A story about a kid with a garbage cart

Sounds like a real page-turner eh, a kid with a garbage cart? Well let me tell the story and you be the judge...

Recently, following a late night workout, I was in the mood for some ice cream. Yes, I recognize the irony of that statement but let me get on with my story.

I wasn't in the mood for just any ice cream though, I really wanted an Ice Dream from Chick-fil-A with the chocolate sauce. It's pretty fantastic. Unfortunately as I drove up, I noticed the drive-thru lights were off and they were obviously closed.

About the time I was noticing this, a teen-aged employee was in the process of pushing a garbage cart, like the one above, full of garbage to the dumpster. However, when he saw my car, he stopped what he was doing and walked over to my window.

Stooping down, he proceeded to apologize for the fact that they were closed and then wished me a good evening.

Really?

Would that have happened at McDonald's or Burger King? I highly doubt it. Because those restaurants are in the business of transferring systems, whereas Chick-fil-A seems to be in the business of transferring a clear value structure from the top down. This explains why I became more important in that moment to a teenager who could've easily ignored me and simply finished his garbage duties so he could go home. Why did he care about me? Because he works in an environment where that sort of idea is encouraged.

Startling isn't it?

Chick-fil-A knows WHY they are in business. And not only do they know their WHY, but they're also extremely effective at transferring their WHY in the form of their values to the kid pushing the garbage cart.

Amazing. Why do they get it and yet it seems to be such a mystery to everyone else?

Safe stories are boring stories

Moxie.

Chutzpah.

Guts.

Courage.

Daring.

Bravery.

These are the elements found in the stories we like and the ones we repeat over and over. No one cares about reading a book about climbing a 20 ft tree, we wanna read about climbing Mt. Everest.

We don't talk about our one hand that has no scars, we talk about the one that does. There's a story there. And we like stories.

Stories engage. Stories capture. Stories last.

What kind of story is your life?
What kind of story is your business?
What kind of story is your job?

Is it worth talking about or have you settled for a non-story, a non-event, a non-challenge, a non-gutsy existence?

If you're still breathing it's not too late. Create a new story.

This applies to people as much as it does to the businesses they run. Most businesses are so boring that it's pathetic. And I don't mean we can all be like Richard Branson and do insane stunts to promote our mega-brand. I simply mean that we can, and should, find meaning in everything we do. 

And for your sake, find a story that is characterized by more than safety. Being safe all the time doesn't make for a good story. Introduce a little peril, a little adventure. Remind yourself why you're alive - it may just keep you that way.

The signs are everywhere...Literally!

Back in the day holding a sandwich board, like the guy in the picture, was a popular form of advertising. Well, it appears that it's back. I've been noticing it more and more as I drive down South Florida Ave - the main road through Lakeland - but today it really struck me. I really SAW what was going on.

If you read my post yesterday, I talked about how many business consultants focus on improving the business, or the Transaction, for the business they're consulting. They'll change pricing, or advertising, maybe renegotiate vendor contracts, and perhaps sell off portions of the company, and on and on and on. But what's missing?

The people.

They forgot about the #1 key to success which is serving the clients first and foremost. They forget that the human element of business is often the most overlooked, yet one of the most significant things in a business.

And so now driving past Pizza Hut, and the Cash for Gold place, and the pizza buffet place, and sandwich shops you see real, live people holding signs out front. Why are they doing this?

Because we all crave human interaction. Normal signs and billboards and bus benches are no longer seen like they used to be. We've had to revert back 50 years to people holding signs on the roadside just to get noticed. Everyone wants to be noticed but are they doing anything notice-worthy? Not really, no.

This form of advertising will be scrapped before you know it. They do, however, have something right...focus on the people.

It's all about the people.

Caveman drawings, a Business How-To

Welcome to another installation of "Caveman Drawings - a Business How-To"

This particular drawing describes early business. Actually, it describes late business and every other business come to think of it...Let me explain.

A person (Owner) starts a business - this could be your local dry cleaner or Ford. A real, live person started each of those businesses. And one of their primary goals for starting this business was to sell a Thing (a product or a service) to another person (Client) in exchange for money (the Transaction).

This is how business has been done forever. And over the past 80 years (or so) the focus has been on the part in the middle - the Transaction.

The Owner wanted to make more money by selling more Things to the Client so they tried to make the Things cheaper and sell them for more. So they might manufacture their Things in China to save on costs. Or maybe they tried to make a winning TV commercial that would sell a lot more Things and gain them more money in the process. Regardless of what they did, the focus was always on the Transaction, or trying to exchange more Things for more money. Sometimes the Owner would hire a Business Consultant to help him figure out how to produce more money from the Transaction. They would tweak pricing, and run new advertising, and squeeze their vendors, and poke and prod every cranny of that Transaction to see where it would yield more money.

And it's worked okay. Lots of Owners have made lots of money and continue to do so. And if that is their definition of success then Hooray - they've been successful. Doesn't matter if anyone else was successful in the process (such as the Client...) but they were, so who cares?

But contrast with the concept of nobility, of honor. Can you find those things in this "Transaction"? I can't.

What happened to the days when Owners built relationship with their Clients and that trust was sealed with a handshake and with a word that would not be broken? Seems to be a relic of the past. Kind of like treacherously tall metal playground slides - but that's the topic for another time...

If you take a look back at the Caveman drawing above you'll see that the Transaction is in the middle of two people - the Owner and the Client. It's not more important than those two, it just resides in the middle. It's the method that these two people transact value with each other.

I've come to the realization that the best, most honorable business Owner knows why they are in business and it has nothing to do with just making money. There is another reason. And I've seen how when an Owner becomes Client-focused instead of Transaction-focused, that nobility, sustainability, reputation, referrals, loyalty, and yes profit, are produced in truckloads.

This is why my business consulting doesn't exalt the Transaction over the people...I believe this:
The Owner needs to get clear on their Why...
The Transaction needs to run smoothly and communicate effectively...
The Client needs to be valued and respected...

I've said this before, we all get one shot at this thing called life. Just one.

Be a settler! Not a settle-r...

The old west. Settlers from the east traveled through rivers and over mountains to create new homes and new lives in the west. I imagine these people, these settlers, were pretty tough. They were pioneers, trailblazers and adventurers. They were strong and brave and resilient in the face of danger and death. Or that's how I imagine them anyway...They could've been wimpy wallflowers for all I know, I wasn't there.

But for the sake of my point, I'm going to maintain my original idea that these settlers would wrestle four wild bears each before coffee JUST to wake themselves up in the morning. Pretty tough these people...

Certainly a different mental picture than the people who just settle. You know these people...

They're blah...
They're apathetic...
They had a good idea once! And they coulda made it big! But they didn't...
They're more comfortable grasping the remote than grasping a new concept...
They're action-less, direction-less, unmotivated and give up before the first wagon ever starts moving...

I recommend instead being a settler!

• How about being Brave?
• Response-able?
• Courageous?
• Unwilling to cave?
• Motivated?
• and just plain 'ol awesome? How about being awesome for a change?! 

Get up tomorrow morning and go look for some wild bears - it'll do you some good.