Good Morning Friends! Here are my 5 Things to Consider this week!
Culture – Shops should be clean and well maintained. I know this sounds like something obvious, but I feel it’s well worth touching on for a moment. And for a very simple, yet crucially important reason; shop morale. When your shops are clean, organized and well maintained, your crews are happier, healthier, and more productive. Something about a clean space, no matter if it’s your living space or workspace, is calming to the human soul. It’s an innate characteristic practically every one of us share. A clean and organized living space not only improves our mental health and physical wellbeing, but it also can reduce illness and mental stress. On the other hand, a dirty, unorganized and messy work or living space can cause anxiety, carelessness and even depression. When things are “let go” for too long and shops become messy, it can at best be seen as acceptable and at worst be demoralizing. We as leaders must, above all else, relentlessly demonstrate to our teams that cleanliness and organization isn’t just for the customers eyes. It’s for the heart and souls of the team! It’s the foundation for everything you want to achieve. It’s the basic of the basics.
Leadership – Ask for Help. The proverbial feeing of drowning can be a terrible feeling. I’m talking about the times at work or in life that you fall behind and you just can’t seem to catch up. It could be that you’re short-staffed at a busy time at work, you can’t find enough time to respond to emails or you just need help moving a piece of furniture or equipment. Knowing when and how to ask for help is one of the hardest, yet most powerful things we can do as leaders. Some think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Other people are afraid to ask for help because they think it’s easier to “go at it alone.” The key is knowing when and how to ask for help, and what to do when someone says Yes. For me, asking for help, or not asking for help, is one of my biggest struggles as a leader. I always feel like I’m “putting someone out” or that I can do it better or faster myself. The reality is, people WANT to help you achieve your goals and are ALWAYS willing to pitch in to help you get there. Simply getting better at ASKING for help is the key. Ask, but don’t ask too much, equip the people you ask with the tools they need to succeed and give thanks generously. People will always respect you more when you ask for help and get a job done fast and right, than if you kill yourself and get shitty results. You build your teams, work faster and achieve great results when you ask for help.
History – The Pizza Dawg and the Cheezus Crust. I certainly can’t say that these were our attempts at “healthy options” for our menu! Back in the days of the original shack, right around the time when we developed the sauces, Jason and I were experimenting with (read: smoking and drinking?) the idea of “what can we DO with a slice of pizza?” We tried lots of things, but the simplicity and visual impact of a pizza-grilled-cheese and a hot dog using pizza as a bun were just too good to pass up…and people loved them! We know that these items don’t sell all that well and to be honest, they aren’t meant to. They’re meant to get people to talk about our brand. They’re marketing. Tasty, tasty marketing.
Motivation – “One thing I’ve noticed about romantics; they try to create a new and better world far from the drabness of everyday life” – Howard Schultz – Starbucks CEO
What I’m Reading or Watching – Pour Your Heart Into It by Howard Schultz. I just started this book a few days ago and I’m in the autobiographical phase of the book. The “how I got here” phase, which is usually one of my least favorite parts of any book because I find it to be too chronological. “First I did this, then I did this…” I prefer the lessons and wisdom that comes from after the “here’s how I got here” part. This book, like many I read, came a recommendation from another author. I certainly respect Starbucks and can’t wait to dive into this one more.
Baby Update – This Wednesday, the day after tomorrow, William will be 12 weeks old. They always told me time would fly by and “the days will be long, but the weeks will fly by,” and boy were they right. In one sense, I can’t believe it’s already been 12 weeks and on the other hand, I can’t believe it’s only been 12 weeks. This new little member of our family feels, in a weird way, that he’s always been here, yet each day and week brings something new and exciting, like a new smile, a sound he makes or that he’s keep eye contact with us for longer than usual. I’m looking forward to this part of the “newborn experience” because now he’s starting to figure out who we are. It’s been fun so far, but the fun as been kind of one sided. As in, it’s been fun for Rachael and I to figure this new little monster out, but now I think it’s going to start being fun for all of us. As he becomes more aware that we’re “Mom and Dad,” we all become a little more aware that we’re a family.
Thanks for reading! Like or hate any part of this? Let me know! I really value your feedback.
Have a great week!
5 Things to Consider Archive 