Good Morning Friends! Here are my 5 Things to Consider this week!
Culture – Awaken. The leaves on the trees came out last week. I love this very short, but specific time of the season because it’s the official sign that winter is over and spring is finally here. The bushes and trees seem to open their eyes, stretch and let out a silent, but loud yawn before pushing their leave out from the tips of their branches and turning on their own little OPEN signs. It seems to happen so instantly. Last week the trees were bare and hibernating, one week later and they’re full of beautiful, green leaves blowing in the breeze. It’s something that feels instant and all-of-the-sudden, but in reality the trees have been getting ready for months for this week. Blossoming leaves may be the visual beginning of the new season, but it’s really just the end result of months of hard work and planning. We have natural cycles and seasons in our business too, and like the trees, our environment dictates when the timing is right to bloom. It’s not a choice they make, it’s their nature, it’s their DNA. But it’s their environment, the temperature, moisture, sunlight, etc. that tell them when the time is finally right…when it’s safe to bloom. Too soon and they might die from a sudden frost. Too late and they’ll miss out on vital nutrients. When we put our company to sleep a couple months ago, we weren’t sure what it would look like when it was time to wake it back up. We weren’t sure if there would even be a company to wake up. But just like the trees, it’s not a choice we make to wake up and blossom, it’s our nature. The temperature is warming, the rain and sunlight are signaling that the transition is near and our environment is beginning to tell us that the time is finally right. Soon it will be safe to open our eyes, stretch and let out a loud yawn. Some won’t make it through the winter, but those of us who do will emerge stronger and taller and healthier than before. This is our spring too and it’s time for us to stand up, shake off a long, hard sleep and finally wake up. It’s time for us to bloom.
Leadership – Reset. We won’t get many chances to reset expectations like the one we are currently presented with. What a waste of time it would be if we squandered this opportunity and simply went back to doing everything the way we used to. One of the silver linings of this long nap we just took, is that there is a certain expectation that things won’t go back exactly how we left them. If fact, I’d argue that our people don’t WANT everything to go back to way it used to be. This is our opportunity to inspect every system, process, procedure and person and decide if it or they still have a place in the future of the company. The weak and/or tired businesses won’t make it out of this. Average businesses will return to being average and doing things the way they used to. Great businesses will use this grand resetting as an opportunity to emerge better and stronger. It’s up to us, individually and as a business, to decide who we want to be on the other side of this. It’s not just about making it through, it’s about being better when we get there.
History – Late Night Slice opened smack dab in the middle of the 2008/2009 financial crisis. This wasn’t on purpose. I guess it wasn’t an accident either. We weren’t taking advantage of an amazing down-turn in the economy where everything was cheap. It wasn’t calculated to the markets. It was just an idea with some hard working people behind it. We put our heads down, paid no attention to people saying how “bad the economy was,” and made pizza our way. On paper, it was a shitty time to start a business. If we would have listened to (or asked) the “experts,” we may have never opened at all. We didn’t listen to the noise. We trusted our idea, listened to our customers and worked our asses off. It’s funny how history has a tendency of repeating itself.
Motivation – “You were sick, but now you’re well again, and there’s work to do.” Kurt Vonnegut
The 5th Thing (something I’m reading, watching or inspired by) – It took me this long to watch Ozark!? Holy shit is this a good show.
Baby Update – I’m not sure how much longer I’ll keep writing this “6th thing.” It’s been a nice little journal entry of sorts to look back on as Will grows up. Lately, I can’t help this feeling of amazement that he actually wakes up every morning. I know that sounds morbid, but the fact that this little helpless, but oddly capable little human pupa does the simplest human task of waking up is amazing to me. Everything he does is amazing to me though. That’s the best part about having a kid is that you get a front row seat to slowly watch him becoming more and more capable. I get to witness him figure out how to navigate this life better and better every day. Every little success is our success too and the feeling that our child isn’t just waking up, but thriving in this world is the best feeling a parent could get.
Thanks for reading! Like or hate any part of this? Let me know! I really value your feedback.
Have a great week!
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