I was lounging around on the Sunday after Thanksgiving and my son had the Buffalo Bills vs the San Francisco 49ers game on TV. The snow was coming down on the TV screen, which led us to reminisce about a very cold and snowy Yankees versus Los Angeles Angels baseball playoff game we attended in October of 2009. I was reminded that during that game, not only were we cold, but when I went to get hot chocolate I came back to find my seat covered in snow.

As the snow continued pummeling down on the game, I remarked to Jeffrey, “How can they even keep the seats clear?” As Jeffrey had been watching the entire game, he knew the answer. Evidently Andy Major, the Bills’ vice president of operations, put out a request for fans over the age of 18 to come with shovels and help remove the snow. The fans shoveled through the night and were paid $20 an hour for their efforts.

What ingenious solutions do your teams come up with when the unexpected occurs? How can you use a common goal to mobilize a group?