Dogs or Cats?

Well, it’s been a minute since we’ve had a little tidbit story, probably speaks to all of the busy times we’re all seeing. As I completed my online harassment training, I got to thinking about some of the terms that came out of it, rather than just the overall content. Be Intentional was one that stuck with me, but overall it’s about respecting each other, whether it’s their space, their beliefs, or anything else. I think that our teams do that very well, as we’re quite the diverse group and that’s something I’m personally really proud of. However, not all businesses see it that way, and here’s a great example…. If you know me at all, aside from McDonalds (formerly, since I’ve turned over a new healthy lifestyle) my next favorite place to eat is Waffle House. Well I talked Steph into going with me the other day, needed some bacon, eggs, and sausage to fill my protein quota. When we walked in, something just wasn’t right, it didn’t look for feel like the usual place. Tables needed cleaning, there were only 3 staff members there, which was one cook and two servers. Floor was dirty, we waited a minute for one of the folks to clear and wipe the table, then sat down. Now usually, while the service and quality isn’t Micheline Star, it’s pretty good. Not this evening. We waited a while, then finally a dude comes over, asks what we want to drink. We’re ready, know the menu, so we go ahead and order. If you’ve been there, you know it’s an assembly line, perfectly communicated and executed, orders called out to the cook verbally, who never misses a beat. Again, not this evening. There’s confusion, dissention amongst the troops, and clearly no leader. The food takes forever, it’s barely busy, but finally here it comes. Waffle first, which is a no-no, it’s always last. Then no bacon. Steph is getting agitated, but I said let’s watch this for a minute. Then it gets good. A car pulls in, we see it out the window, and a lady gets out, but the lights stay on and the car is running. In she comes, doesn’t say anything to anyone, and starts sweeping the floor, picking up some plates, wiping things down. She kinda looks important, but we’re not sure, as she’s just doing the thing. Finishes up a little more tidying up, says something to one of the staff, and out the door, back into the running vehicle, and off she goes. I think she’s the manager. Well, the service side doesn’t get any better. Guy comes in for a to-go order, and he’s waiting for a while. A second to-go order gets filled, it’s enough for a small army, and I think that one put the cook over the edge. Now all three staffers are younger, probably need some help and direction, but the manager is down the highway at this point (it’s 6pm) and no where around. Finally, an order comes out and it’s wrong, and then the three staffers start to get into it. One yells at the cook, she looks through her steamed up glasses, says something that we can’t understand, then just throws up the finger. I think she’s walking out, but stays in the fight. They all agree to just not talk to each other, which is hard to do if someone comes in and orders. We’re done, walk up to the counter to pay, and there’s more drama. The credit card machine and the POS aren’t working, I lend a hand with the obligatory “just reboot it”…and that’s didn’t go well. So what happens next you ask? Well, the girl calls the “manager”, I can see her picture on the phone when she dials, but of course has to leave a voicemail cause said manager didn’t pick up. Now not only can they not get the food right, they can’t collect any money. All the while, the to-go dude is still waiting… So I look at my ticket. Then ask the guy what he ordered. My quick math says the total of ours and his will be about $30. So I pull out two twenties, tell the girl this is for us and him, plus tip, we’re leaving. She says, “that’ll work”, which could have been “I’m so sorry, we’re a little understaffed and have some problems, I apologize”. Dude gets his to go, tells us thanks and he leaves too. No respect amongst the team. No leader on site, and if you can call her the leader, certainly no respect for her team, who was in dire need of some help. Throw an apron on if you have to, maybe even turn your car off and plan to stay awhile….but no. I do know that our teams work much better together than this group, at least that’s how I answered my questions on the video…..let’s make sure we do just that. Help each other. Communicate. Respect each other and be aware of their struggles when they need help, and pitch in. Leaders lead. Teams work together. That’s how it works. Don’t, and you are no better than Waffle House #1347 in Waxahachie TX, which unfortunately probably lost us for a while. We’ll just drive up the road to the next one…..which is what disgruntled guests and members do. Let’s don’t allow that!! Now, let’s Go Get Em!

Life is hard. What we do every day is hard. That’s just a fact of life. Our business is one of taking care of so many different people, who want different things, and we must have teams built that can handle and service everyone’s needs to the best possible result. While we have specialized people, experts in agronomy, sales, fitness, culinary, finance and even teaching, that doesn’t even touch some of the things we are charged with daily. Add in the fact that we’re working for owners of assets where they have invested millions of dollars, and we’re responsible for running their business for them, making them money as well as happy. Again, hard, not easy. Why start this message with something each of you should already know? I was sitting at a red light, and looked over and saw a small building, that housed 5 separate businesses. Every store front looked the same, five doors in a row, but with a different business model, a different sign advertising their service. In less than 100 feet of sidewalk, I looked at this and realized just how much someone could get done is this space. First of all, if you needed to get your cell phone repaired, there was a place for that. Next door, you could also get your eyes checked and some new glasses if you wanted or needed to. Need some meds? Walk to the next door, there’s a small pharmacy for all your needs. After that, whether you have an appointment or not, you can go and get a Thai Massage, and feel great walking out afterward. End your little shopping spree at the Condom Sense store, and you’ve had a pretty full day………..but you had to go to 5 different places for what you wanted. Now, all of that in a space that’s about as big as the clubhouse at Riverchase. You can get all of that, but every business owner has the luxury of being focused on just their singular product or service. Us, it’s different. We’re in the business of service as well, but so many different aspects under one roof, or on one piece of property. We sell shirts, clubs, repair broken ones, and even give advice on how to play and utilize them. We need to be someone’s favorite watering hole, with qualified mixologists at the ready every day. Need something to eat, heck we’ve got it from hot dogs to 5 star cuisine, or why not, we’ll go ahead and host 400 happy mouths to feed on Mothers Day, without fail. You can learn to swim, get your tennis racquet strung, have your hamstrings stretched, drop your kids off at some of our places, join a swim team, host 80 of your friends for a booster club golf outing even hit 100 golf balls into our wide open spaces. Oh, and we have to have 150 acres mowed and manicured every day so people can play the game they love, whenever they want to. At some of our clubs, you can play 5 on 5 basketball, get your yoga session in, then go have a nice pizza or salad for lunch. Need breakfast, lunch and dinner? We got ya. We’ll even be the local tree service if a limb is hanging over your wrought iron fence, and never complain about it. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but I think you can see how much we can provide to someone, versus the multitude of places they may have to go if we weren’t there for them. That’s the beauty of what we do. We get the opportunity to be so many things to so many people, some want a lot of it, some want just what they want, and we are allowed to be there and give it to them, all in one place, and with a huge smile on our face. They can Have Fun and Leave Happy, and not have to go down a sidewalk door to door to get it. Our business is one that provides so many services, so much hospitality and happiness, and with all of that in one place, it’s really quite convenient. Maybe that’s why so many people want to be where we are, I certainly hope so. It’s hard to be great at so many things every day, but that’s the fun part of it. If we all have a servant’s heart and mindset, providing a great environment that is full of hospitality and joy, then our one-stop-shop experience will hopefully make everyone happy, even though we know it’s hard. Speaking of hard, my new lifestyle change mentioned a few weeks ago sure isn’t easy. Since I told you I was fat and was going to do something about it, many of you have asked me how it’s going. Again, very hard for me. I haven’t had a white powdered donut in a month, frankly almost zero sugar, and I’ve completely changed my diet and eating habits. No more snacks, my truck now drives past McDonalds without trying to turn itself into the drive thru, and I can open the pantry door and stare down the Cap’n Crunch box and the Little Debbie Oatmeal Crème Pies with a vengeance. I’m doing what I set out to do, and the support of many of you is helping me keep going. Started at 250lbs, after 4 weeks I’m down to 233 as of this morning, and I’ve changed my goal from 215 or so, to a flat 200 pounds. Hopefully by July 1. It’ ain’t fun, it’s hard, but frankly all good things are hard to achieve. Just set your goals, focus 100% of your effort on it, and go make it happen. Maybe when I hit my mark, I’ll reward myself and go get some new glasses and a massage on the corner… Let’s Go Get Em!

Showing up on time. Smiling. Having Fun. Leaving Happy. Building relationships. Caring for others. Supporting your teammates. Doing the little things. Being organized. Having clean restrooms. Making people's day special. Remembering people's name. Giving people your full attention when they are speaking to you. Putting the phone down. Focusing on details. These are all the things we need to be doing every day; we're in the service and hospitality business. They are the staple of our being, and there's a ton more of these little things that could be listed. Things like this have one huge thing in common....they Take No Talent. Take No Talent, or TNT as this was shown to me on a video the other day, is spot on. Most of the things we do in our day-to-day worlds, simply don't take any talent. Other worlds too frankly....if your kid is in sports, and you're one of those parents who think they could be recruited to the next level, I learned this a long time ago with Reid was playing ball. These coaches and recruiters are certainly looking for bigger, stronger, faster, but what they evaluate first, every time/every kid, is what they do that requires no talent. Uniform look solid? Run on and off the field all the time? Team player? Knows what to do? Shakes hand and looks them in the eye when spoken to? Helps clean up the dugout or pick up the balls in the cage? Trust me, they want those kinds of people much more than someone who just runs fast or can hit a slider. How do any of those things just listed above not apply to what we do? Read them again, but not with a sports perspective, but rather that from your current work team. I think you'll quickly see that we don't need a lot of talent to be successful at what we do, or to make sure our customers Have Fun and Leave Happy, it just takes a focus and commitment to doing the right things, the little things, without fail. Those things simply take no talent, you just have to do them. Always remember that old adage...Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn't Work Hard....or just use those three letters - TNT. It takes no talent to provide the environment we strive for. Do those things, and everything we do will be more fun, and more successful. Go Get Em!

Well, I’ve done it. Made a full on commitment to change my life style, it’s going to be hard, but at 65 years old it’s just time. I’ve come to the realization that I can’t keep doing things the way I have been. I’ve taken a hard look, realized it’s time to stop lying to myself and just admit it. I’m fat. And not just fat, but the kind of obesity that makes your knees hurt, back ache, and I’m always feeling bad somewhere. My golf swing has become shorter J Lo’s marriages, mainly because I’m just too heavy and not flexible I can’t go up the stairs without needing to catch my breath. And I’m just flat out tired of looking like I do. So now I’ve told the truth, no need for any of you to agree with me, I’m simply gonna do something about it. Stephanie is trying to inspire me, over the last year and a half she went through a transformation, lost about 35 pounds, and looks amazing. Everyone tells her that too, I just want a little of that. She did it with goals. With discipline. Without any cheating, she just dug in and made it happen. That’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to lose weight, get somewhat fit, and actually go to the doctor and see whatever else needs work and just get it done. Full transparency, I weighed in at 250 pounds the other day, and that may or may not have been my tipping point, it definitely contributed. However, it could have been when I got down on the floor to get something from under a table and couldn’t get back up!! My great niece said “get up Uncle Da, what’s wrong” while she was laughing…..that was it. My goal is to get to 215 pounds. Get there by July. And then stick to it with a regimented lifestyle that completely eliminates the Cap’n Crunch, the Hostess white powered donuts, the late night McDonald’s runs, and the gallons and gallons of sweet tea that have run through my system. There will be exercise, maybe even some help from a trainer, but I’m going to look like I’m supposed to look gosh darn it. And I hope that you will help me, cheer me on, and hopefully appreciate and respect the efforts. Seriously, my main driver isn’t just being fat and not wanting to do that any longer. A big part of it is wanting to be around to see grandkids when they come along. But to be completely honest, it’s each of you. It’s the rest of our ELG team members. I can’t in good conscience lead this group of people if I don’t look like I’m a disciplined, focused and healthy person. Leaders need to look like they can actually lead, while actually leading. They need to inspire, energize and set a great example for everyone to follow. That’s my goal. And speaking of goals, my 215lbs. is just one of them, but it’s my main focus. Easy to check every day, track progress, etc. And if I want to run past that because I’m liking the success I’m having, then so be it. Setting goals, tracking them daily, stacking up daily wins, that’s how I’m going to get this done. Same for you and your business or personal life. If you don’t have a clearly defined goal, or even a few of them, how do you know why you get up and go to work every day? How does your team know what they are working for? With no goals, there’s no reward in my opinion. Set that target, stack days, and achieve whatever it is you want. Personally, that’s easy. As a business, it can get harder due to many factors, but if you’ll set the goal, and make sure that everything you do and that everyone on your team is 100% focused on helping to achieve that, you’ll have less wasted effort and much more success. And what happens if you don’t completely reach the goal? Nothing, other than you are far better than you where when you started….part of our ongoing formula for success “Be Better Today Than Yesterday”. So I’m going to prove to you that setting goals, and putting it out there publicly so everyone can hold me accountable, works. The pressure is on me, and I won’t let myself or any of you down. If I can prove to you that I can have the drive to get to my goals, then you can show us that each of your teams can do exactly the same. Have a purpose, let everyone know what it is, and go get it. Here I go!!

I was in the airport the other day, had a little time and needed a bite to eat. There’s a pizza place, looked pretty good so I go over. It goes downhill fast from there, and what happened was just further proof just how far the decline in service and awareness at many places has fallen. I walk up to the counter, no one there. About a minute later, a guy comes up, has this look on his face and tells me “I’m just a technician working in the back, I can’t run the register, but I can get you a pizza, and you just pay later”. Weird, that I’m being served by the HVAC guy or that he even suggests serving me. I look over there’s only one pepperoni on the rack, it’s got some burnt edges on it, so I pass. “I’ll just wait on the server”… Tech proceeds to inform me that he’s in the restroom, and it’s probably going to be about 10 minutes. My imagination has now begun to run wild, my gut tells me to go elsewhere, but not me, I’m gonna see this through. I tell the tech, hell I’ll just eat the burnt one, so he puts it in the oven for a minute to heat it up, or to punish the poor burnt pizza just a bit more and delivers it to me. He even tries to take a knife and cut some of the black edges off, I tell him I’m good, just hand it over. No problem he says, just pay later. Now I’m sitting down, eating my charred pie, when out comes the real pizza guy. Big dude, dressed in all black, with hair that looks like he was caught in a scene from Twister. My first thought was about a potential lack of hygiene. Second thought was about the 10-minute sabbatical in the back and if it was needed, or just him sitting there watching reels on Instagram. But if you know me, when I’m ready to eat, I just keep going. He notices I already have a pizza, seems a bit puzzled, but I say the other guy got me, I just need a coke and to pay him. He asked if it is for here or to go, I think that’s a scripted question, since I was already sitting down and eating right in front of him. Here, just a coke, so he grabs my plastic cup, fills it with ice and soda, grabs the top of the cup with his large restroom fingers, and passes it across. Anyone else, including each of you, says nope, starts over, or is at the chicken place across the way. Me, I’m all in, already thinking about how many mistakes are happening here, and unfortunately not even considering whether or not this guy in his Jelly Roll starter kit even washed his hands after being in the bathroom for more than the 10 minute allotment. Pizza was great, I used a straw for the first time in years, paid and tipped the dude, and just moved on. This kind of stuff really shouldn’t be acceptable, but I’m betting it happens there all the time. Never saw a Manager, who knows how well this guy or others are being trained, supervised, led. Betting it happens elsewhere too. But I certainly hope it doesn’t happen at any of our operations. Bad communication, other than the clear direction to the tech that there would be a 10 minute blackout in service... too much information from the tech…obviously not enough staff to compensate for a bathroom break. Sanitation, doubtful. Perfect food prep and presentation, nope. The tech tried to make it right with the knife, but no gloves, etc... wrong. And the coke. My wife watches servers like a hawk. Her #1 focus is always on how a server or bartender delivers a glass. Hold it on the sides, never at the top where your mouth comes in contact with your previously uses restroom hands... do that and she sends it back. Embarrassing at times, but also fun to watch. Not everything is great all the time, but the effort has to be there. Whatever you do, don’t do it like this place. Present yourself well, be attentive and aware of your customers, your surroundings, etc. And never let the HVAC guy take your order… Go Get em!

I heard someone the other day, talking about confidence

Here you go with some fun facts you may not know

Hold Each Other Accountable

Which attitude do you want to have whenever you face any sort of adversity?