TGIM!

Oh baby…

So what did I learn recently?

The best people DO NOT make the best company.

The BEST CULTURE makes a great great company.

Great people are EVERYWHERE.  All over the globe.  For instance, sometimes we hire from our competition.  They SUCK.  But there is a GOOD PERSON THERE.  So yes, find great people, but the culture you create with them…that’s the magic sauce.  That’s everything.

Leadership is driving CULTURE.  It is GIVING VISION.  It is holding down the core values.

The TEAM, each individual needs to bring their best, why God made them, to work every day, and their VOICE, their ACTIONS must be heard.  They must be empowered, engaged…that drives the company. NOT VICE VERSA.

The power of “downtown”, “captains”, “leaders”, “head coaches” … is not to DICTATE TO YOU… but to guide you… to help you… to EMPOWER YOU!

We must constantly cultivate that drive.

That CULTURE.

We all need to strive for this.  Hopefully you are considering joining CULTURE CLUB.  If you are not, ask yourself why not?  Fear, boredom, a belief you are not a superstar?  Shame on you!

You are.  You are all superstars.

Also… why we need to FIRE PEOPLE that don’t fit in with this style of leadership.  If they don’t want to love, serve, care and be a leader of where they are… with great core values, they simply are not a fit.  THAT IS 100% OK.

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One more topic:

Our head coaches swapped for 2 weeks.

What a sacrifice for them to stay humble.  To realize they are influence but do not control.  To be authentic.  To show this is ONE TEAM.

They have realized I believe from their feedback.   They need to teach, rally, set the pace, learn, listen… and that our team is amazing.   A summary from each of them… at least what they told me… not exact but close… A very, very brief summary from what I took from what they told me.

Nick Whitty, “The flooring team doesn’t know how amazing they are.”

Craig Johnson, “It’s a new store.  Daily, minute to minute learning lessons.”

Keith Batenhorst,  “20 year store.  Runs smoooth.”

Steve Herriges: “Pace.  We can go much faster.”

Steve Larson: “Welcome to the zoo.  Teams empowered to go on their own and do it.”

Matt “Gronk” K:  “New categories, but things still run the same.”

WE CAN ALL LEARN A LOT FROM THE SWAP!

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Lastly….

EAT CHANGE FOR BREAKFAST.    EMBRACE CHANGE IN EVERYTHING YOU DO.  LOOK FOR IT.  OWN IT.  LOVE BEING UNCOMFORTABLE.  THAT’S WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS.

GO!

JOEL