races.

Founded in 2007 and based in Boston, Spartan Race holds races in 30+ countries. While locations vary from stadiums to city centers to rugged terrains, there’s one common thread: They all take place in person. 

But with COVID-19 and social distancing mandates, Spartan Race’s senior leaders knew they had to adapt their strategy and operations—fast. 

To add stress, they had to navigate the radical disruption of remote work. This required a complete mind shift because they had never worked remotely before.

Communicating internally

Sutton knew how important internal communications are in a crisis. The company had developed a crisis communication plan in the past.
The senior team had also used PI’s talent optimization platform to see how each executive was behaviorally wired to communicate, take action, and make decisions. With insight into each other’s unique strengths, the group decided to let Sutton take the lead on messaging.

“I’m a Persuader,” Sutton said. “So we knew immediately I had to take the lead with employee communications and really stabilize our workforce.”

Buckling down

You never want to head into a crisis overly optimistic: rose-colored glasses can blur your vision. On the flip side, you can’t let fear prevent you from taking action. The right mindset is pragmatic optimism. 

As PI CEO Mike Zani said in Surviving an Economic Downturn With Talent Optimization, “You’ve been preparing for this moment for a while now—you just didn’t know it. This moment is where real leadership is made, or worse, lost. Let the storms show your mastery.”

Sutton said, “I quoted Mike Zani in an all-team meeting where we talked about being ready to master the storm. Your white paper referenced a Harvard Business Review study of companies that survived a downturn; nine percent came out stronger. And what they had in common was agility and resilience. Those two words are at the core of Spartan Race.”

Overhauling operations

With a rapidly evolving pandemic like COVID-19, leaders need to make tough decisions quickly. And that’s exactly what Spartan Race did. 

In mid-March, the company launched The Unbreakable Pass, which was marketed as a way for clients to keep “training, thinking, and eating like a Spartan” regardless of stay at home orders and business restrictions. The pass includes:

• The ability to lock in great prices for any 2020 or 2021 race
• One free year of access to Spartan Edge, an online training platform
• A limited edition of the brand new Spartan Magazine

Not only did the effort keep the Spartan community active and engaged, but it also attracted new members who had extra time on their hands and were looking to get fit from home.