Company Blog
How are you today?
by Adam Zack — October 22, 2025
“Strive to ask interesting questions that often turn into stories and conversations.”
Everyday, as I encounter people I know and strangers, my standard greeting is something along the lines of “Hi, how are you today?” and they respond something like “Good, how are you?” and I say “Great, thanks.” I think it’s “Greeting Small Talk”. And I really dislike small talk. It’s mostly insincere and a silence filler. It’s not engaging and it really doesn’t require you to be “present” or even really care. I think about it a lot, and often vow not to reply the same way, but can’t seem to break the habit. So I was listening to David Sedaris (a terrific observational writer if you’ve never read any of his books) and he talked about how he meets a lot of people on his book tours and speaking engagements. He strives to ask interesting questions that often turn into stories in his essays. One that really made me laugh was when he asked a woman if she had ever touched a monkey. She replied “Oh, can you smell it on me?” Turns out she volunteered with some kind of monkey rescue organization. So I thought of some questions that I will try and ask instead of the small talk “how you doing?”
The Green Grass
by Adam Zack — October 15, 2025
“Finding great employees is always difficult…”
A lot of people think there’s greener pastures for them out there. They look to switch jobs often, always thinking that they can do better. Or that their current job is just too hard. Or the boss looks at them funny. Or they are just not appreciated. And a lot of times those things are true. I remember one of my very good friends who also worked for me wanting to start a seafood restaurant about 30 years ago. We have a great relationship, so he sought my advice. We weighed the pros and cons, expenses and benefits, trying to see the grass ahead and if it could indeed be greener. He had my support, whatever he decided. (I’m here to help think things through, not hold anyone back.) Ultimately, he decided not to hop the fence and has made a career and life for himself that he can be very proud of. As leaders of people who often seek greener grass over the fence without really looking down at the grass they are standing on, what can we do? Finding great employees is always difficult, so how can our grass be the greenest in town? Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck said: “People think the grass is greener over there. The grass is greener where you water it the most.” As the head groundskeepers of o...
read moreFamiliarity
by Adam Zack — October 8, 2025
Familiarity may breed contempt, but she wears blinders after a while and if you don’t see her, she’ll bite.”
Most everyone has heard the phrase “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I have to admit, I never really thought about what it meant. I used it, but not correctly. Defined, it means:
“The more you know someone (or something) too well, the less respect or admiration you may have for them. In other words, when people spend too much time together or become overly comfortable, small flaws and habits that once went unnoticed start to irritate or annoy. The phrase warns that too much closeness can erode appreciation — what once felt special can become ordinary or even bothersome.”
Personally, I have found that not to be true. For me, familiarity breeds comfort, trust and mutual caring. But I can see where with some relationships, personal and business, familiarity leads to jealousy, resentment and lack of appreciation – all such negative emotions. So I didn’t even start planning this blog with that in mind. Not at all. I was thinking how familiarity – seeing the same thing every day, like the entrance to your store, the display cases, the restrooms ...
read moreTaste!
by Adam Zack — October 1, 2025
“Great service is largely controllable, and largely universally appreciated.”
I have a friend who is a bourbon tasting ninja. He’s like the Tom Brady of tasting. A chess grandmaster. Tiger Woods in his prime. Michael Jordan at the buzzer. Not in terms of the quantity of bourbon that he tastes or can drink, it’s his ability to translate all the flavors, scents and sensations into words that once you read them and taste it, make you say, “Oh yeah! I get that now. Scents of apples… caramel on the finish!” Here’s an example of his description of an Elijah Craig 9-year-old Single Barrel Bourbon:
Nose: The nose opens with soft baking spices, warm caramel sauce, fudge brownies and fragrant cedar wood.Palate: Chunky peanut butter, cinnamon, chocolate chunk cookies and vanilla sweet cream.Finish: A rich finish of Snickers candy bar chased with a shot of cinnamon-spice latte. There is also a small amount of menthol and oak present to give it some depth.I read that and thought, “Huh? What? Chunky peanut butter, not smooth?! Menthol?!” Now I know this all sounds super geeky. Most of us would say, “Tastes like bourbon” or ...read more
Who cares?
by Adam Zack — September 24, 2025
“Most work relationships and the level of caring present are quid pro quo connections.”
Do a lot of people care about you? How do you know? Can you prove it? Of course, your spouse cares about you. And your kids do, even if they don’t show it all the time. Your parents do if they are still around. Caring for and about someone is about repeated kindness and unselfishness. It’s the consistency of your actions. There are many people – and I might even put it out there that it’s a majority – who care about you because there’s something in it for them. It’s not as negative as it sounds. Most work relationships and the level of caring present are quid pro quo connections. You work hard for me, I pay you well and give you a place to work that is safe, friendly and consistent. When that work bond changes – whether employer/employee or co-worker to co-worker, the relationship usually falls off and eventually ends. It was built at the workplace and when the familiarity and consistency of being work friends changes, things change. Family and personal friend relationships, however, don’t end when employment changes. To grow and flourish, the level of caring has to be mutual – kind of like last week’s blog on reciprocity. If o...
read moreReciprocity
by Adam Zack — September 17, 2025
“When that reciprocal relationship gets too one-sided…. the relationship shifts and someone else gets the chance to reciprocate.”
I believe all healthy, long-term relationships must be reciprocal. Sometimes I feel really petty thinking that. Good people do nice things for their family and friends because they want to. Because they love them. And because it makes you feel good to do something you know the other person will appreciate. You’re not doing it because you have a need to be thanked or a motive that if you do something for someone you care about, they will reciprocate with something nice that you will in turn appreciate. You do nice things because you’re nice, and generous. But still, after always being the one to invite friends for dinner, or acknowledge birthdays with cards and gifts, or have a guest visit for a weekend and treat them to every meal and activity, the lack of some kind of acknowledgement and reciprocity at some point gets under your skin a little. It doesn’t make you a bad person or less generous, but we all have a basic human need to feel appreciated. Our customer relationships are a good example of reciprocal relationships. They patronize our stores. We give them quality food and great service, they gi...
read moreTalk, talk, talk
by Adam Zack — September 10, 2025
“Action statements and plans that never materialize turn into just talk. Talk is cheap. Anyone can talk a good game. “
All you do to me is talk, talk
Talk, talk, talk, talk
– Talk Talk (80’s New Wave Band)
I was talking this week about companies that preach a certain positive, proactive culture but never actually implement what they purport to believe in. Action statements and plans that never materialize turn into just talk. Talk is cheap. Anyone can talk a good game. The best of plans and intentions that are repeatedly unacted upon lose any meaningful impact, no matter how good the intentions are. Leadership that constantly talks of a culture and inclusion without actually implementing it into its culture will see its credibility with its employees and customers erode, and in the worst cases lose all credibility. Grand plans require bold action and in the end it is far better to have tried and failed than to simply talk of the grand design and do nothing.
Read More – What 75 Years Taught Me About Shakespeare’s Most Puzzling Quote
...read moreSeize The Day
by Adam Zack — September 3, 2025
“…take a stand, even when it’s hard, because integrity defines you.”
– Ralph Waldo Emerson (paraphrased)Man, I love that. It’s a reminder to seize the day, not just hold it lightly. To forgive and forget, because grudges weigh more than they’re worth. To be kind, because kindness is the currency that never loses value. To take chances, since comfort zones never made history. To appreciate the people who brighten your day, because gratitude multiplies joy. To reject fear and hate, because they rob today of its promise. To take a stand, even when it’s hard, because integrity defines you. To give thanks — often and out loud — for the gift of another day with people you love and who ...read more
Communication: Harder Than Parallel Parking
by Adam Zack — August 28, 2025
“…few leaders get an A in communication. If we’re being generous, I’d give the
average manager a C-minus. And that’s not just in grocery—it’s everywhere..”
the gap between what you think is important and what they actually care about grows wider. You haven’t changed—but they sure have.What hasn’t changed? Everyone, from store directors to part-time dishwashers, just wants to know what’s going on. What are the goals, the programs, the changes, the results? Why are we doing what we’re doing? Is the company doing well? Are the owners happy with our work? The desire to feel “in the know” isn’t generational—it’s human. And yet, few leaders get an A in communication. If we’re being generous, I’d give the average manager a C minus. And that’s not just in grocery—it’s everywhere.Recently I came across a comparison list showing what employees...read more
Make No Mistake About It
by Adam Zack — August 20, 2025
“Expectations are high for the do-ers in your company. They make things happen.”
