Ah, the golden key to loyalty among the ranks! Here it is: Invite your team to stick around for the long haul, but if they decide to fly the coop, assure them they'll be leaving with a shinier resume. It's about having those real talks, not just about the gig but about their grand life adventure.
My very first right-hand person was a bright-eyed woman student from my Kent State days, back when I was juggling teaching with getting my first venture off the ground.
Fast forward through time, and I've had the pleasure of crossing paths with over 5,000 souls. The mantra's always been the same: "Pour your heart and soul into what you do here, and you'll walk away with skills that'll stick with you for life."
Fast forward a couple of decades, and there's my son and I, hosting these heart-to-heart workshops for the Raising Cane’s crew. We dove into our pasts, took stock of the now, and then dared to dream about the future. The air was thick with aspirations – from finishing school to launching their own ventures.
We called it the “Life Bridge” exercise. It was all about mapping out the bridges we've crossed and pinpointing the ones we've yet to build.
Noble endeavor? I wouldn't go that far. Every so often, someone from the crew would pop the question: "Why help us move on?" Our go-to response? "Aiming high only makes you shine brighter while you're with us."
Revolutionary concept? Hardly. My brothers got a leg up from their IBM days back in the '60s. Me? I cut my teeth in the mad world of Madison Avenue advertising, soaking up skills revered across the industry. And let me tell you, Raising Cane’s is no stranger to being recognized for its stellar culture and training.
What's more, this approach eases the sting of goodbyes. Letting someone go feels a tad less heavy when you know they're better equipped for what's next. And when a star player bids farewell, it's with a hearty "thank you" because we've both grown from the experience.
Human relations are as unpredictable as the weather because, well, humans. But any outfit that's truly dedicated to its people has a clear edge, especially in today's world where options abound. Culture is king.
There was this wise coach who once said players only really want to know three things: "Can I count on you? Are you all about excellence? And do you genuinely care about me?" And he wasn't just talking about their skills on the field, but about them as individuals.
By genuinely embracing that last question, we're not just building teams; we're crafting powerhouse organizations.
Being open and showing you truly care not only strengthens your culture but also fortifies your organization from the inside out.
* * *
Note to my readers: This issue is dedicated to my son, Kevin, for the years he served as my partner in marketing. He has moved on to a broader entrepreneur career now and so he has better things to do than create, edit, and update every list, every communication and every presentation I’ve done since 2011. He was also kind enough to accompany me in the early days of each Vistage presentation to coach me into a top 30 speaker among their 1,500. Since our boy is also an accomplished singer and songwriter, I am featuring one of his own pieces as my Song of the Month.
Peace.
Tim McCarthy
Quote of the Month:
Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication…In the long run—in the long run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it.
---Viktor Frankl
Song of the Month: “I Am” (featuring Ray Flanagan) by Kevin McCarthy
Favorite Lyric:
““I am, I am, who I will be
Loving truth is all I see””
Book of the Month: Death at La Fenice -- by Donna Leon
Editor’s note: Editor’s note: If you are a fan of well-written detective mysteries, this one (Leon’s first of many) will thrill you. I’ll now be looking into following her fascinating and flawed protagonist, Guido Brenetti.
Favorite excerpt (What an opening!):
“The third gong, announcing that the opera was about to continue, sounded discreetly through the lobbies and bars of Teatro La Fenice. In response, the audience stabbed, out cigarettes, finished drinks and conversations, and started to filter back into the theater. The hall, brightly lit between acts, hummed with the talk of those returning to their seats. Here a jewel flashed, there a mink cape was adjusted over a naked shoulder or an infinitesimal speck of dust was flicked from a satin lapel. The upper galleries filled up first, followed by the orchestra seats and then the three rows of boxes.
The lights dimmed, the hall grew dark, and the tension created by an ongoing performance mounted as the audience waited for the conductor to reappear on the podium. Slowly the hum of voices faded, the members of the orchestra stopped fidgeting in their seats, and the universal silence announced everyone’s readiness for the third and final act.
The silence lengthened, grew heavy.”
Joke of the Month: A Funny Thing
I’ve been trying to think lately about true stories that happened that are funny enough for a laugh and this one came to me today:
It was one of my first big presentations for my job at a New York Ad Agency. As the junior guy, I was assigned to hit the button on the video to play our TV commercial reel. About a minute before it was time, a colleague leaned over to me and whispered, “Tim, I changed the tape – I loaded the ‘Debbie Does Dallas’ video.” The next couple minutes were the longest of my young life. Sweat was pouring off me when I finally hit the play button. Of course, it was the commercial reel and not the movie so you can imagine the abuse that I took at lunch after the pitch.
