Company Blog

Smart vs Wise

by Adam Zack — May 13, 2026

“The smartest leaders aren’t the smartest people in the room. They’re the ones smart enough to hire people who are.”

Some of the smartest people I’ve ever met are also some of the dumbest. I realize that sounds like either an oxymoron…or just a statement from a moron. I’ve known people who could solve mathematical problems that completely stagger my mind, but couldn’t microwave a potato for dinner if their life depended on it. I’ve met brilliant attorneys who can quote laws and legal precedents at will, yet somehow make personal and business decisions that leave them spinning their wheels for years. I’ve seen computer programmers build incredibly efficient systems and networks, but when asked to apply that brilliance to the real world of grocery retail, they flail around like a shopper looking for the ketchup in aisle nine while standing in aisle two. Over the years, I’ve become convinced that the smartest leaders usually aren’t the smartest people in the room. The smartest leaders are the ones smart enough to surround themselves with people who are smarter than they are.

At first glance, that might seem unfair. The team does the heavy lifting, solves the problems, creates the ideas, and somehow the...

by Adam Zack — May 6, 2026

“If you don’t care for yourself, who’s going to be around to take care of all your people?”

Sometimes it seems to me like all I can think to write about is leadership and taking care of your people. I forget that before you can make others happy and fulfilled, you have to take care of “yours truly”. My best friend from kindergarten has been helping me out this week with a video project. It was a big ask, as it’s for my mom’s 80th birthday celebration this weekend, but in true Scott form he said “Bring it on!” We’ve been friends for 57 years. Yes, I know – he’s old! He has always put everyone around him first. His kids, his parents, his wife, his friends. Selfishness (and self-care) are not in his vocabulary. Almost 6 years ago he was near death and required a liver transplant. And he was still trying to take care of everyone else first. It was maddening and heartbreaking at the same time. It was a real reminder for me to share that you have to take care of yourself. You deserve to be number one sometimes. Whether it’s an extra day off, personal care or just having some alone time with your spouse where you can turn off your phone and do the things that make you happy. It’s what you want your employees to do, so why don’t yo...

by Logan Kost — April 30, 2026

“Brands are lived, not explained.”

Last February I had a stroke. One of its effects was losing my voice. I’ve seen a host of specialists, but so far no clear answers — though my voice is slowly returning.

Shortly after the stroke, my nephew gave me a beautiful leather-bound journal. I began writing in it, titling the journal The Pathless Path: Notes IN Being. What started as a quiet practice became something I couldn’t stop. Non-stop writing. Non-stop reading. Non-stop remembering. It was as if losing my spoken voice opened something else entirely — a written voice I didn’t know was waiting.

The writing has ranged widely. A recent essay reimagined Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter — I called it The New A. Another explored the Spring Equinox through the lens of Philip Roth’s The Great American Novel, a book I loved in college. The stroke didn’t slow the writing. If anything, it unleashed it.

I’ve had a lifelong fascination with spirituality, Eastern philosophy, and — pun very much intended — NOW — non-duality. Eckhart Tolle. Richard Rudd. Alan Watts. Wayne Dyer. The poets — Rumi, T.S. Eliot. Contemplatives like Richard Rohr. And the musicians, too — the ones who carried the...

by Adam Zack — April 30, 2026

“How leaders respond to ideas determines whether ideas keep coming.”

I have a friend who, when he has an idea or suggestion that I like and respond with “Great idea!” he will reply “Thank you. Only kind I have.” It’s funny (and mostly true) and I have adopted it on occasion. The look of slight confusion when someone’s “great idea” comment is met with “That’s the only kind I have” is pretty fun to observe. They think “What kind of arrogant answer is that? I was giving a compliment and the response was basically “I know.” Smug answers aside, your response as a leader to good ideas from your team is vitally important. The ability to truly listen, show appreciation, encouragement, and give constructive feedback to ideas that your employees share are what differentiates great leaders from just good managers. The price for not properly nurturing ideas? No ideas. It takes confidence and courage for an employee to present ideas to management and ownership that might change your business. Without the proper response, the response might as well be “There’s no such thing as a bad idea. Until now.”

Read More – Distillation

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by Adam Zack — April 24, 2026

“On the three parts of a real apology — and why “sorry I made you mad” doesn’t cut it..”

There is an art to apologizing. No, I shouldn’t say art, because that implies that with a lot of practice and natural talent, you have got really good at something. Being sorry so often that you have become a professional apologizer is not something you brag about. As essentially good people, we are trying to behave in thoughtful ways that don’t require frequent apologies. But we all screw up. Whether intentional or not, we all do and say things that hurt or offend others. And when we do that, as good people, we need to atone for our transgressions in a meaningful way. Love grows from forgiveness, and true repentance heals both the transgressor and the victim. Where things get sticky, and can result in prolonged grief and bad feelings, is an apology that sounds insincere or is not specific. “Sorry I made you mad” doesn’t quite cut it. I read a lot, and a recent “Dear Abby” column in the newspaper (yes, some people still read the newspaper, but we are a dying breed) addressed making amends:

“There are three parts to a good amends:

(1) tell them what you did (in other words, take responsibility...

by Adam Zack — April 16, 2026

“On shortcuts, also-rans, and the road that actually gets you there.”

My objective in life is to get where I want to go the quickest and easiest way possible. You get to the goal line and say “Man, that was easy! I planned it perfectly. The path of least resistance was so simple to navigate.” Yeah, like that ever happens. In fact, when you do achieve an objective with relative ease, the thought is more like “Damn, I was lucky.” The path of least resistance (POLR) goes with the flow, cuts corners and requires the minimum amount of effort. Many solid “C” report cards, 2nd-to-last place teams and also-rans took that path. Woulda-Shoulda, What-If and Almost are famous stops along Route POLR. The natural tendency for anyone is the POLR. Not that it’s always the lazy way to go. Crossing the street, riding the train and tying your shoes all benefit from taking the easy route, but the substantial goals in our lives – winning competitions, inventing things and changing the world never seem to follow the POLR. The real road to success is littered with I Trieds, Maybe Next Times and It Was Too Hards. Achievement takes work, and work, well, is work. How many times have I said to myself (and others who have been around to hear me complai...

by Adam Zack — April 8, 2026

“On listening, backsliding, and the wise man in the crosswalk.”

PONDER: TO THINK OR CONSIDER ESPECIALLY QUIETLY, SOBERLY, AND DEEPLY.

I’m constantly thinking about how hard it is to be a good listener. I kind of relate it to the person who wants to eat healthier. You do it for a while, focus and start to see results. When you have the intent to listen, conversations are clearer and more meaningful. Interaction is mutually satisfying. The weight of having to speak and anticipate what your answer should be starts to drop off. You’re feeling good about yourself and those you interact with daily, just like you are losing some pounds and feeling in shape for the first time in a long time. You’re getting to be a good listener. That’s not so hard, right? Then when you’re getting comfortable, the unexpected double cheeseburger is before you. Just one, right? You listen to the guy explain what’s in the smoothie for breakfast, then you add ice cream (because it’s so delicious). A bag of chips here, Fettuccine Alfredo instead of grilled chicken and salad. Two cookies and a Bailey’s instead of no dessert. Your good intentions, improved physique, initial success and great feelings are back the way they w...

by Adam Zack — April 1, 2026

“Service Gets You to 90%. Hospitality Gets You Remembered. “

I’ve been thinking about great service a lot recently. I have always measured a great business by the level of service it provides. Great experiences are always led by outstanding service. We all strive to provide the best customer service that we can, right? I’ve never thought about how we can serve our customers better than by providing exceptional service. My wife is always looking for things that she thinks will help our business, or will spark me for a blog topic.

Recently she sent me something on the topic of service versus hospitality. The key difference is consistency. Service is a business transaction. We hope to provide outstanding service every time, but in reality we are happy with 90%. Hospitality is different. It is an art and requires strategy and intent. Think of the world’s hospitality leaders – Ritz Carlton, Nordstrom, Shake Shack, In-n-Out and yes, Chick-Fil-A. In 2001 Shake Shack hired Ritz Carlton to consult with them to build a training and selection program that would deliver the level of hospitality that founder Danny Meyer envisioned.

With businesses such as Chick-Fil-A and In-n-Out, their long term success is depend...

by Adam Zack — March 25, 2026

“we need to talk, and we need to talk every day. To our employees and customers and vendors. When we do it, and really make the effort, the result is success for everyone.”

My phone chimed and I looked at the text: “We need to talk” Uh oh. Has that phrase, whether it’s spoken aloud or written in a text or email ever conveyed a positive, optimistic tone? Nope. Even with an exclamation mark: “We need to talk!!” it delivers a sense of dread and worry. Something’s wrong. How about: “WE NEED TO TALK”. In caps, somebody is definitely in trouble. Add their name to it: “WE NEED TO TALK, STEPHEN” and the s%$# is definitely going to hit the fan for Stephen. Gulp, followed by a stomach roll and fear that something is going to change, and not for the good. Communicating effectively is vitally important in our business, and especially below par in the grocery industry. How many times have you asked, or heard an employee in a retail store asked a question they should know, and the response is “I dunno, nobody told us.” Or something along those lines. I’m telling you now that we need to talk, and we need to talk every day. To our employees and customers and vendors. When we do it, and really make the effort, the result is s...

by Adam Zack — March 19, 2026

“Being good in all important roles in life is more important than being great in a few…”

We have heard about natural born leaders for what seems like eternity. Guys who seemingly slid straight from the womb and emerged directing their siblings on a divide and conquer plan for their parents, manipulating the kindergarten teacher into increased nap time and ended up as student body president in high school, naturally. Guys like Steve Jobs, Jack Welch and George Patton were born leaders, right? The best leaders in history surely were born to lead. Well recently I came across a whole different view of leadership from good old Plato. The guy who inspired “Let’s just be friends” had a terrific insight on who would make the best leader. Traditional leaders dating back to the beginning of time were motivated by self-interest and the innate need for power. These were the guys who were widely considered tyrants and didn’t really care about their subjects. Fetch me a bucket, and if you don’t like it, off with your head. Plato felt that the most important qualification for a leader is to not want to be a leader. Philosophers (Philisophia; Greek meaning lover of wisdom) are naturally the best and most effective leaders, as true philosoph...

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