Company Blog

Motivating the Fatigue

by Adam Zack — September 1, 2021

That fatigue you’re feeling as leaders needs to be kept to yourself…

Every single grocery store that I know is looking for employees. In the past, most were always hiring for some positions and always accepting applications, but it’s never been quite like it is today when everyone is hiring for every department in almost every store. I attribute it to Covid Fatigue. We pulled together at the start. We endured uncertainty and took action to avoid being exposed. We provided appreciation (or hazard) pay and bonuses. We got creative to keep our shelves stocked. Management and ownership did their best to absorb the stress and keep the troops motivated and energized. Tears were shed, ulcers induced, and many liters of booze consumed. The unemployed received extra stimulus pay and fell into a new way of life, not needing to work like before, which leads us to where we are today. In an industry that cannot operate on automation, people are the most precious and fought over resource. Fatigued management is desperately searching for ways to continue to keep morale high, prevent turnover and also recruit new employees. But how? That’s the million-dollar question. I don’t have the whole answer, but I can tell you that it...

by Adam Zack — August 25, 2021

“Celebrate bad things that happen to you.”

When I was about 11 I got in a motorbike crash. It was summer in Palm Desert, where my brother Mike and I would have to go and spend a month with our dad, who was divorced from our mom. We’d try and think of things to do in the 100+ degree heat while Dad was at work and his wife sat in the house smoking Salem cigarettes, drinking Pepsi and watching her soap operas. My dad had this little Suzuki mini bike motorcycle and we’d go ride it around. No helmets, no padded clothing. Probably just wore flip flops for shoes, too. Our stoner neighbor Jimmy Bender had been doing wheelies on the bike and flipped it over backwards, breaking off the tail light and leaving only twisted metal for a rear fender. So Mike and I are out behind my dad’s house in the big dirt lot and set up a ramp to jump the motorcycle. Sounded like a good idea at the time. On my first jump I went very far and came down hard, holding the handle bars (where the brakes were) as the rest of my body slid off toward the back of the bike. The rear tire took a patch of skin off my right thigh (hair still scarcely grows there, probably a good thing since I have so much hair everywhere else except my head and ankles)...

by Adam Zack — August 18, 2021

Our customers deserve our best effort and so do our employees.

I was working on a project a couple days ago and finished it with what I considered OK results. Not great. Not awesome. More like so-so. Fair. Acceptable. I thought “Well, I did my best.” And I thought that most of the time when people say that they really didn’t do their best. “I did my best” is more of an excuse than it is a statement of effort. I didn’t do my best. Not even close. My best requires deep thought and concentration. It requires hard work to achieve high standards. It can’t be done with distractions while multi-tasking. My best is something I am proud of and want to show off. I lowered the bar, then claimed it as my best. So what does doing your best really mean, and is it something that should be done in every task? That is surely a lofty goal – giving every single task you do your true best effort. While mundane tasks like washing the car, taking out the trash and shampooing the cat might pass muster without delivering your best, any interactions with your customers and your employees do deserve the best that you can do. Every time. When we complete a project for a customer and can honestly declare that it is the best work...

by Adam Zack — August 11, 2021

Real stars are people with impeccable character.

I heard a quote yesterday that went something like “Rare is the star that burns brighter from the one which it fell.” I like it because it really made me think about the legacy that we leave and the responsibility as a successful leader, parent or friend to ensure the success and happiness of those we touch. Stars can be defined in many ways. One is an athlete. Rarely do the children of superstar sports figures surpass their parents. Of course, there are exceptions – Payton and Eli Manning, Ken Griffey Junior, Kobe Bryant – but it’s rare. I think the real stars are people with impeccable character. High moral standards. A strong work ethic. Devotion to family and friends. Humility and humor. Unselfish caring towards others. Those types of stars that burn so brightly have the ability to influence how bright the stars that fall from them are. And when the stars that emanate from you shine brightly and are plentiful, you shine that much brighter with pride.

Read More – You Hold The Trump Card

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by Adam Zack — August 4, 2021

I think character is the key factor to success.

Character: The particular combination of qualities in a person or place that makes them different from others.“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” —Malcolm S. ForbesYour character is something you have complete control over. It defines who you are and how you are looked upon by others. I think character is the key factor in success and happiness. It’s the combination of integrity, honesty and appreciation for what you have and the opportunities you have been given. High character doesn’t take things for granted and doesn’t pine for things it doesn’t need. Strong character seldom uses the phrases Should’ve, Could’ve and Would’ve. The next time you’re questioning someone’s character, observe how they treat the people they’re allowed to mistreat. You might be thinking “Wait, I’m allowed to mistreat someone? Mistreating anyone is just wrong!” But that’s not realism. Interactions with the busboy, the hotel maid, the barista at Starbucks or the courtesy clerk at your local market don’t aut...

by Adam Zack — July 29, 2021

Achievement takes work, and work, well, is work.

Man, 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 – Olympic gold medals, 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 arou...

by Adam Zack — July 20, 2021

No one has just one obsession.

What’s your obsession? I was asked that question by a young friend Stephen this weekend as we were sitting with our families at the beach in Carlsbad. I was momentarily speechless. Was it a trick question? Was he asking in front of my wife to get a salacious answer? I’ve been asked “What’s your problem?” before. Many times, but that’s a long list. The question has so many potential angles. Obsession can be bad like addiction or good like attention to detail. It can be broad like a life goal of serving others or a gambling addiction. I didn’t really know how to answer and was processing the question when my wife answered, “Pool.” We got a pool table a few months ago and now we shoot a few games a night after work before dinner. We’re terrible, but it’s fun, it doesn’t matter who wins, and we are not quite as bad as when we got the table. It was a good answer. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and to be successful and have longevity in the grocery business we have to have an obsession with our stores. Whatever your business model – low price, prepa...

by Adam Zack — July 14, 2021

“White asparagus never sees the light of day.”

Most of us aspire to do great things. To leave a mark on the world, or at least on those you know. We all have at least one great quality that makes us who we are and drives us to get out of bed and go to work. There is so much unseen greatness that only requires a little cultivating to bring it above the surface. Think of it like white asparagus. I personally hate asparagus, but pretty much everyone I know loves it, so I am always happy to cook some when I’m grilling. So white asparagus never sees the light of day. It looks pale and unnatural. It’s only when it breaks through the soil and into light that it enters the “green vegetable family” and makes all my friends and family who think it’s so great happy. I guarantee that if there was only white asparagus, it would not be nearly so popular. Unseen greatness needs that light of affirmation to grow. One of the best, most affirming statements you can ever say to someone is “That’s a great question.” Successful speakers do it all the time. Especially in a public setting, someone who has the nerve to raise their hand to comment feels 100% less nervous about it when the validity of their question is acknowledged. The same g...

by Adam Zack — July 7, 2021

“Impart your experience, knowledge and skill.”

It takes a special person to be a teacher. Very special. I was talking to a friend who teaches design and the stories of distractions, excuses and the inability of some students to grasp basic concepts sounds extremely challenging. But school is much different than being a teacher at work or in life. In school they pass or fail, class moves on, and the cycle starts again. Rarely does the student surpass the teacher in knowledge and skill. In work and in life, the role is really more of a mentor than a teacher. You’re not teaching masses of students. You are imparting your experience, knowledge and skill to someone who has a high interest in achieving your level of success. They appreciate your wisdom and want to make you proud. Mentoring can take place over months or years or even decades. It involves taking a personal stake and an unselfish view to really succeed. But how do you tell if you have truly succeeded in mentoring your protege? Is it OK to be just an okay mentor? In most cases, that’s the case. You impart some teachings that make the student better, sometimes drastically better, but it’s not often that they surpass you in a way that they could mentor you. It’s...

by Adam Zack — June 29, 2021

“The greenest patch around.”

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 20 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 was indeed greener. He had my support on 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 life for himself that he can be very proud of. As leaders of people who often see greener grass over the fence without really looking down at the grass they are standing on, what can we do? Finding good employees is difficult right now, so how can our grass be the greenest in town? Wolfgang Puck told a story that the grass is greener where you water it the most. As the head groundskeepers of our grocery store grass, it’s our job to diligently water it, fertilize it and keep it...