Help me get 1000 posts

[The Story Teller]

July 27
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Grandy’s Restaurants
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“Our goal is to please the customer, and everything we do is designed for that purpose.”
—Bill Shaw, president of Grandy’s
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Over forty years ago, two teenagers worked busing tables in a Dallas cafeteria. Their American Dream was to someday own their own restaurant. Ed Johnson and Rex Sanders paid attention to what worked and what didn’t work in the food industry. In 1973 they believed they had devised the formula for a restaurant that would fit in a niche between fast-food hamburger outlets and expensive restaurants. Their Grandy’s restaurant was based on their three-part goal of providing better food, better service, and a better dining experience. Instead of burgers and fries, they offered a plate lunch with meat and vegetables. Their “sinnamon” roll desserts were baked from scratch.

The Grandy’s philosophy concentrated not only on matching fast-food restaurants’ speed of service, but on being different. The owners originally targeted those in the twenty-five-and-older age group who were looking for a family restaurant. To provide that kind of ambience, Grandy’s often used a friendly Grandy’s hostess, dressed up like the grandmotherly Grandy, to make customers feel at home by giving them individual attention, refilling tea glasses, and chatting. The Grandy hostess is a part of the relaxed, neighborly atmosphere that makes eating a more enjoyable experience. The initial years of careful planning and plain hard work made Grandy’s one of the fastest growing restaurant chains in America.

Consider This: Even when it appears the big corporations have a market sewn up, there may still be successful niches that can be carved out.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

July 28
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Jack Telnack of Ford
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“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.”
—Peter Drucker
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In 1980 Jack Telnack, chief designer for Ford Motor Company, was given the opportunity to create a new American automobile. It would be the car that would lead Ford into the 1990s. In the 1960s, before coming to Ford, Jack had designed powerboats for the Trojan Boat Company. Perhaps it was the sleek, stylish lines of a boat that crept into the design of the new Ford car. The new vehicle, as Jack saw it, had to be efficient and had to give the appearance of speed, even when standing still. Jack was also aware that good looks are not everything, that the car’s appearance had to enhance its function; otherwise, it would be a sculpture and not a vehicle.

As head of a 550-person staff, Telnack no longer drew designs himself. Instead, he provided inspiration, leadership, and guidance. He sought out the best ideas in automobile design and promoted their use in the new car. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, the automobile that would become the Ford Taurus began to take shape. “It was a very well calculated risk,” Telnack says. “We wanted the customers to feel a bit uncomfortable with the design.” Such an approach enables a new design to last longer without becoming too commonplace. Being careful not to go too far in front of public taste, the design team created a new look for Ford that was so successful it was soon reflected in other models in the company’s line. Indeed, the novel design of the Taurus set the standard for other automakers to follow into the twenty-first century.

Consider This: Form must follow function. It is great to be good-looking, but it is awesome to be both good-looking and useful.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

July 29
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Stew Leonard
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“If you want to attract attention, make an everyday chore exciting and fun.”
—A. C. Elliott
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Executives from major corporations have gone to Stew Leonard’s store in Norwalk, Connecticut, to learn lessons from the master. In 1969, when the Leonard family farm was split by a new highway, they decided to take advantage of the traffic by setting up a small dairy store. Stew used ideas from two of his heroes, Dale Carnegie and Walt Disney, to develop his store into something special. From Disney, Leonard learned the virtues of “Cleanliness, quality, and fun.” From Carnegie, he learned, “Successful people are the few / Who focus in and follow through” and “Lower the price / Sell the Best / Word of Mouth / Does the rest.”

From a small start, his store expanded more than two dozen times. When it reached 100,000 square feet, it was the largest dairy store in the world. Carved into a three-ton granite bolder outside the store are “Leonard’s Rules,” which state, “Rule 1: The customer is always right! Rule 2: If the customer is wrong, reread Rule 1.” Entertainment provided for customers has included a glass-enclosed dairy plant, a cow that moos at the press of a button, a petting zoo, and a singing eight-foot robot dog. The store’s walls are covered with employee diplomas from Dale Carnegie and pictures of customers holding Stew Leonard bags. One picture shows a customer at the Kremlin, one is from atop the Great Wall of China, and one is from the floor of the Pacific Ocean. All of this hoopla has translated into a staggering success.

Consider This: People want to have a good time, even when shopping. They want to feel like they are at Disneyland, and they want to be treated like royalty. Give them that, and they will come in droves.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

July 30
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The Flight of Voyager
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“Who never walks where he sees men’s tracks, makes no discoveries.”
—J. G. Holland
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America is a land of invention. We are a people searching to go where no one has been, to do what no one has done, and to imagine what no one has imagined. Jeana Yeager and Dick Rutan imagined a pioneering aeronautical feat. Jeana grew up in Texas. She worked first as a draftsperson but decided to take up flying. It was at an air show that she met Rutan, who, along with his brother, owned the Rutan Aircraft Factory in Mojave, California. Jeana had been flying for ten years, and Rutan convinced her to come to Mojave as a test pilot. One day as Jeana, Dick, and brother Burt were having lunch, the conversation turned to the possibility of setting up an aircraft sales business. They had the background, but how could they develop a concept that would make people pay attention?

Jeana, Dick, and Burt began considering the long-distance flying record. The previous record for distance was 12,532 miles, set by a B-52 bomber in 1962. They would not only try to beat that record, they would double it on a non-stop flight around the world. With a little backing from some parts and material manufacturers, the Rutans and Yeager began to design the plane. The result was Voyager, which weighed only 1,860 pounds empty but would weigh 9,400 pounds when fueled and loaded for takeoff. The plane was slightly damaged on takeoff, and the round-the-world trip was complicated by a typhoon and unexpected storms. Yeager was badly bruised in the turbulence, and at times the pilots became disoriented due to exhaustion. Still, the record-breaking flight was a success. American ingenuity had done it again.

Consider This: Progress is never made by doing the same old thing. Set out to accomplish something new.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

July 31
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Cybill Shepherd
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“He who has not tasted bitter does not know what sweet is.”
—German maxim
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If Cybill Shepherd appears “gutsy” in many roles, it is appropriate. Named after her grandfather Cy and her father, Bill, Cybill grew up in Tennessee, where she excelled in school and athletics. At age sixteen, she entered and won the Miss Teenager Memphis title, and at eighteen she won a contest for Fashion Model of the Year. Cybill suddenly became a hot property as the new cover-girl sensation. Director Peter Bogdanovich, who was looking for a lead for his movie The Last Picture Show, saw one of those covers. He went to New York and convinced Cybill to take the part. The pair collaborated on several movies, and Cybill’s star was rising rapidly among the Hollywood crowd. Then came the crash as Cybill fell on hard times with the critics. Rolling Stone reported that “her fall from grace was steep and rocky.”

Cybill became a liability and was shunned by producers. When Bogdanovich tried to get her a lead role in the 1976 movie Nickelodeon, he found that Cybill was unmarketable. Cybill left Hollywood and returned to Memphis, where she spent several years appearing in regional stage productions. She gained new acting experience and new confidence in her abilities. Cybill’s star was relighted with the debut of the sassy television detective show Moonlighting in 1984. After a rather slow start, the show was ranked in the Nielson top twenty by the end of its first season. In 1986 the show received sixteen Emmy nominations, and in 1988 Cybill Shepherd’s commemorative star was placed on Hollywood Boulevard.

Consider This: When everyone is against you, it is easy to give up. It takes guts to fall back, improve your technique, and re-enter the fray.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 1
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Cracker Jack
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“It is a difficult matter to argue with the belly, since it has no ears.”
—Marcus Porcius Cato
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In 1871 F. W. Rueckheim came to Chicago to help with the clean-up after the great fire had destroyed much of the city. Rueckheim was a German immigrant who had saved $200 working as a farmhand and wanted to carve out his own piece of the American Dream. Once in Chicago, he decided to use his money to go into the popcorn business, and he and a partner set up a small stand at 113 Federal Street. Rueckheim eventually bought out his partner, and his brother Louis joined him in 1873. Together the brothers purchased some candy-making equipment to expand their product line. They added marshmallows and other confections to their growing business and in 1893 began selling their wares at the Chicago World’s Fair. One of the Rueckheims’ products was a tasty blend of popcorn, peanuts, and molasses.

Demand for the new treat continued to increase, and the brothers outgrew their production capacity more than once. When Louis gave a sample of the product to a salesman, the man exclaimed, “That’s a Cracker Jack!” “So it is,” replied Rueckheim, who the proceeded to trademark the name. Another customer provided the slogan “The more you eat, the more you want.” In 1910 the Cracker Jack box began carrying coupons that were redeemable for prizes, and the company’s hallmark “prize in every package” made its first appearance in 1912.

Consider This: Give the customers what they want, then give them a little extra. Without satisfied customers, there is no business.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 2
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Telly Savalas
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“There is an hour appointed in each man’s life to make his happiness, if he then seizes it.”
—Beaumont and Fletcher
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You never know where life will take you. Aristotle (Telly) Savalas graduated from Columbia University with the intention of pursuing a career in diplomatic service. He began working at the State Department and expected to remain there until retirement. After a few years, however, he accepted an executive position with ABC’s television news division. While there, he won several major awards. As a favor to a talent-agent friend who was having trouble finding an actor with a certain accent, Telly took a small role in a motion picture. Burt Lancaster saw the film and recruited Savalas to appear in Birdman of Alcatraz. In this first major role, Telly was nominated for an Oscar.

After his triumph in Birdman, Telly next played Pontius Pilate in The Greatest Story Ever Told (in which he first shaved his head) and landed starring roles in The Dirty Dozen with Lee Marvin, Kiss of Death with Richard Widmark, and many other movies. But even though he had appeared in sixty films, Telly admits that people still called him “what’s-his-name.” Finally, in 1973, the television series Kojak elevated Savalas to superstar status. Even though Kojak has been out of production since 1978, it is still seen throughout the world in reruns. Telly Savalas never planned to become an actor, but he took a chance to do something different with his life and made the most of the opportunity when it came.

Consider This: Keep your mind open for opportunities that may provide you with new adventures you never expected could happen.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 3
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Selling Yourself
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“A man’s success in handling people is the very yardstick by which the outcome of his whole life’s work is measured.”
—Dr. Paul Parker
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There is a difference in being an “order taker” and being a salesperson. High school students can be hired to “take orders” at McDonald’s or at the local department store. In sales, there is an important step to becoming a professional. Most professional sales relationships are more than just a single chance encounter, such as would occur at a grocery store or a fast-food restaurant. In fact, the relationship is much like a marriage. There is a courtship, a consummation of the deal, and involvement that continues after the sale is made. The quality of the “marriage” depends on how well the seller manages the relationship. If the marriage is good, the seller’s reputation is enhanced and there will be opportunities for more sales. If it is bad, the seller’s reputation is tarnished and sales will dry up.

This sales relationship occurs even if we are not pursuing sales as a career. We sell ourselves to our employer, to other business associates, and to our friends. In every case, we must follow through after the sale. We must recognize that there are competitors lurking around every corner. Service after the sale builds the relationship generates repeat business. Honesty in the relationship builds trust. Being there when troubles surface builds loyalty. Good sales relationships build referrals, recommendations, and more opportunities to make another sale.

Consider This: Relationships do not just happen. Like a marriage, they require time, commitment, and energy. Give of yourself to others, and you will see friendships develop.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 4
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Amelia Earhart
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“As soon as we left ground, I knew I myself had to fly.”
—Amelia Earhart on her first flight
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Amelia Earhart was barely five years old when Orville and Wilbur Wright made their famous first flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. She may not have known it at the time, but it was a turning point in her life. As a bright student, Amelia dreamed big dreams. She read the newspaper and cut out clippings of famous first events. She was particularly impressed when a woman achieved a great feat or landed a notable job. However, Amelia had trouble finding a field in which she could make her own mark on history. Then, one day in 1920, her father took her to an air show.

Inspired by what she had seen, Amelia took her first plane ride a few days after the show. She was exhilarated! She found a woman pilot and began taking lessons—which cost $1 a minute—and in time became an accomplished pilot herself. Amelia set a women’s altitude record while still a student pilot, climbing to 14,000 feet above sea level without bottled oxygen. In 1928, accompanied by two male aviators, she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic by plane, and in 1932, Amelia became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Taking off from Canada, Amelia began experiencing trouble just four hours into that journey. She encountered a severe storm and lost her fuel gauge and two navigational instruments, but doggedly continued flying east until she spotted Ireland. Amelia Earhart continued to set aviation records, but she was lost over the Pacific in 1937 while on her greatest adventure, an attempt to circumnavigate the globe.

Consider This: If you dare to be great, set high goals for yourself. Go where no one has dared go before, and enjoy the ride while it lasts.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 5
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The Pet Rock
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“Some Pet Rock owners have found that the ticking of an alarm clock placed near the box has a soothing effect, especially at night.”
—From the Pet Rock manual
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In 1975 Gary Dahl introduced what is perhaps the most unusual fad of all time, the Pet Rock. The craze lasted only one Christmas season, then it was gone. Some called the pet rock stupid, but the concept made Gary a millionaire. The idea came to Gary while he and some friends were relaxing at a local pub. After listening to everyone else talk about the woes of owning a pet, Gary said, “My pet is no trouble at all.... I have a pet rock.” Making up the tale as he went, he told his friends about the care and feeding of his imaginary companion. Everyone had a good laugh and then swapped jokes for another hour. Gary left the pub feeling that the pet rock was an idea worth thinking about.

A former copywriter, Gary at first wrote a book about owning a pet rock, following the format of a popular dog owners’ manual. He soon revised his idea and decided to market an actual rock with a small instruction manual attached. Luck, coupled with persistence, resulted in publicity about Gary’s novel idea in major newspapers and magazines. As word of the novelty spread, the Pet Rock began to sell like gangbusters, and Gary had to work virtually twenty-four hours a day to keep up with the orders. But he sensed that the craze would remain popular for only one Christmas season. Gary was correct, and sales fell off as quickly as they had soared. Although its popularity was short-lived, very few things have ever approached the success of the Pet Rock.

Consider This: Fads have short life spans. If you can’t get in and make a profit quickly, you may lose your shirt.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 6
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Maytag
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“All will come out in the washing.”
—Cervantes
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At the turn of the century Fred Maytag and several of his friends were busy running a small business in Newton, Iowa, that made farm machinery. They were fairly successful, but sales were very seasonal. In an attempt to stabilize sales, the partners decided to diversify and began to make other products. One of their ideas was the Pastime Washer, which they introduced in 1907. The device consisted of a cypress-wood tub that was fitted with hand-operated washing blades and had grooves in the interior that imitated the function of a conventional washboard. Fred’s company tried other products as well and, like almost every other manufacturer in America at the time, attempted to crack the burgeoning automobile market. The Maytag automobile was introduced in 1909, but it was not successful.

By 1920, when Fred resigned from the company, Maytag washers were its dominant product. The company continued to concentrate on making its washers more innovative and introduced such features as an all-aluminum tub and gentle blades that worked better than those of competing brands. In 1923 Maytag dropped its other product lines, and as a result, its sales rose from the 1921 level of $1.25 million to $28.7 million in 1925. The company continued to hold a leadership position in the washer industry until it was overtaken by Whirlpool in 1950.

Consider This: Once you know what you do best, focus your attention on that one occupation and eliminate those tasks that distract you from your main business.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 7
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The Backward Broad Jump
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“Every problem contains within itself the seeds of its own solution.”
—Stanley Arnold
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When something has been done a certain way for a long period of time, we often lose the ability to consider other techniques that might work better. This is much like not being able to see the forest for the trees. If we lack the ability to duplicate a feat that someone else has accomplished, maybe we should look at the problem from another perspective or try to overcome it in a different way. In The Executive Breakthrough, author Auren Uris relates the story of a young teenager named Stanley Arnold. Stanley was not athletic; he did poorly in most sports and was no match for the rest of his class in the broad jump. As Stanley tried to practice, without success, an idea occurred to him: Maybe he could jump backward! It was at least worth trying, and as it turned out, the idea worked and Stanley was soon beating his classmates. After perfecting the technique, Stanley eventually became the world’s first backward broad jumper.

As an adult, Stanley formed his own company, Stanley Arnold & Associates. Employing the same concept of creative thinking that changed his athletic life, Stanley now specializes in finding unique ways for companies to solve business problems. His novel approach to broad jumping taught Stanley an important lesson: Look at problems from all angles and without prejudice for how others have approached the problem in the past. The solution may be simple if we can set aside our preconceived notions about how things ought to work.

Consider This: Do you have some problems that deserve a fresh and unique look?

 

[The Story Teller]

June 8
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Post-It Notes
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Self-trust is the essence of heroism.”
—Emerson
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Art Fry, a scientist at 3M, was singing in the choir of North Presbyterian Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, and trying to mark his place in the hymnal with small pieces of paper. However, when he opened the book, the slips would invariably fall out. “What if there where a little adhesive on the paper to keep it in place?” Art thought to himself. He remembered a novel adhesive that had been invented some years earlier by another 3M scientist, Dr. Spencer Silver, and for over a year, Art conducted experiments to bring his adhesive bookmark to fruition. The work was not officially sanctioned, but 3M’s corporate culture allows people to spend some of their time developing new ideas.

The right formula for the adhesive was difficult to determine. It had to be strong enough to hold the paper in place, but not so strong that it damaged the surface to which it adhered. Instead of using the pieces of paper as bookmarks, Art began to write notes on them and then stick them on things. He called the invention Post-It Notes. Sensing success, Art began to pass the notes out at meetings and finally got people at 3M to take notice, although there were still those who failed to see the value of the product. The company’s first attempt at selling Post-It Notes was a disaster, but when the marketing department finally began passing out samples, the product took off like wildfire. Today, Post-It Notes are considered to be possibly the most important invention at 3M since Scotch brand transparent tape.

Consider This: It often takes a champion, someone who really believes in a product, to push it past the corporate doubters to success in the marketplace. Does your organization encourage such champions?

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 9
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The Levi’s Mystique
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“Chance favors the prepared mind.”
—Louis Pasteur
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Since their introduction during the California gold rush of the mid-1800s, Levi’s jeans have been known for their durability and comfort. Yet, there are probably other brands of pants that are just as comfortable and durable. What has made Levi’s jeans stand out among the literally hundreds of brands of slacks that can be found on clothing racks throughout the country? Part of the success of Levi’s jeans can be traced to their association with the culture of the West. Until the 1930s, when Easterners discovered Levi’s at popular dude ranches, the jeans were mostly sold to Westerners and real cowboys. Their popularity was on the rise when World War II began. When the government declared the jeans to be an essential commodity, available only to defense workers, Levi’s became even more scarce and valuable.

In the westerns of the thirties and forties, heroes like Gary Cooper and Roy Rogers wore jeans. Then, in the fifties, a new crop of screen idols, among them James Dean and Marlon Brando, further popularized jeans by wearing them in such generational classics as Rebel Without a Cause and The Wild Ones. Levi Strauss & Company has continually capitalized on the mystique of its jeans through heavy advertising in virtually all media. However, the most important advertising is the kind that cannot be bought. The association of the product with heroes and matinee idols has made Levi’s jeans a staple of almost every American family.

Consider This: It is often those chance (or planned) exposures of a product through popular media that are more valuable than any paid advertising.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 10
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Grace Hopper on Leadership
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“If everyone is thinking alike, then no one is thinking.”
—Gen. George S. Patton
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To many people in the computer industry, Grace Hopper is known as the “mother of computer programming.” In an industry usually dominated by men, she stands as a pioneer. When Hopper worked on IBM’s first computer, the Mark I, during World War II, computers consisted of a series of delicate electro-mechanical switches. Hopper recalls that the computer wouldn’t work one day and that a painstaking search of the equipment revealed a dead moth in one of the switches. The moth was removed and taped in the day’s journal. Hopper, who was an ensign in the navy, noted that she had “debugged” the computer—thus becoming the first person ever to use that phrase. Hopper played a major role in developing programming languages for computers. She remained in the navy until 1986, when she retired as a rear admiral.

In a CBS interview, Hopper related her thoughts on leadership: “Somewhere along the line we lost our leadership. Quality of leadership is a two-way street. It is loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect your superior; keep him informed what you’re up to, and take care of your crew. When the going gets rough, you cannot manage a man into battle, you must lead him. You manage things, you lead people.” Then she revealed a secret: “[Leaders], when in doubt, don’t ask, just do; many times it is easier to apologize than to get permission. The big rewards go to the people who take the big risks. A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what a ship is built for.”

Consider This: Do you believe in something enough to be a leader? Will you take the risk involved? Are you prepared to take the responsibility for failure as well as for success?

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 11
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Buster Brown
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“Never forget a customer, never let a customer forget you.”
—Unknown
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If you don’t know the Buster Brown Shoes character, you must have been living somewhere other than the United States. It is one of the most widely known symbols in American marketing. Buster Brown is also one of the first characters ever used to promote a product. The Brown Shoe Company was founded in 1878 and produced a line of shoes for boys and girls. In 1902 cartoonist Richard Outcault introduced a comic strip based on Buster Brown, his sister Mary Jane, and their dog Tige. John Bush, a sales executive for the Brown Shoe Company, recognized the sales potential that a tie-in with the cartoon character would create, and he soon purchased the rights to use Buster Brown to promote Brown Shoes. The problem was that the Brown Shoe Company did not buy exclusive rights to the character, and the firm’s owners were taken aback when the Buster Brown character was also used to promote whiskey and tobacco.

Bush was determined to make Brown Shoes’ image of Buster Brown stick and hired a series of midgets to tour the country in costume. Ed Ansley devoted twenty-eight years to performing in a Buster Brown outfit and wore out five dogs in the process. With the advent of radio and television, Ed McConnell became Buster Brown. Today, surveys show that the Buster Brown logo is still widely recognized. In fact, many of the customers who bought their own pair of Buster Brown Shoes in the forties and fifties are now buying the same brand of footwear for their children.

Consider This: The recognition of a logo can have long-term benefits and can even last from generation to generation.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 12
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W. Edward Demming
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“I told them Japanese quality could be the best in the world instead of the worst.”
—W. Edward Demming
​

American industry wasn’t interested in his message, so W. Edward Demming took his quality gospel to Japan. In the years following World War II, everyone knew that the label “Made in Japan” was synonymous with cheap and poorly constructed products. In 1949, to help get Japanese industry back on its feet, Demming presented an eight-day lecture series. He described to Japanese business leaders how they could stop making the worst products in the world by adopting the management principles of statistical quality control. Some of the industrialists adopted Demming’s advice, implemented his techniques, and launched what many contend is the world’s most influential quality revolution.

After World War II, U.S. companies didn’t have to worry much about quality. They could sell virtually everything they made. It was not until Japanese cars and electronics surpassed American products in reliability and sales that American industry began to consider Demming’s quality message. It was Demming’s belief that, rather than placing responsibility for product quality on inspectors at the end of the manufacturing process, quality should begin at the design stage and continue throughout production to give workers at every level the power to make improvements. Today, companies that have adopted Demming’s quality message have seen vast improvements in product quality and in their ability to compete globally.

Consider This: A memo does not implement quality. Quality comes from a passionate commitment to be the best.

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 13
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Charles Spahr
​

“A business may prosper temporarily because of fortuitous circumstances, but in the long run an enterprise needs a management team that can effectively respond to change in the environment in which it operates.”
—Charles Spahr
​

Until the 1950s, Sohio, a part of the original Standard Oil empire, was content to operate within the borders of Ohio and to stay only in the oil business. When Charles Spahr, a longtime Sohio veteran, became president in 1959, he began looking at ways to move the company into a new era of growth and prosperity. “He shook the company like a terrier grabbing a mouse,” as one executive put it. Sohio expanded its gasoline operations outside Ohio in 1962. It also diversified into such related fields as plastics and oil-shale mining, and intensified its research on synthetic fibers and other oil-related products.

To make those changes work, Spahr had to transform company management and employee thinking. Placing a high priority on productivity, Spahr put people in responsible positions because of their ability and not because of seniority. He developed systems for inspiring and rewarding all employees for superior achievement. An innovative compensation program helped both managers and employees develop an “ownership attitude” and unity of purpose. Sohio’s streamlining and positive motivation worked because of Spahr’s ability to sell his ideas. The result was a memorable turnaround for Sohio from a stale company to a growing concern.

Consider This: When an organization becomes stale, it is time for a new look at how things are done. Perhaps it is time to shake up the status quo like “a terrier grabbing a mouse.”

Submitted by Richard

 

[The Story Teller]

June 14
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Booker T. Washington
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“You must understand the troubles of that man farthest down before you can help him.”
—Booker T. Washington
​

America has long been a country of opportunity, but for African Americans in the South, there have been special problems to overcome. One person who provided a model for education and advancement of his people was Booker T. Washington. Born a slave in 1856, his family walked to West Virginia when he was nine, and he began attending school at night after working in a mine during the day. Adopting the name Washington, he left home at age sixteen to attend school in Hampton, Virginia. When he graduated, he was given a place on the faculty.

Sometime later, in Tuskegee, Alabama, a white merchant and a black workman joined together to establish a school for African Americans. After securing $2,000 in funding from the state legislature, they invited Washington to become the school’s principal. When he arrived, Washington asked to be shown the school. “There isn’t any—yet,” he was told. The school opened in a borrowed church, and Washington began searching for money. People from both races contributed to the school, and many white Southerners were greatly impressed by Washington’s sincerity, intelligence, and commitment. He called on people to “invest in the Negro race” and was an able spokesman for the cause. When he approached railway magnate Collis Huntington for a donation and he was offered just $2, Washington persisted. As a result, Huntington gave $50,000 to the school and later donated the money for a new building, which was named Huntington Hall.

Consider This: Gentle and persistent persuasion is often the best method for bringing a person to your way of thinking.

Submitted by Richard

 

[Sayci]

Where are you getting all of these? (This may be a dumb question )