Big Leaguers Don't Add Sugar To Their Tea

Just to make things clear from the start, this essay has nothing specifically to do with whether major league baseball players should or should not put sugar in their iced tea; or in fact whether they should or should not drink iced tea at all.  This essay is in fact a tribute in a way to the marvelous, high performing company I have the pleasure to be part of and some recent learnings / stories that illuminate some drivers of that success.

As I mentioned above, I deeply feel fortunate to be part of the leadership team of my current company.  Broadly the organization is talented, focused, hard working and motivated by our mission to help people lead healthy vibrant lives …. a mission we call “Inspiring the Fresh Revolution” (more on that later.)  I always feel challenged and motivated by the team to push myself to “execute, excel and build skills” (see the previous essay by that title) and after 2 ½ years, my energy to do so continues.  One of my pleasures is the chance to work closely with a set of very talented peers and direct reports whom I learn from constantly. 

I was recently working late on a key project with one of my peers when somehow we got into a conversation about our hometowns and our times growing up.  We are both from small towns in western Pennsylvania (Go Steelers), and have been surprised by how many similar experiences we have shared over our education and careers.  One experience that I did not share was the same level of athletic success.  It turns out that this fellow was a very accomplished pitcher, having played Div. 1 baseball in college, and having been scouted hard by big league clubs.  He shared a story of from his youth that a major league scout (I think form our hometown Pittsburgh Pirates) had come to see him pitch in high school and had taken him and his family out to dinner after the game.  As they were sitting down, my friend reaches over to add sugar to his iced tea; the scout looks up and says “son, big leaguers don’t put sugar in their iced tea.”  He and I were sitting together late one night, here in the summer of 2012, and that one line of wisdom rang out from a dinner maybe 30 years ago.

As I mentioned above, my lesson from this story has nothing to do about the “sugar” or the “iced tea” explicitly.  It DOES remind me though that to be excellent, to achieve superior results, you need to stay focused on the big things AND the little things that will account for that success.  I am sure that that baseball scout had some things to say that night about pitching or about the expectations of a big league club, or a wide variety of topics on the “big things.”  What’s important to note is the power of that story about one of the “little things.”  I think he was saying that to be a success, sure you need a blistering fastball, a wicked curveball, a great move to first, etc….., but that’s not enough.  You also need to watch the little things, like getting to the ballpark early, taking batting/fielding practice every time you have a chance, helping the other young guys coming up, or maybe just passing on the sugar in your iced tea.

This idea resonates in the workplace dramatically to me.  Sure the big customer presentations, the new product rollouts, the board meetings, or any other “high profile” moment are important to handle well and to prepare for diligently.  What I am connecting to are the hundreds of”little things” that happen every day, all having a big impact.  I think about not just being on time for work, or a conference call, or a meeting, but working to be a few minutes early (rather than always a few minutes late.)  Or maybe it’s how you take care of your work vehicle, is it always ready to go, well stocked and cleaned and ready to roll at a moment’s notice?  Or maybe it’s taking an extra moment to check your work, or check your calculations, to insure that your efforts speak for themselves and doesn’t need anyone having to do a review for “clerical/analytical” errors.  This list could go on and on, but the point is simple.  Keep an eye on the “little things” of work and life, don’t reach for the sugar bowl for your iced tea, and your likelihood of success on the “big things” will rise automatically!

A moment of “Truth & Beauty” in the West Economy Parking Lot

To say that things have been a bit busy lately is a massive understatement, (maybe a downright lie!)  The business is thriving but of course takes a lot of focus and effort; customers always have needs/issues/opportunities that require attention, often immediately, often in person.  The months of May and June have been an absolute blur with a travel schedule that has hit new highs (or lows based on your perspective.)  To add a bit of mania into it all, we are in the process of buying a new home in Atlanta and actually moved yesterday.  I know I know, obviously we are gluttons for punishment!

With everything going on, to say the least I have found myself a bit stressed over the past weeks/months.  My “wick” is shorter than usual, and what were normal challenges / “bumps in the road” now seem to be major issues.  I am constantly reminding myself of two concepts/principles form previous essays: “PBR: Pause/Breath/& Reconnect”, and the ever favorite “Aunt Lorraine’s Law: take Small Bites and Chew Thoroughly.”  It’s a little scary and telling when you have to work hard to reminding YOURSELF of lessons/stories that YOU wrote over the past few years.

Well this week has been a crescendo of sorts.  This past Sunday (father’s day of course) I had to fly west in order to meet with customers coming to visit us at our plant in Bakersfield California.  The meetings Sunday night and Monday went very well, and I flew out of Bakersfield Monday night to make it back to Atlanta Tuesday morning to meet the folks from the moving company packing up our old house.  (All I have to say is thank God for Jennie!)  The big crew came back on Wednesday to do the actual move, and by 8pm last night, every piece of furniture, every box, every bike, everything had made it to the new house!  What’s totally crazy is that I woke up this morning at 5:20am to get on a flight back to LA for key meetings today, returning on the red-eye late tonight.  OUCH!

 

To say that I was a bit groggy this morning is an understatement.  With blurry eyes and a sore back, I walked out in the dark humid Atlanta morning, got in my car and headed to the airport candidly feeling pretty sorry for myself.  Like many travelers I am a creature of habit and as is my way, I pulled into the west economy parking lot (Aisle 14, section A of course) and parked my car in my regular area just as the sky was brightening with the rising sun.  As I was pulling my bag from the car, I was “assaulted” by the energized “chirps” of a small bird perched in a tree above my car.  I couldn’t tell what I had done wrong, or was doing wrong, or at first what the small bird was trying to “say” with its “chirps.”  As I paused for a moment I realized that the bird wasn’t alone, but was sitting right above a nest of twigs filled with tiny baby birds.  Here I was quietly standing in an airport parking lot, having another “parent” tell me something about her/his kids. Unbelievable and beautiful all in the same scene; standing in an airport parking lot at the break of dawn in a moment of “Truth & Beauty.”

The “Truth” is that while it is a busy time, that little bird reminded me to “join the club!”  Could I imagine trying to raise my kids in a parking lot tree at the Atlanta airport?  I know it’s a bit wild now in my work and business life but I am lucky to have the problems that I am dealing with.  The “Truth” also is that family, whether in a nest or a new home, must come first.  The “Beauty” is that in the most unexpected moments, like the west economy parking lot, we can experience truly beautiful things.  In a previous essay from last summer titled “Unexpected Beauty”, I wrote about our family being blown away by a musical “experience” in a Paris metro station.  While it’s true that one can find beauty and inspiration in Art Museums, Cathedrals, or in a myriad of “expected” environments, work to find ways to be open and receptive to movements of “Truth & Beauty” where you may least expect them!

The way back to the trail

As many of you know, I have a tradition of leading unusual (I like to think memorable and impactful) team meetings.  Last week was another example of a great meeting that included a learning experience centered on Dr. Seuss’s “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” I’ll save that one for another essay, but to say the least it got people thinking in a very different mode.

This story is from more than 5 years ago, in a different team setting, at a different company, but with some lessons that I find very applicable today.  It was in the fall of 2006, and I was leading a very diverse team who were facing tremendous challenges both organizationally and competitively.  The business was behind plan, competitive pressures were high and there was talk of future reorganizations.  I decided to bring the team (of about 15 folks) together up in the mountains in North Carolina, and include a variety of readings/exercises & experiences centered on overcoming challenges and obstacles.  One of these experiences was a 5-6 mile hike along the Bartram trail (accompanied by readings from William Bartram’s journal from 1774) up Scaly Mountain.  It’s a hike I had done a number of times with my family, challenging but beautiful.  It normally takes 3-4 hours with magnificent views of the southern Appalachians from the top.

We got off to a bit of a late start, only arriving at the base of the mountain at 1:30 or so that afternoon.  What also added to the challenge ahead was that it was about 48 degrees and it had started to rain.  Not to miss a metaphoric moment, it seemed that it was all adding up to an even greater set of examples/experiences to reinforce our ability to face challenges/overcome obstacles/ and create success. The hike began in earnest!

The real problems didn’t manifest themselves on the way to the top.  We worked as a team, helping the slower folks make their way, stopping appropriately for water and snack breaks on the way up.  It took a bit more than 2 hours but we made it to the top and had a talk about the challenges we were facing in the business and in the company.  The discussion was excellent and I could feel the team starting to break down the issues into smaller pieces (see the previous essay “Aunt Lorraine’s Law”), everything seemed to be going so well!  As I paused I realized it was not almost 4pm, the rain was increasing a bit, temps were starting to come down and it dawned on me that if we didn’t move quickly, we wouldn’t make it down the mountain in the light of day.

We moved out and started back down the trail.  The momentum down was a bit better than the way up and we were making good time, not feeling the need for too many breaks.  About half way down the clouds started to settle down onto Scaly Mountain.  The base is at about 3800 ft, with the peak a bit above 5000 ft above sea level.  I was amazed how thick the clouds were and how much our visibility was limited.  After just a few minutes, we were actually in the clouds and could only see a few feet ahead.  As the leader (and the only one with any experience on Scaly Mountain) I was at the head of the team, leading the way on the trail.  I don’t know what triggered me but at some point I realized that we were not on the trail anymore; somehow we had drifted off the path and were walking somewhat randomly in a very cloud rainy chilly forest.  Time for immediate action and NOT a leadership freak-out moment!  I immediately stopped and shouted for everyone to freeze, not to move a muscle.  Luckily the team actually thought it was one of Bill’s crazy team exercises and everyone immediately stopped in their places.  I walked down the line, finding the last person and put my back to their back so I was facing 180 degrees away from where we had been heading.  Quietly and calmly I explained that we were off the trail, not sure by how far, and that if everyone just turned around to face my back, we would simply retrace our steps to regain the trail. No one said a word as they did an “about face” and started following me back the way we had come.

We were all so relieved when we regained the Bartram trail in less than 10 minutes, though those minutes were some of the longest I can remember.  All kinds of images had begun to race through my mind, all of them negative/all of them critical; but I kept reminding myself that the best thing I could do was to keep working our way back to the trail and that’s indeed what we did.  With a lot more care, and everyone keeping an eye for the color blazes on the trees marking the trail, we worked our way all the way down, back to the cars in the parking area and gladly made our way back to a warm fire, fresh clothes, a delicious dinner, and a night of stories indeed!

What makes this story come back to mind is that we all face challenges every day and always will.  Even after a tremendous success, challenges and obstacles will find their way into everyone’s path, some expected and many not.  Just like the drift off the path, many times we aren’t sure how we got into some type of challenging situation, though a core lesson is to recognize the issue quickly and work to take IMMEDIATE action.  As was the case on the Bartram trail that fall afternoon, ignoring the problem/hoping that it would handle itself/being paralyzed by fear/ or a host of other possible responses are disastrous options.  Work to recognize problems faster and faster, take action with similar alacrity and I am confident that it will help you find your way “back to the trail!”

Sweat the details … literally to 63 degrees!

Over the years I have commented often about how great organizations, great companies, and great brands do the big things well and the small things even better. This idea links directly back to a very memorable experience of my youth.

  The summer after my mom died, my dear Aunt Lorraine (see the early blog essay “Aunt Lorraine’s Law”) took my sister Alice and I for a vacation to newly opened Disney World in Orlando Florida. It had been a very hard year, and the prospect of flying on a plane, staying in a hotel, AND visiting Disney World seemed too good to be true. As a boy of 13, I was in awe of the entire Disney experience. From the wild ride of “Space Mountain”, the super cool Monorail, the unusual “Wedway People Mover”, and the now defunct 20,000 leagues under the sea ride, I loved it all. After the sadness and gloom of the previous few months, Disney World seemed like paradise. One of those days, Alice, Aunt Lorraine and I were walking in the Magic Kingdom somewhere and I remember looking down and seeing a man hole cover. Innocent enough, I realized that rather than being the usual “generic” man hole cover one would see elsewhere, this one (and all of them inside Disney World) had an image of Mickey Mouse cast in the metal at the center of the cover. Even then I was blown away by this unique and unexpected detail and thought to myself, if Disney had thought of the man whole covers, they must have thought of everything!

That memory came back to me this week in a poignant moment.  We have been working closely with my old friend Todd (a total rascal and a marvelous marketer whom I have known for years)on a major presentation for weeks and we worked very hard to have everything assembled for not only a  successful experience, but an exceptional experience! The presentation was finalized, product samples assembled and merchandised beautifully, marketing materials hung around the room, everything seemed set! The morning of the meeting, I came into the conference room early (of course) and realized that the meeting room was warm, way too warm. We were going to have a fairly large group of people in the room and I knew that if it felt warm early in the day, it would only get worse. Warm room, sleepy audience, lack of concentration ……  to say the least, not good! In an amazing flashback, I was transported back in time (the early 90’s) to a large auditorium at Coke’s headquarters in Atlanta.  I had arrived early to a large marketing meeting at that time and  found the then Chairman and CEO (Roberto Gouizueta) talking in a hushed but earnest tone with the meeting planning folks. I overheard his comments that the room was too warm, that hundreds of young marketers were arriving soon and he wanted the room “fresh”, and he specifically said that “fresh” meant 63 degrees! 63 degrees, really??? That precise? That specific temperature? From the CEO? Really? Well the meeting planning folks jumped into gear, the AC immediately was adjusted, and to say the least no one “dozed” in the meeting from the room being too warm!

 Well here I was twenty years later, realizing that the meeting room was too warm and I immediately said out loud, “can we get this room to 63 degrees?” The hosts thought I was crazy but quickly a building maintenance person was found, and though he was a bit taken pack by the precision of my request, he said that the computer could program the system to the ½ degree. I reiterated 63 as the target and he got to work. Quickly the room cooled, and we had a very successful meeting over the next few hours. At the end of the day, as the clients were packing their bags, one of their senior folks commented offhandedly that the room was so cold; it must be the temperature that we recommend at Bolthouse Farms for our carrots. I quipped that while 38 degrees was best for carrots, we found that 63 degrees was the best for meetings. He was stunned that not only did I had an opinion about the room’s temperature, he realized that we had not let that to chance; that we had worked to “sweat the details” even to that level.

Whatever role, function or organization that you are part of, think about this lesson. The” little things” add up to the” big things” and if we blow off the “little things,” the “big things” just may not happen at all! Remember the manhole cover or the 63 degrees, or any other image from your experience to remind you to sweat the details. Try not to get lazy, convincing yourself that it’s “no one will care” or that “it’s somebody else’s job” to worry about the details. It would have been easier and cheaper for Disney to buy standard manhole covers; they didn’t! It would have been understandable for Roberto Gouizueta to think that someone else should worry about the auditorium’s temperature; he didn’t! Work hard to remember that it matters, it really matters, to sweat the details in order to be great!

Over the Hood & Over the Horizon

Recently I received some great advice from an old friend whom I have the pleasure of currently working with; once again reinforcing the idea that learning should never stop regardless of where you are in your life or career and that we often learn the most from people who know us the best. The lesson goes something like this:

Over the past year we have achieved some significant business results and I have been (and am!) so proud of my team and our entire company in how everyone has come together, dug deep (see the previous essay “The Hidden Vigorish”) and closed out our fiscal year with distinction. In the normal course of business life, as soon as one year’s business plan is achieved, the next year’s business plan is upon us, seemingly more challenging than ever! Well wouldn’t you know that as we dove into the new fiscal we were faced with a new set of challenges, new hurdles, new opportunities, and seemingly in a blink of an eye, the success of the past year was gone and the reality of the new fiscal was everywhere.

It was after a very stern toned conference call that I held with my team that I received a call from my old friend, checking in on me making sure that I was “aok.” My tone seemed obviously strained to him on the call and I just didn’t sound like “his old friend Bill.” We talked for a little while, me sharing some of my thoughts, challenges and frustrations (it’s good to have old friends) and he quietly shared a simple and profound idea; “Bill, just remember that you need to steer the car by looking over the hood AND looking over the horizon, not one or another.” Deeply true, deeply profound, and very timely advice for yours truly!

I had been so focused on finishing the year strong, closing out the last quarter and month in a winning way, that my focus had shifted from the horizon to the hood over the past few weeks and months. As we immediately moved into the new fiscal year I maintained that same “hood-oriented” focus, not taking a moment to readjust my approach. I had become stuck in “hood mode” and had temporarily lost the perspective on the challenges and opportunities “over the horizon.” Getting stuck in either mode has its dangers:

“Over the Hood” focused; When one become so locked on the short term challenges and results, it’s too easy to lose the strategic framework of what you are trying to achieve. What are the broader 1/3/5 year priorities, goals, and opportunities and how are your short term actions helping (or hurting) your ability to succeed? A key concern in this mode is that you and your organization could become so locked on execution and short term results, you ignore the very real need to always be building organizational skills and capabilities for future success. It’s tempting to delay training, it’s tempting to leave open positions unfilled, not having the time to interview candidates, etc, etc, etc.

“Over the Horizon” focused; When one becomes so locked on long term strategies and plans, it’s equally easy to lose the required focus and intensity on immediate execution needs. In my 25+ years of a professional career, I have never encountered a business that ran itself or had an “auto-pilot” function, and I am certain that I never will! The competitive marketplace is ever moving, ever changing, and if you ignore the short term, thinking it will take of itself, my experience tells me that you may not have a long term to even worry about!

Well my lesson was clear; while keeping my hands proverbially at the “10 & 2” on the steering wheel of the business, I needed to work on the balance of my perspective. I have kept a strong view “Over the Hood,” and have been working on ways to expand my view “over the horizon.” Whether by digging deeper into a competitive marketplace analysis, or refreshing myself on a broader view of the annual business plan with its broader challenges AND opportunities, there are numerous ways for me to intentionally refocus “over the horizon.” Very helpful and very timely!

As a closing note, a big thank you goes out to my old friend! It’s easy for all of us, regardless of success, experience, or title, to get a little “stuck” sometimes; and I am grateful to have friends in my professional life who can help me find my way” over the horizon” when it’s obvious that I am stuck trying to drive the car “looking solely over the hood.”

Resiliency & Perserverance : Redux

Back in November of 2011 I wrote an essay on this blog about a woman who was a great inspiration for me: Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi. At that time she had been released from house arrest and after years of confinement, she was diving back into the democracy movement in her native Burma (Myanmar.) I commented on the astounding fact that rather than “getting away”, or “recharging her batteries” after her house arrest, she immediately and inspirationally applied the characteristics of “Resiliency & Perseverance” into the changing political drama of her country.

Earlier this week, the people of her embattled country spoke in the first free election in decades and not only elected Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi to a congressional seat in Parliament, but voted her party (the NLD) in a sweeping victory into 43 of the 44 parliamentary seats contested in this election.

The AP wrote earlier this week:
Aung San Suu Kyi, 66, was elected to parliament Sunday in a historic victory buffeted by the jubilant cheers of supporters who hope her triumph will mark a major turning point in a nation still emerging from a ruthless era of military rule.

If confirmed, the election win will also mark an astonishing reversal of fortune for a woman who became one of the world's most prominent prisoners of conscience. When she was finally released in late 2010, just after a vote her party boycotted that was deemed neither free nor fair, few could have imagined she would make the leap from democracy advocate to elected official in less than 17 months, opening the way for a potential presidential run in 2015.

But Myanmar has changed dramatically over that time. The junta finally ceded power last year, and although many of its leaders merely swapped their military uniforms for civilian suits, they went on to stun even their staunchest critics by releasing political prisoners, signing cease-fires with rebels, relaxing press censorship and opening a direct dialogue with Suu Kyi — whom they tried to silence for decades.

I share this amazing turn of world events for two simple reasons. First, over the past few years I have been inspired by this courageous woman’s story and continue to be amazed and energized by the impact of her non-violent campaign to dramatically change the landscape of Burma. At times we look across history and find inspiration from individuals or situations from the chapters of history books. What we all need to recognize and celebrate is that among our midst, in the present glance of history, we have a unique and inspiring leader in the form of a 66 year old woman from Burma.

Secondly, I share this story as a lesson in hope & optimism. Often I am utterly depressed by the headlines both domestic and abroad. Whether it has to do with the shootings in religious schools in Oakland California or Toulouse France, or the uncertain global credit markets, or possibly the debates on health care being held at our Supreme Court, or the unthinkable shooting in Sanford Florida; the headlines can often lead one into a state of cynicism and depression. This story from Burma needs to be a guiding light to all of us. Against astounding odds, with a military government working hard to silence Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi with decades of house arrest and to eliminate her nascent NLD party, there actually WAS a fair election last week across Burma, the voice of the people WAS heard in the election results, the military junta IS attempting steps of reform to bring progressive change to Burma. All this is true! No I am not naïve to think that there won’t be setbacks in Burma’s road to their future but on this day, I am inspired by what actually HAS occurred and excited by the prospect of Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi having the chance to run for President in the next elections in 2015!

The short fare can become the long fare

Across my career I have gleaned a lot from a wide range of inspirations, possible no source more than cab drivers! I have written about this fount of knowledge before, check out “The story of Clarissa” about an amazing early morning cab ride in Bakersfield California. I have had some amazing moments of clarity in cabs from Philadelphia to Bentonville Arkansas; fodder for future essays. Well last Friday, I found another moment of wisdom in the back seat of a cab in Orlando.

I had attended meetings at the convention center and was heading over to the airport mid day last Friday for a flight back home to Atlanta. With plenty of time, I jumped into a cab at the Peabody Hotel and headed off to the airport. As I always do, I asked the cab driver how business was for him that day. He was quick to say that business was “picking up” and that he would have me at the airport in less than 25 minutes. Pretty precise for timing, but I leaned back to enjoy the ride and the conversation.

Quickly the driver asked what kind of business I was in and I simply said “sales.” He smiled and said “me too,” commenting that while he had driven cabs in New York, St. Louis, and now Orlando, he was selling every day. What a great attitude! He started to share his “inside tips” on how he works the Orlando convention center hotels every Friday, alternating between the Peabody and the Hilton, but consistently getting plenty of airport runs or as he said “long fares.” I asked if he had a certain system, or looked for a certain type of passenger as he worked the hotels. He nodded his head knowingly and said “no sir, you need to work every fare as if it’s your best … you never know, the short fare can become the long fare.” I know a learning moment was afoot!
Of course I asked him what he meant and he shared a story from just the week before. He said that the past Friday he was in the cab line at the Peabody Hotel (just where he found me) and he was the second cab in line. He was there just a few minutes when two groups came out of the front of the hotel and asked the bellman for a cab; the first was a guy in jeans with a small duffel bag, the second was a big family with lots of luggage. The first cabby, seeing the same situation, jumps out of the cab to “tie his shoe”, trying to get the second fare (the family obviously going to the airport) rather than the guy in jeans going god knows where. The first cabbie bending down to his shoe wave my cabbie around and without hesitation, he said he moved around to take the first guy, “the short fare.” Asking the guy in Jeans where he was heading , “the short fare” said he was needed to make a flight at the Tampa Airport in 3 hours and could the cabby get him there in time. Unbelievable!!! The Tampa airport was not quite 100 miles away, yes he could get there in time but the fare would be over $150. The guy in back said no problem, they headed out, and what looked at first to be the “short fare” became the “longest fare” in my cabbies life!

I was blown away by the story and really connected to this simple point of wisdom. You never know what opportunities lay ahead. If you try to game the system, metaphorically “tying your shoes” at the wrong times, you might miss big things! I was reminded by this great story to try to approach every interaction with more openness of what “might” be possible. Whether a moment with a team member, a call on a customer, or a chat with an old friend, it doesn’t really matter. Even the interactions that seem to be nothing more than a “short fare” can become a “long fare” right before our eyes, maybe even a fare to the Tampa Airport!