At the Summit Jim Collins asked the group if we were "Time Tellers" or "Clock Builders". A Time Teller simply tells someone what the time is when they ask. A Clock Builder builds a clock so when another person needs to know what time it is they can look at the clock and figure out what the time is by themselves.
Mr. Collins' point was that in business (especially small businesses) often the owner/founder/head guy or gal in charge does all the time telling and forgets to build the clock. When that happens it can be detrimental to the company. If you are strictly a Time Teller and something happens to you (sickness, family problems, or even death) then your company is in jeopardy. Without you around to "tell the time" so to speak...i.e. tell everyone what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and why we are doing it...there is no one to run the business. If you are a Time Teller then your company may end if you are not around to run it most of the time.
A Clock Builder on the other hands builds his/her business and team in such a way that the business can continue without the Clock Builder around. The Clock Builder makes sure everything is in working order so that everyone can tell the time...not just the Clock Builder. These people make sure that their companies will go on for future generations or at least be able to survive if something were to happen to the Clock Builder.
My parents have been excellent Clock Builders. Dad has shown Jake everything he needs to know about running pecan orchards and Mom has shown me the retail business inside and out. I am not sure they realized they were "clock builders" but they have been some of the best. It started when we were small. Jake naturally went with Dad to the orchards and I went with Mom to the store. Jake learned by watching Dad how to make sure tractors, trees, and team members were all working properly to ensure the best crop possible. I learned by watching Mom interact with the Pecan Shed team members, customers, and vendors just how to run a successful store. We didn't need any national "Take Your Kid to Work Day" to join our parents at their jobs...it was a given we would go.
Often I worry what might happen to the stores if something were to happen to me. I have a lot of knowledge that Dotty simply is not old enough to know. Right now she knows how to stand on a chair behind the counter and ask customers if they need help (which is Customer Service 101) but other than that things like payroll reports, sales tax forms, and health department certificates are all pretty over my sweet little one's head. So often I get tied up in working "in" the business I forget to work "on" the business and that includes showing my upper level team members how to be "me" if ever I can't be around.
I definitely want to improve in this area (and so many more). I need to become not only a second generation pecan retailer but also a second generation "clock builder"! Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock-Tick-Tock...no time like the present to get started!!!
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
Work Life Balance
I love Christy Wright. She is a speaker with the Dave Ramsey group and I have been reading her blogs for several months now. Several times I swear she is speaking/writing directly for me. At the Summit she talked about how to balance our work world and our personal life and let me tell you that is like walking a tightrope over the Grand Canyon my friend.
I know most working parents feel some sort of guilt for having to miss things in their kids lives but to me I think moms feel it the most (or perhaps I think this because I am a mom and I feel it deeply). Especially us single moms have a lot of guilt. We feel guilty for being divorced in the first place and then we feel guilty for working so much to provide a great life for our kid. The guilt is not only a given it is like a rude, obnoxious family member who decided to move in and sleep on the couch and is now eating all the food and hogging the tv all night long. It won't go away no matter how nicely or forcefully you tell it to; it simply won't budge.
I have tremendous guilt that I battle with daily. Sometimes I am victorious over the battle and sometimes I fall in defeat and watch as the Guilt stands over me triumphantly waving his sword. The good and bad news is I get to wage this war every day with guilt and so regardless of the outcome of today, I know I will fight it again tomorrow.
Looking back on my own childhood my parents worked VERY hard! They were starting a new pecan business which combined retail with agriculture so this was no easy task. They worked long hours. Both were up before me working (Dad in the orchard or fields and Mom at the kitchen or coffee table doing the books) and they stayed up long after me still working. My parents gave it their all to make the Pecan Shed what it is today and for that I am grateful.
The crazy thing is they were also really wonderful parents. My mom was a "room mother" for as many years as I can remember. She made it to ALL my games even the ones that were at 9am on a Thursday morning when it was just her, Karen Elledge, and Pam Ward in the stands mom was their cheering me on (and yelling at the refs a lot). She never missed a thing. Not a program, sporting event, one act play, pep rally, or anything. She was there.
I have no idea how she did that.
Dad made it to a lot of things too. He showed up to the big events and games and he always wanted to hear about the activities he missed. My favorite story is where he got off a harvester early to make it to one of my basketball games. Drove an hour to the school we were playing only to find out we were playing at home that night. So he drove like a mad man to get back to our school gym and caught most of the game.
My parents were present.
In her speech at the Summit Christy said it isn't about a 50/50 split between work and your personal life. It is about being 100% present at both. I loved that because it is so true.
There some times of the year where I simply have to work. November and December I am working 60+ hours a week. Valentine's Day I can't take off. Mother's Day weekend I am working. These are just major times for the Pecan Shed when I have to be there. This means I miss some of Dotty's class parties, practices, or games. This means I am exhausted during some really big holiday times.
I know the year we opened the Pecan Shed in Henrietta I was working 80 hour weeks in November and December trying to make sure all was going well. I was exhausted beyond the point of breaking some nights. Dotty LOVES the Fantasy of Lights here in in Wichita Falls so she wants to walk or drive through it every night if possible. One night was a particularly pleasant evening and we were leaving a restaurant where we had just finished eating (I don't normally cook but I never cook in November and December) and she asked if we could walk through the Fantasy of Lights. My first thought was maybe we could just go home and look it up on YouTube. My second thought was perhaps we could just drive through it. But as I looked at her sweet face I reminded myself that even though I remember my parents being tired and dirty from working hard and yes...sometimes they were a bit cranky because they were human after all...I don't remember them not wanting to celebrate the Season with Jake and me. Of course their was a year or two where the Christmas tree got put up on December 23rd...but it got put up and presents were underneath it. Many years Mom spent hours on December 24th wrapping gifts for us to demolish all her hard work in 20 minutes but she did it because she wanted us to have a GREAT Christmas and that in her mind included unwrapping gifts not just pulling them out of store sacks. So I took Dotty, my aching back, and my throbbing feet and we walked the Fantasy of Lights.
Now don't get me wrong. I remembered my parents worked hard and Dotty will too. She will tell you I spend too much time on my phone or at work and I won't deny that I do in fact do those things but when she is older I hope she will recognize how much I sacrificed to be present when I could be there. I hope she will hear from my team that I made sure we worked the schedule around so that everyone could make it to as many of their children's events as possible because I wanted to make it to as many of Dotty's as possible. I hope when she is older she will have a strong work ethic and be a mom who sometimes says "that can wait until tomorrow" as she walks out the door to attend her child's game.
I want to teach Dotty a lot about this world and if I teach her anything I hope it will be that sometimes you have to choose and sometimes you don't really have a choice. But when you do get to choose, choose family. No one ever writes on a tombstone what their balance was in their bank account or a P&L statement...very few probably say anything about business at all. Most tombstones talk about the person's personal life...something like "She was a good Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend" etc.
Work is important. I am not saying it isn't. Loving your job is important too. But to me when it is all said and done people will remember us for the difference we made in their lives not the difference we made in the bottom line. I hope my legacy will be one where my friends and family remember me fondly and those that worked with me thought of themselves as my friends and family as well.
I know most working parents feel some sort of guilt for having to miss things in their kids lives but to me I think moms feel it the most (or perhaps I think this because I am a mom and I feel it deeply). Especially us single moms have a lot of guilt. We feel guilty for being divorced in the first place and then we feel guilty for working so much to provide a great life for our kid. The guilt is not only a given it is like a rude, obnoxious family member who decided to move in and sleep on the couch and is now eating all the food and hogging the tv all night long. It won't go away no matter how nicely or forcefully you tell it to; it simply won't budge.
I have tremendous guilt that I battle with daily. Sometimes I am victorious over the battle and sometimes I fall in defeat and watch as the Guilt stands over me triumphantly waving his sword. The good and bad news is I get to wage this war every day with guilt and so regardless of the outcome of today, I know I will fight it again tomorrow.
Looking back on my own childhood my parents worked VERY hard! They were starting a new pecan business which combined retail with agriculture so this was no easy task. They worked long hours. Both were up before me working (Dad in the orchard or fields and Mom at the kitchen or coffee table doing the books) and they stayed up long after me still working. My parents gave it their all to make the Pecan Shed what it is today and for that I am grateful.
The crazy thing is they were also really wonderful parents. My mom was a "room mother" for as many years as I can remember. She made it to ALL my games even the ones that were at 9am on a Thursday morning when it was just her, Karen Elledge, and Pam Ward in the stands mom was their cheering me on (and yelling at the refs a lot). She never missed a thing. Not a program, sporting event, one act play, pep rally, or anything. She was there.
I have no idea how she did that.
Dad made it to a lot of things too. He showed up to the big events and games and he always wanted to hear about the activities he missed. My favorite story is where he got off a harvester early to make it to one of my basketball games. Drove an hour to the school we were playing only to find out we were playing at home that night. So he drove like a mad man to get back to our school gym and caught most of the game.
My parents were present.
In her speech at the Summit Christy said it isn't about a 50/50 split between work and your personal life. It is about being 100% present at both. I loved that because it is so true.
There some times of the year where I simply have to work. November and December I am working 60+ hours a week. Valentine's Day I can't take off. Mother's Day weekend I am working. These are just major times for the Pecan Shed when I have to be there. This means I miss some of Dotty's class parties, practices, or games. This means I am exhausted during some really big holiday times.
I know the year we opened the Pecan Shed in Henrietta I was working 80 hour weeks in November and December trying to make sure all was going well. I was exhausted beyond the point of breaking some nights. Dotty LOVES the Fantasy of Lights here in in Wichita Falls so she wants to walk or drive through it every night if possible. One night was a particularly pleasant evening and we were leaving a restaurant where we had just finished eating (I don't normally cook but I never cook in November and December) and she asked if we could walk through the Fantasy of Lights. My first thought was maybe we could just go home and look it up on YouTube. My second thought was perhaps we could just drive through it. But as I looked at her sweet face I reminded myself that even though I remember my parents being tired and dirty from working hard and yes...sometimes they were a bit cranky because they were human after all...I don't remember them not wanting to celebrate the Season with Jake and me. Of course their was a year or two where the Christmas tree got put up on December 23rd...but it got put up and presents were underneath it. Many years Mom spent hours on December 24th wrapping gifts for us to demolish all her hard work in 20 minutes but she did it because she wanted us to have a GREAT Christmas and that in her mind included unwrapping gifts not just pulling them out of store sacks. So I took Dotty, my aching back, and my throbbing feet and we walked the Fantasy of Lights.
Now don't get me wrong. I remembered my parents worked hard and Dotty will too. She will tell you I spend too much time on my phone or at work and I won't deny that I do in fact do those things but when she is older I hope she will recognize how much I sacrificed to be present when I could be there. I hope she will hear from my team that I made sure we worked the schedule around so that everyone could make it to as many of their children's events as possible because I wanted to make it to as many of Dotty's as possible. I hope when she is older she will have a strong work ethic and be a mom who sometimes says "that can wait until tomorrow" as she walks out the door to attend her child's game.
I want to teach Dotty a lot about this world and if I teach her anything I hope it will be that sometimes you have to choose and sometimes you don't really have a choice. But when you do get to choose, choose family. No one ever writes on a tombstone what their balance was in their bank account or a P&L statement...very few probably say anything about business at all. Most tombstones talk about the person's personal life...something like "She was a good Mother, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend" etc.
Work is important. I am not saying it isn't. Loving your job is important too. But to me when it is all said and done people will remember us for the difference we made in their lives not the difference we made in the bottom line. I hope my legacy will be one where my friends and family remember me fondly and those that worked with me thought of themselves as my friends and family as well.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
EntreLeasdership Summit 2016
WOW!!!
That's about all I can say is WOW!!!
I just got back yesterday from attending the EntreLeadership Summit 2016 in Dallas, TX hosted by the Dave Ramsey team. It was three days packed with amazing business leaders such as Dave Ramsey himself, Jim Collins, Seth Godin, Patrick Lencioni, and so many more! George W. Bush even stopped by to do a Q&A with Dave which was truly amazing. The entire event was a "Bucket List" experience.
My brain is bursting with information I can't wait to take back to my team at both Pecan Shed store locations so we can all learn how to be better to our customers as well as to each other. It is my goal to make the Pecan Shed the best place to shop and work and to teach others how to do the same!!
I think my favorite part of the whole Summit was when Dave Ramsey, Jim Collins, and Patrick Lencioni were all in a panel doing a Q&A session and Mr. Collins asked the others what was the greatest difficulties they faced as leaders. I really thought I was going to hear about expanding their businesses, market share, or some other "money matter" but all three talked about PEOPLE!!! They talked about how they struggled to make sure they were doing good by their people...whether it was recognizing their team members' accomplishments regularly or being a strong leader who could hold people accountable, to even being too loyal to team members who just weren't cutting it. We all want to be a "good boss" but it is hard! And sometimes the best thing you can do is "love someone out of the building" and give them a chance to succeed somewhere else.
Oooooohhhhh...just so much great stuff!!! I hope to share some of the thoughts with those of you who are interested over the next few months! I want to let you all know what we are trying to accomplish...how it is going...and hopefully those on the "outside" will begin to see the changes on the "inside" before too long!
With gratitude,
Jill
That's about all I can say is WOW!!!
I just got back yesterday from attending the EntreLeadership Summit 2016 in Dallas, TX hosted by the Dave Ramsey team. It was three days packed with amazing business leaders such as Dave Ramsey himself, Jim Collins, Seth Godin, Patrick Lencioni, and so many more! George W. Bush even stopped by to do a Q&A with Dave which was truly amazing. The entire event was a "Bucket List" experience.
My brain is bursting with information I can't wait to take back to my team at both Pecan Shed store locations so we can all learn how to be better to our customers as well as to each other. It is my goal to make the Pecan Shed the best place to shop and work and to teach others how to do the same!!
I think my favorite part of the whole Summit was when Dave Ramsey, Jim Collins, and Patrick Lencioni were all in a panel doing a Q&A session and Mr. Collins asked the others what was the greatest difficulties they faced as leaders. I really thought I was going to hear about expanding their businesses, market share, or some other "money matter" but all three talked about PEOPLE!!! They talked about how they struggled to make sure they were doing good by their people...whether it was recognizing their team members' accomplishments regularly or being a strong leader who could hold people accountable, to even being too loyal to team members who just weren't cutting it. We all want to be a "good boss" but it is hard! And sometimes the best thing you can do is "love someone out of the building" and give them a chance to succeed somewhere else.
Oooooohhhhh...just so much great stuff!!! I hope to share some of the thoughts with those of you who are interested over the next few months! I want to let you all know what we are trying to accomplish...how it is going...and hopefully those on the "outside" will begin to see the changes on the "inside" before too long!
With gratitude,
Jill
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