DW's Blog

Evolutionary

by DW Green — June 15, 2016

I liked playing connect the dots game when I was a kid. Miraculously a cool picture would show up by simply connecting the dots! So this is my version of connecting the dots, and perhaps, in the end, a mental picture will show up for you.I was thinking about supermarket formats that are struggling, brands that are struggling, companies that are struggling and individuals who are struggling. There are a plethora of reasons why we struggle or fail. Some are external circumstances beyond our control and others are internally inflicted. Since a company is a collection or community of individuals, then looking at how individual’s evolve and succeed is a dot to connect. As a side note, I believe successful companies are comprised of a community of individual’s with shared values. Another dot to connect?This idea or notion of evolving is central to overcoming a flailing, faltering, struggling format, brand, company or individual. Align yourself with the flow of evolution, or personal growth. Evolution is a choice. Choosing to grow automatically means you are facing into the unknown.Without evolution there would be no path, only aimless wandering. Evolution is a cosmic force. It’s the reason t...

by DW Green — June 8, 2016

More good stuff from the Super Brain book! According to the authors, the brain is moving in a more holistic direction. Their favorite phrase for this trend is “survival of the wisest.” If you choose to, you can evolve through conscious choices.Here are some tips I learned in a section titled “Where the Brain is Growing—How to become part of the next evolutionary leap.”

Don’t promote conflict in any area of your life.
Make peace when you can. When you can’t, walk away.
Value compassion.
Chose empathy over blame or derision.
Try not to always feel you are right.
Make a friend who is opposite of you.
Be generous of spirit.
Wean yourself off materialism in favor of inner fulfillment.
Perform one act of service every day—there is something you can always give.
Show genuine concern when someone else is in trouble. Don’t ignore signs of unhappiness.
Oppose us-versus-them thinking.
In business, practice capitalism with a conscience, giving ethical concerns as much weight as profits.We have a single overriding purpose: to unfold our potential.Enjoy the ride!...

by DW Green — June 1, 2016

Each morning, right before I meditate I go through a detailed heart-opening ritual that includes asking myself a few questions. I call this ritual The Secrets of the Sweet Spot and an important part of the process is asking:How can I be more accepting? More self-accepting.
How can I be more compassionate? More self-compassionate.
How can I be more forgiving? More self-forgiving.
How can I heal this heart?We are in constant dynamic exchange with the world around us, which means our actions simultaneously touch the lives of those around us and have deeper consequences on what we feel, what we think about, and what we do.We all have made mistakes, chosen non-nourishing choices, and allowed our words & actions to hurt others – and perhaps the most unintended consequence is that we’ve created pain within and around us. We’ve pointed fingers, compared ourselves to someone else, relished in Schadenfreude (rooting for someone or something to fail), pushed people away (even when we were trying to get them to come closer), gossiped, cut off our nose to spite our face, and refused to give in so we could say “I told you so!”And then there are all the grievances, grudges, resentments, comparisons, envies, and gripes. They serve no one – they fester...

by DW Green — May 25, 2016

POPtrait

I’ve been reading Super Brain, a book written by Deepak Chopra and Rudolph Tanzi. It’s an excellent book and I highly recommend reading it. In an early chapter, Heroes Of Super Brain, the authors write about Albert Einstein’s ability for ADAPTABILITY. Einstein used his brain in a way that any person can learn. I believe this idea of adaptability can be very useful for supermarket owners and leaders. (Well, everyone for that matter!)Einstein adapted by facing the unknown and conquering it. His field was physics, but the unknown confronts everyone on a daily basis. Life is full of unexpected challenges. To adapt to the unknown, Einstein developed three strengths and avoided three obstacles:Three strengths: Letting go, being flexible, hanging loose.Three obstacles: Habits, conditioning, stuckness.You can measure a person’s adaptability by how much they are able to let go, remain flexible, and hang loose in the face of difficulties. You can measure how poorly a person adapts by the dominance of old habits and conditioning that keep them stuck.When you face a new problem, you can solve it in old ways or in a new way. Th...

by DW Green — May 17, 2016

Lao-Tzu, ancient Chinese philosopher and writer.

Some 2,500 years ago, Lao-Tzu spoke of ‘the four cardinal virtues’ and noted that when we practice them as a way of life, we come to know and access the truth of the universe. These four virtues don’t represent external dogma, but a part of our original nature—by practicing them, we realign with Source and access the powers that Source energy has to offer. According to the teachings of Lao-tzu, the four cardinal virtues represent the surest way to leave habits and excuses behind and reconnect to your original nature. The more your life is harmonized with the four virtues, the less you’re controlled by the uncompromising ego.The Second Cardinal Virtue: Natural SincerityThis virtue manifests itself as honesty, simplicity, and faithfulness; and it’s summed up by the popular reminder to be true to yourself. Using an excuse to explain why your life isn’t working at the level you prefer isn’t being true to yourself—when you’re completely honest and sincere, excuses don’t even enter into the picture. The second virtue involves living a life that reflects choices that come from respect and affection for your own nature. Make...

by DW Green — May 11, 2016

In the end it is employees who make the difference. No amount of merchandising or advertising can be successful over the long run without a dedicated, knowledgeable staff. If employees don’t support your market position or advertising claims, your efforts will be undermined.To build a company that is profitable, enduring, and able to hold its own against major competitors, managers need to foster a sense of community among employees. Above all, employees must share common values. This means recruits should be judged as much on the basis of their fit with the company’s values and principles as they are on the basis of their ability to fulfill the technical requirements of the job.People should be hired into your company with the understanding that they are there to develop their potential. You must ensure that processes are in place to assess individual potential, ensure adequate training and development, evaluate performance, and provide graceful exits from the company. If employees don’t pull their weight or share the company’s values, they must move on. At a certain point, managers must be prepared to pass the baton, as well, so the company can continue to renew itself.Employee training and development is critical if your company is to remain a leading contender in the market. After all, competitor...

by DW Green — May 4, 2016

Shunryu Suzuki

“If it’s not paradoxical, it’s not true,” Shunryu Suzuki.In today’s economy the need to effectively communicate a company’s value proposition to consumers is critical to maintain and grow revenue.However, the values I’m talking about here go much deeper than a pricing strategy. I’m referring to the social principles or standards held by individuals or groups. How is this relevant to the grocery business? You’ll need to know to compete successfully.The importance of shared values in building lasting businesses cannot be overstated. Businesses, like children, need a solid foundation of values to build on as they grow. Great companies foster a culture founded on shared values, which, in turn, more effectively serves customers and the broader communities in which they live. Everyone benefits from the existence of a great company—customers, employees, suppliers, investors, cities and nations.In their most basic form, values are a set of guiding principles that unite people as they work toward achieving a common goal. In their strongest form—when individual employee and organizational values are in sync—they generate...

by DW Green — April 20, 2016

Manifesting Grace through Gratitude

“Gratitude is a powerful mental state that causes a palpable transformation in our internal landscape. When we put our attention on those things we can be grateful for, it automatically shifts us out of a negative mentality. Just by simply repeating the statement, I am so grateful for _____, we create positive momentum in our internal dialogue. Focusing on what’s good or uplifting in your life also conditions you to stay vigilant in looking for more of the same gratitude-worthy experiences to come into your life—or as the saying goes, where attention goes, energy flows.”—Adam BradyI’m taking a 21-Day Meditation Experience course, Manifesting Grace through Gratitude. Below is an email I recently sent to each of my employees and two vendor associates.All good things bring gratitude. My gratitude practice for today was to list three things I am grateful for.So here they are (21 awesome individuals to be accurate!):

Adam ZackBecky SimmonJudy NavarroEstevan SanchezDan EdensAubrie LeonLesley DreyerGarrett StaehsEmauni WoodfinJazmine Inn

by DW Green — April 13, 2016

He’s a real slob

I didn’t think I ever gossiped. Yea right! We all gossip at times. Yet it’s not a positive thing to do, and benefits no one. Like most everything in life, personal responses involve awareness and being PRESENT in the moment. When you’re aware you’re in a gossip conversation, you can choose to participate or not. Reactions are about choices, and when you’re aware and conscious of what’s happening in the moment you can choose how you want to respond. For me, it’s about limiting my “automatic, ego centered” reactions. Not easy to do. But with awareness and presence in the “now” I can make a conscious choice on how I choose to react.And yes it’s true…my office is cluttered and a mess!...

by DW Green — April 6, 2016

Is your business blooming?

Differentiation is the essence of competition. I love the word differentiation. It’s a difficult word for me to spell and pronounce—the word inaudibly tumbles out of my mouth, often landing on deaf ears! But aside from poor enunciation skills and misunderstanding, differentiation is a very powerful business tool.Everything can be and is differentiable, even such “commodities” as steel, cement, money, chemicals and well, meat sauce. Success goes to those who differentiate themselves in ways that attract differentiably superior numbers of customers to themselves.Though clothes may not make the man, they help make the sale. And if they do, the customer is buying something beyond the generic product that the salesman offers. That is what is meant by “differentiation.”Positioning is about performing different activities from rivals or performing similar activities in different ways, differentiation then, arises from both the choice of activities and how they are performed.See http://dwgreen.com/2010/03/activity-breeds-success/Adam’s

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