Whew!
We quickly discovered that even this comparatively short mission statement was just too cumber-some. Normal folks need ideas that they can wrap their arms around. So we threw out conven-tion and took a risk. "Don't forget to love one another," became our corporate cry. We even took to ending our commercial messages with, "See you at Church's — and don't forget to love one another."
"You can't do that!" Was all I heard from my consultant friends. "It's too mushy! It may not even be legal!"
We figured that if the button-down types were unanimously certain that we were wrong, then we must be on to something. We had a sign made to hang over our dining room door. We reminded everyone to love one another. Even tough construction workers, civil servants, cops, probably would-be robbers, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers.
One day, a lady slid into the booth where I was having lunch, and breathlessly reported, "I finally figured out why I like eating here! Your people actually love one another."
Yep. We did. And in an industry where employees come and go through a revolving door, we had surprisingly little turnover. People didn't think that rough restaurant types would go for such a touchy-feely work environment. But it turns out that everyone wants and needs to know that they are loved, and why not feel loved at work where you spend so much of your waking hours?
Usually, when I would leave the store, I would tell the crew, "Hey, guys! I hope you get clob-bered. (Restaurant talk for 'I hope you are busy. It makes the day go faster.') And don't forget to love one another!"
Today, our mission statement is, "Have fun and make the world a better place," and our crew of professionals frequently sign their emails with, "don't forget to love one another." Last week, Joe Jaeger signed a message to me with "hugs!" Then he realized what he had said and couldn't resist adding, (You know, the manly type with a slap on the back!)
A day after we sold the restaurant, Melanie and I were sitting on the tailgate of our pick-up wait-ing for the local Christmas parade. One of our former employees drove up, unbuckled a small child and proudly held him up for our inspection. We oohed and awed and told him, "Dave, you really make good babies! That's the best looking kiddo we've seen in ages!" Of course, we would have said the same thing had he been holding up a Pekinese look-alike!
Satisfied and pleased that he had the adoring approval of his former bosses, Dave beamed and re-installed the kiddo in the child seat of his car. As he started to back into traffic, he suddenly stopped, rolled down his window, leaned way out and said, "Hey, guys! Don't forget to love one another."
About the Author
T. Scott Gross is the author of the management classic Positively Outrageous Service. His latest book is MicroBranding: Build Powerful Personal Brands and Beat Your Competition! Visit Scott at www.tscottgross.com.
