OCEAN CITY – Bounding into the restaurant of the Port-O-Call Hotel, the Phillie Phanatic wasted no time surprising the Diocese’s Catholic school principals gathered for a continental breakfast.
He bowed before Sister Jerilyn Einstein, FMIJ, of Guardian Angels Regional School, Gibbstown.
He hugged Patti Paulsen of Holy Angels Catholic School, Woodbury.
Standing behind a seated Joe Cray, the Phanatic used his jersey to playfully shine the Wildwood Catholic Academy principal’s head.
He led all into a verse of “Happy Birthday” for a hotel guest celebrating her special day. And he even attempted to join in the morning’s fare – tilting his head over a plate of scrambled eggs.
The Phillie Phanatic was among the special guests who joined the principals and diocesan staff on May 16 at the Office of Catholic Schools’ end-of-the-year principals meeting.
After the Philadelphia Phillies mascot departed, his “best friend” – Tom Burgoyne – appeared and, along with leadership consultant Evan Marcus, showed the educators during their day of formation and fellowship that it doesn’t take a furry green suit, googly eyes or oversize shoes to make individuals and organizations “pheel the love.”
During an energetic presentation, the affable duo shared stories of the Phanatic, and excerpts and ideas from their book: “Pheel the Love! How the Most Powerful Force in the Universe Builds Great Companies – Phillie Phanatic Style!”
Through a series of humorous conversations between Burgoyne and Marcus, the book aims to show how love, threaded through every aspect of organizations like Catholic schools, can positively impact its environment.
Seven “Love Principles” are detailed in the book to create lasting transformation: 1) Love them first, 2) Make every encounter count, 3) Be committed to institutional excellence, 4) Bridge the divide between you and customer, 5) Put right people in right positions, 6) Make it fun, and 7) Be optimistic no matter the score.
Marcus noted that the impetus for the book came after watching the Phanatic interact with fans inside and outside of the ballpark.
The Phanatic “loves people first. He wants to make their day,” Marcus said. In turn, the encountered respond the same way, asking for pictures or a hug from the mascot.
“What company or school wouldn’t want their constituency to love them the way people love the Phanatic? What could be a greater thing to accomplish?” Marcus remembers telling himself.
Burgoyne shared one of his philosophies, saying, “The greatest companies in the world understand that if we can make people feel … create that fanaticism, that loyalty, they create customers for life.”
Photo Gallery: Phillie Phanatic Visits with School Principals
One way, Burgoyne, said, is to be present. In every one of his interactions, “the Phanatic is always engaged, stopping to take photos … creating memories that last a lifetime.”
“You never know the impact [being present] can have,” he said.
It can be also be as simple as “opening a door, saying hello, remembering their name,” Marcus added.
Another important tip, Burgoyne said, is for a person to know one’s audience; in his case, at the ballpark, it might be a girl with a Phanatic doll, an angry Mets fan, or a fan diligently following the game and keeping a scorecard.
Whereas he might playfully engage with the girl or Mets fan, for the scorekeeper in the stands, “I might just give them a thumbs up,” he said.
The key always, he said, “is creating a feeling of being loved.”
The talk – which included Burgoyne recounting the invention of the Phanatic’s hot dog launcher – concluded with principals attempting to create their own launch-worthy hot dogs, wrapped in paper, foil and duct tape. A good tip: foil first, then paper, then duct tape.
Each educator also received a signed copy of the “Pheel the Love!” book.
Remarking that the daylong event “struck a balance between being celebratory, motivational and informational,” Dr. Bill Watson, the Diocese’s superintendent of Catholic schools, said Burgoyne and Marcus provided positive tools for educators to take back to their school communities.
“The way the Phanatic approaches people … he feeds off their energy while bringing his own positive energy,” Dr. Watson said, adding that South Jersey Catholic Schools principals are called to do that, too. Whether meeting with parents, students and or/teachers, the principals are called to “elevate our interactions with them.”
Cray said he appreciated the reminders to support each other, which should always be “the foundation of who and what we are as Catholic schools.”
Liz Mariani from Camden’s Sacred Heart School remarked that the day “renewed a sense of hope and drive” for her work, in “instilling a love of God and of learning” to her students.
With the affection from a furry green mascot from the Galapagos Islands, and his friends, she can’t wait to take the school to the next level.
“We want to exceed being good and make the school year great.”
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