Company Blog

Remarkable

by Adam Zack — April 5, 2023

“But most of the time, we cruise through life being totally unremarkable.”

Remarkable: notably or conspicuously unusual; extraordinary. Worthy of notice or attention.Name one person that you know is remarkable. You must know one that makes you think “Damn, that person is special.” Being remarkable is not easy. To a small minority, it comes naturally. But most have to work at it. It takes a commitment to excellence, determination, integrity and perseverance. Being unremarkable is easy. You just blend in. Last Sunday my wife and I were at this taco and beer restaurant. They were busy, and I had to wait in line to order. When the girl took my order and I paid, thanked her and she thanked me, I thought I bet even if I were to come back in half an hour she wouldn’t remember me. I was totally unremarkable from any other customer. Usually, at least when we get a paper check at a restaurant and it’s time to sign and leave a tip, we write Thank You!! on the bill to express our gratitude and make a small gesture to be remarkable. But most of the time, we cruise through life being totally unremarkable. I’ve had experiences in the past w...

by Adam Zack — March 29, 2023

As the owner or the manager you have to sincerely care.

Retail powers the U.S. economy. 29 million people work in the retail business, which represents roughly 20% of the 140 million jobs in America. Retail generates nearly $2.6 trillion in sales.With that much effect on the economy, why is the turnover rate in retail, especially grocery, so high? According to Daily Pay Retention Rates the turnover rate in the grocery industry is 100%. That’s right there with fast-food. Ouch. In fact, according to Money Magazine, some of the worst places to work in the country are grocery stores. Kmart (are there still Kmarts? I guess a handful), Family Dollar and The Fresh Market all make the top 20 Worst Places to work. Why is that? Poor communication, low wages, poor benefits, boredom and the idea that retail is not a job for educated workers contribute. It’s just not sexy. You work holidays and weekends, early mornings and late nights. Doesn’t sound like much fun on paper. But I think the number one reason that turnover is high is that some of those companies just don’t care. It costs approximately $3,600 to replace one supermarket cashier (turnover cost), so if you care about money (and who doesn’t, really?) success can be helped by focusing on your turnover. The...

by Adam Zack — March 22, 2023

Regret has a very sticky handle.

We’ve all done some incredibly stupid things. We say things we regret. We do things we wish we could take back. We even think things and catch ourselves trying to wipe that thought from our memory. In a lot of ways, we’re our own toughest critic.Golf lets you take a mulligan. Kids games get do-overs. In tennis you get a second serve. Even track and field gives a restart for jumping the gun. But real life makes you live with your mistakes and if you’re halfway smart you learn from them and are not like hair conditioner – rinse and repeat. But sometimes the gravity of your mistakes weighs very heavily. Guilt, remorse and even grudges seem to become heavier by the day, which turns into weeks and years. You can’t let go. You can’t put it down. You can’t forgive yourself. I was watching the sometimes funny “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with Jerry Seinfeld recently on the train ride home and Jerry’s guest was Michael Richards, the actor who played the iconic Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. If you don’t know Kramer, Google him now. About 12 years ago Michael was performing stand up comedy in L.A. and was heckled about not being funny. Instead of ignoring it or going with it like good comedians do, he got pissed and called t...

by Adam Zack — March 15, 2023

Actually, I ….

Words matter. I used to know a guy who said “Actually” after almost everything I told him. Actually, I still do know him but I hardly see him. I’d tell him about a new food that I thought was really good and he’d say “It was really good, actually.” I’d tell him about a movie or TV show, and he’d say “Actually, I really liked it.” As if he expected my recommendation to be wrong and surprisingly, it was right. I knew another guy who every time I told him something good about anything, he’d reply with “Yeah, I know…” I’d mention a sports fact or something, and I’d get “Yeah, I know…” I think he must know everything. “Honestly” is another response that gets to be a habit. Does anyone think if you don’t start with the word “honestly” you’re lying the rest of the time. I know that these are ticky tacky little peeves, but I do think that every word you say matters in some way. A good listener also hears themself and when we get in the conversation habit, some of those words lose meaning.

Read More – Mastery

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by Adam Zack — March 8, 2023

Dozens of great ideas happen every week.

I have a maintenance man at my store named Jose Avila. He’s an extremely hard worker, dedicated, trustworthy and will do anything it takes to help the store. He often takes on too many tasks, and I’ll ask when he’s going to get something done and the answer is often manana – tomorrow. It’s turned into a good natured joke – everything will get done tomorrow.Everyone is just so busy. It seems that especially in the grocery business that constantly something comes up that gets in the way of your To-Do list and what you planned for today gets pushed back to tomorrow.The dominoes fall and your monthly and weekly plan gets screwed. Procrastination, distraction and disorganization don’t help, but it’s the consistency of the unexpected that really messes with our planning. How many times has someone asked you to do something for them and when you ask when they need it, the answer is “Well, umm, yesterday. But ASAP will have to do it.” It’s impossible to put out your best work when you’re rushing to meet a deadline that has passed. The pressure to produce something that is “just fine” and that doesn’t allow for contemplation, review, revision and polishing often produces ho-hum results. And when the ...

by Adam Zack — March 1, 2023

Business relationships that don’t at least partially align with your core values need to be examined closely.

You lead by the way you live. I love that saying. It’s like the [true] cliche. “You can’t talk the talk if you don’t walk the walk.” As a leader, what you do matters and is closely watched and scrutinized by your peers, employees and associates. You can’t initiate a healthy lifestyle program for your company while you are supersizing your Big Mac combo and burning through a pack of cigarettes a day. Leading by the way you live gives you credibility and integrity. And integrity is inspiring and contagious. We have to apply that integrity to the companies we do business with as well. Business relationships that don’t at least partially align with your core values need to be examined closely. After all, you are partners, and good partners always have an interest in each other’s success. It should always be a matter of pride that you do business with suppliers and firms that make you successful. You should be able to brag about it. The day that you would rather not disclose a business relationship for fear that your customers would [correctly] not approve is the day you need to find a new partner.

by Adam Zack — February 22, 2023

Confident leaders just seem to carry themselves better and stronger.

I was thinking the other day about how important it is to have confidence as a great leader. The best leaders have full faith in themselves, in their decisions and especially in their team. Of course they make mistakes, but make lots of decisions daily that usually result in moving the team and the business forward. Confidence shows and inspires others to do better. Just as fear and the lack of confidence shows on your face, behavior and demeanor, confidence radiates and inspires. You don’t have to have great hair, be particularly good looking, tall or slim to radiate confidence. Confident leaders just seem to carry themselves better and stronger. I know dozens of confident leaders, but I also know some that are overconfident. They project a “know it all” attitude and tend to be dismissive. They are not good listeners and don’t inspire those that they lead to be like them. Worse yet is the arrogant leader. The kind who just knows his shit doesn’t stink. The turnover rate of his employees is high, and no one wants to be like him. He gets talked about behind his back and works from a level of fear. No one approaches him for guidance or advice. You know the type: Arrogant P...

by Adam Zack — February 15, 2023

The Super Bowl reminded me that ads can turn into diarrhea of the mouth – you just want them to shut up for a minute.

We have all read something that as we are reading we think, “How long is this guy going to go on? Get to the point already.” And then we skip ahead to the end, or sometimes just stop reading altogether out of boredom or informational overload. So many things – movies, books, blogs – go on for much longer than they need to because the author or director is satisfying an ego need by thinking of himself instead of his audience. It’s the same with advertising and promotions. The key is to identify the story and tell it succinctly before your reader skips to the end – or doesn’t start at all – because it just looks like too many words. The Super Bowl reminded me that ads can turn into diarrhea of the mouth – you just want them to shut up for a minute. Still reading or have you skipped to the end? What am I trying to convey here? Less is more, especially when it comes to telling the story of your store and your signature products. Get to the point, make it interesting, then shut up.

Read More – Illusion

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by Adam Zack — February 8, 2023

“I’ve decided that you should not have to have done something epic to be remembered for centuries.”—Adam Zack

I was watching the film The Banshees of Inishirin on Sunday. It’s got considerable Oscar buzz about the acting and the film, and I really like the lead actors. So, when one friend (Colm) decides he wants nothing more to do with the other friend (Padraig), he can’t figure out why he’s been dumped as a friend, even though they live on this very small island off the coast of mainland Ireland. They can’t help but run into each other at the town’s only pub, as they have been going there every day for years at 2:00. Padraig argues “Why don’t you like me anymore? I’m nice!” Colm argues that no one in history is known for being nice. Everyone knows Mozart for music. Hitler will always be remembered as a mass murdering lunatic. Ben Franklin for discovering electricity. And so on. But once a person who is nice passes, all that remembers him are his family and friends, and when they are gone his niceness is forgotten forever. It struck me as very sad, as niceness is a quality that makes other people’s lives better. You sleep better when you’re nice. You are appreciated more and loved more and hated far...

by Adam Zack — February 1, 2023

In servant leadership, employees are empowered.

Often when I call DW he answers the phone “Humble Servant speaking”. I thought it was kind of funny, maybe a little self-deprecating, and beneath what he brings as a leader. He has a wealth of wisdom, knowledge and experience and I thought of him more as the opposite of a Humble Servant. (And no, I am not brown-nosing to get a raise.) It was only last week when I was having my nightly debriefing with my wife about how our day was that she told me about how one of the founders of the financial firm she works for talked about the role of the leader is really that of a servant. It clicked with me, and I did a little more research into what the style of being a servant as a leader really means.

The term “servant leader” was first coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970 in the essay “The Servant as Leader.” Basically, the servant leadership style was based on the idea that leaders prioritize serving the greater good. Leaders with this style serve their team and organization first. They don’t prioritize their own goals. They are unselfish and caring.

Servant leadership seeks to achieve a vision by providing s...