Life can be frustrating! I guess that's a statement of the obvious but I feel the need to share some of the frustrations we have in our business. I've shared them with the Lord so many times recently that I don't feel comfortable bending His ear again. So it's your turn! Hang with me, I think there are some important points at the end of this blog.
At Sparkling Image we deep clean public restrooms. It's hard to describe what "Deep Clean" means so I generally ask people to look at pictures of our work. If you haven't seen our Before and After pictures before, they are available on our main web site (www.SparklingImageOhio.com) in the Before and After section (enter the Women's Room door). In short, we detail the restroom the way you would expect a car to be detailed. Every nook and cranny (grout lines, air vents, drains, etc) is scrubbed until it's CLEAN. It takes us months to train new employees to this level of attention to detail. It's NOT an easy thing to do! Look closely, really closely, at the next public restroom you go into and there's my proof.
No other janitorial service provides this level of focused effort. You can't send your dishwashers into the restroom and tell them to clean to our level. Even if you, the owner or manager, wanted to clean the room yourself you couldn't clean it as well as we can. You don't have specially designed products for various surfaces, you don't have the equipment we've invested in, you don't have the expertise that comes with doing one thing (deep clean restrooms) 40 hours a week for years and years, and you probably don't have the passion for cleaning that we have. After all, cleaning restrooms is what we WANT to do and it's what we feel God wants us to do!
Now put yourself in the position of one of your employees or customers. Would you like a restroom that's been thoroughly scrubbed by professionals or one that's been sprayed and wiped by an 11th grader at the end of his shift (or sprayed and wiped by anyone)? It's not a hard question so give an honest answer! OK, pretty close to 100% of you said you want the professionally scrubbed and CLEANED room to use. You're more comfortable in that room. You feel safer. If you had your kids with you you would feel even more safe.
OK, now put your owner/manager hat back on and consider your company or organization vision/mission/goals for a minute. What do they SAY about your employees and customers? Generally they SAY that your employees are your most important asset, that customers are your top priority, etc, etc. As a leader it is your responsibility to serve those two groups. You recognized that obligation when you wrote your vision/mission/value statements. All organizations do! This applies whether you are leading a business, a school, a church, or whatever.
What gets in the way of putting those beliefs into action? If you know that people prefer the professionally detailed restroom, and you are there to serve them why would you ever decline the deep cleaning service? Excuse #1 is the cost. OK, the service isn't free, but what does your customer/student/member cost? What is your budget for the health and welfare of your employees? If they are your top priority it's hypocritical to say that you can't spend money to protect them from H1N1, MRSA, E-Coli, etc. Do you do that with your family? Be honest about what your top priority is!
The value of our Sparkling Image service is so crystal clear to me. I can see the results, I can see the satisfaction in the eyes of our customers (and their customers and employees). You can't get it anywehere else. Yet a large percentage of potential customers reject our service. This is inspite of their professed adoration of their customers and employees.
I shared this frustration with Nancy the other day and, like she usually does, she helped me find the lesson in the training we're getting. She said "you think you're frustrated, think how God must feel? He's been trying to share the truth with us for thousands of years!" She's absolutely right! He wrote it all down for us, sent His Son to tell us, and reminds us through His Spirit on a regular basis and we still are sinners. My frustrations about rejection are so small compared to how He must feel when we reject Him.
On the other hand the analogies in what He has taught us are very important. We all feel like we can "do it ourselves" instead of relying on the creator of the universe to care for us. We believe that the cost of following our Lord is too high, but it's also true that we get what we pay for! We SAY all of the right things on Sunday (our mission/vision/values statements) and then act in a completely different way Monday through Saturday. And in reality, we place money before God despite what we say on Sunday. It's sad, but it's part of life in this age.
The good news is that we know the ending of the story! We have a God who loves us despite what we do at times and He's got our back. He sent His son to demonstrate the perfect example of servant leadership. He washed the feet of His disciples, He spoke directly into people's hearts and cured them of their afflictions, He died on the cross for our sins. Pretty good example of putting beliefs into actions if you ask me. Note to self: pray for God's help in taking action in accomplishing His will this week.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Thank God for Buffalo Wild Wings!
Today is Thursday so I stopped at one of my favorite Buffalo Wild Wings today for boneless wings. Boneless Thursday's are the best! It was after the lunch rush and I pretty much had my work done for the day so I bellied up to the bar and had a beer with my wings. After all, what sense is there in owning your own business if you can't have a beer in the middle of the day? Ben Franklin once said that "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." If Buffalo Wild Wings had been around in the 1700's I'm convinced that he would have said "Beer and Wings are proof that God Loves us and wants us to be happy."
Anyway, I had my wings and was finishing my beer when one of the managers let me know that he had taken care of my wings (yes, he took them off of my bill). Our business deep cleans almost all of the restrooms at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Central Ohio and, as we do with all jobs, when we clean their restrooms we do so as we would "unto the Lord." (Did you ever think about how hard you would work at a task if you knew that God assigned it to you?) The manager said that Sparkling Image always does a good job for him and he appreciated our work. We then launched into a discussion on public restrooms that would have turned most stomachs, but I was on cloud 9. After all, my work was appreciated!
Feeling as great as I did (not just from the beer), I gave the bartender a nice tip, shook the manager's hand and left feeling that life is great. The manager was happy, I was happy, and the bartender was happy. I think that's how God's economy works. We blessed Buffalo Wild Wings through our efforts in deep cleaning their restrooms, the happy manager blessed me with free wings when I didn't expect it, and I blessed the bartender out of appreciation for his work. In MBA programs and in corporate America I believe a very different formula for success is being taught. The world view of economics teaches us to extract value rather than give it. It teaches us that sucess lies with whoever has the most "stuff" (I think success lies with whoever gets free wings for his efforts!). The world would have us believe that success can be found on a spreadsheet rather than in a handshake. That's fine for everyone else but as for me and the other Sparkling Image Techs, we will serve the Lord and bless as many people as we can with faith that those blessings will be returned to us.
Anyway, I had my wings and was finishing my beer when one of the managers let me know that he had taken care of my wings (yes, he took them off of my bill). Our business deep cleans almost all of the restrooms at the Buffalo Wild Wings in Central Ohio and, as we do with all jobs, when we clean their restrooms we do so as we would "unto the Lord." (Did you ever think about how hard you would work at a task if you knew that God assigned it to you?) The manager said that Sparkling Image always does a good job for him and he appreciated our work. We then launched into a discussion on public restrooms that would have turned most stomachs, but I was on cloud 9. After all, my work was appreciated!
Feeling as great as I did (not just from the beer), I gave the bartender a nice tip, shook the manager's hand and left feeling that life is great. The manager was happy, I was happy, and the bartender was happy. I think that's how God's economy works. We blessed Buffalo Wild Wings through our efforts in deep cleaning their restrooms, the happy manager blessed me with free wings when I didn't expect it, and I blessed the bartender out of appreciation for his work. In MBA programs and in corporate America I believe a very different formula for success is being taught. The world view of economics teaches us to extract value rather than give it. It teaches us that sucess lies with whoever has the most "stuff" (I think success lies with whoever gets free wings for his efforts!). The world would have us believe that success can be found on a spreadsheet rather than in a handshake. That's fine for everyone else but as for me and the other Sparkling Image Techs, we will serve the Lord and bless as many people as we can with faith that those blessings will be returned to us.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
It's All About Relationships!
The article below is reprinted from our Fall 2007 newsletter. Please see the Potty Press section of our web site for more of our "views from under the urinal!"
Even in the Marketplace, It’s All about Relationships
Generally, when we think about relationships that we want to develop and improve, we think about our relationships with our spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend, our kids, our parents, and close friends we’ve made in high school or later in life. We want to develop those relationships because they are essential to having a healthy spirit and support our physical well being. If we feel good about our relationships, we feel good about ourselves.
This is also true at work. The tendency to distill business leadership down to management of a spreadsheet and financial decisiveness is contrary to the needs we have as people, and it is people who make up a business. When we disregard relationships in the workplace between ourselves and customers, between ourselves and vendors, between managers and workers, et cetera, we set our business on a path to discord and decline. That’s not to say that we should always bend over backwards to please everyone. Sometimes healthy relationships require “tough love,” but the driving force behind our actions should be how the action impacts the collective relationships that make up the business.
This is especially true of the relationship between managers and employees. If it is true that “the front line determines the bottom line,” then the worker is the one who makes or breaks the business. If a manager is responsible for what the worker controls, how important is the communication, training, trust; that is the relationship, between the manager and the employee? As a manager will your time be better spent looking at spreadsheets, in meetings with your boss, or developing your employees to be disciples of what you want for your customers?
There are a number of moral codes, both recent and historical, that support the critical nature of relationships. The Vision of the Better Business Bureau is to build “an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other.” The Cadet Honor Code at West Point requires that “a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” In addition, Jesus summarized the importance of relationships when he said “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). All of these codes and commandments underscore the critical nature of relationships between us (and between us and our Creator) and none of them exclude application in the marketplace.
So if it’s all about relationships, what are some practices that business managers should follow? We suggest that managers work to build strong relationships with everyone: not just in superficial terms but in a way that develops confidence and trust. As a manager one needs to know, like, and trust everyone he/she pays (for example, employees and vendors). Also, one needs to make himself/herself known, liked, and trusted by everyone who contributes financially to his/her well being (customers and shareholders). To build these types of relationships a manager needs to be willing to give of himself/herself—not just information, but their time, talent, and treasure as well. When their employees, customers, vendors, and shareholders return the same, you will know that the business is built on a solid foundation and relationships that will last. For what it’s worth, that’s our view from down here under the urinal!
Even in the Marketplace, It’s All about Relationships
Generally, when we think about relationships that we want to develop and improve, we think about our relationships with our spouse or girlfriend or boyfriend, our kids, our parents, and close friends we’ve made in high school or later in life. We want to develop those relationships because they are essential to having a healthy spirit and support our physical well being. If we feel good about our relationships, we feel good about ourselves.
This is also true at work. The tendency to distill business leadership down to management of a spreadsheet and financial decisiveness is contrary to the needs we have as people, and it is people who make up a business. When we disregard relationships in the workplace between ourselves and customers, between ourselves and vendors, between managers and workers, et cetera, we set our business on a path to discord and decline. That’s not to say that we should always bend over backwards to please everyone. Sometimes healthy relationships require “tough love,” but the driving force behind our actions should be how the action impacts the collective relationships that make up the business.
This is especially true of the relationship between managers and employees. If it is true that “the front line determines the bottom line,” then the worker is the one who makes or breaks the business. If a manager is responsible for what the worker controls, how important is the communication, training, trust; that is the relationship, between the manager and the employee? As a manager will your time be better spent looking at spreadsheets, in meetings with your boss, or developing your employees to be disciples of what you want for your customers?
There are a number of moral codes, both recent and historical, that support the critical nature of relationships. The Vision of the Better Business Bureau is to build “an ethical marketplace where buyers and sellers can trust each other.” The Cadet Honor Code at West Point requires that “a cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor tolerate those who do.” In addition, Jesus summarized the importance of relationships when he said “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). All of these codes and commandments underscore the critical nature of relationships between us (and between us and our Creator) and none of them exclude application in the marketplace.
So if it’s all about relationships, what are some practices that business managers should follow? We suggest that managers work to build strong relationships with everyone: not just in superficial terms but in a way that develops confidence and trust. As a manager one needs to know, like, and trust everyone he/she pays (for example, employees and vendors). Also, one needs to make himself/herself known, liked, and trusted by everyone who contributes financially to his/her well being (customers and shareholders). To build these types of relationships a manager needs to be willing to give of himself/herself—not just information, but their time, talent, and treasure as well. When their employees, customers, vendors, and shareholders return the same, you will know that the business is built on a solid foundation and relationships that will last. For what it’s worth, that’s our view from down here under the urinal!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Initial Posting!
The purpose of this blog is to share stories of God's hand in our lives as we work to grow the Sparkling Image business in Central Ohio. Although Sparkling Image is a business, it is also our ministry.
I guess a good place to start is at the beginning. I had left my position in 2004 with a large corporation after the business I was responsible for was sold to a company in Pennsylvania. Staying with the new company would have required another move (we had previously lived in Hawaii, North Carolina, Missouri, PA and now Ohio) and with two kids in their teens we decided we would stay here in Central Ohio. My former employer gave me the opportunity to use an outplacement firm. The outplacement firm offered support in both traditional job hunting as well as an entrepeneurial path. Not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, I attended meetings designed for both paths.
My experience in the job search process was very difficult and my gloominess was shared with virtually all of the other job hunters I met at the outplacement firm. I met on a regular basis with others going through the job search process. Hopes were raised and dashed over and over again leading to a general feeling of hopelessness for everyone going through the process. I remember interviewing with one large corporation in the area in which the people I interviewed with openly commented on how much they disliked their jobs. My feeling was that I'm only given one life to live and why should I be miserable during the large percentage of it that was focused on my work? Why would anyone willingly put themselves into bondage?
On the other hand the entrepeneurial path meetings, referred to as the E Team, were full of excitement and energy. The possibilities seemed limitless. In retrospect, one door that I was familiar and comfortable with, a secure job that paid well in a large company, was closed while another one was opened.
During one E Team meeting a local franchise broker gave a presentation about how to start a business through the purchase of a franchise. The benefits of a franchised business were compelling so my wife and I decided to complete a short survey that the presenter provided. We later met with the broker at his office after he had compiled some suggested franchise opportunities. Before sharing his recommendations, we spent some time discussing our goals and aspirations for a new business venture. During our conversation my wife, Nancy, commented "I'll do anything; I'll even clean toilets." When she said this the broker was suprised and responded how funny it was that she would say that given that one of the three recommendations he had prepared for us was Sparkling Image! After doing our due diligence of the recommendations it became very clear that cleaning toilets was the path for us and we opened our business in September 2004.
Most would say that the process was a series of coincidences that led to our decision, in fact we did as well at the time. However, it's become clear to me that God cares about us in everything we do. He doesn't ignore us when we go to work, nor does He want us to ignore Him there. When we put our trust in Him and count on Him to be our provider, instead of relying on corporations or what we believe to be our own talents, we can concentrate our energy on being about His work.
I guess a good place to start is at the beginning. I had left my position in 2004 with a large corporation after the business I was responsible for was sold to a company in Pennsylvania. Staying with the new company would have required another move (we had previously lived in Hawaii, North Carolina, Missouri, PA and now Ohio) and with two kids in their teens we decided we would stay here in Central Ohio. My former employer gave me the opportunity to use an outplacement firm. The outplacement firm offered support in both traditional job hunting as well as an entrepeneurial path. Not knowing what I wanted to be when I grew up, I attended meetings designed for both paths.
My experience in the job search process was very difficult and my gloominess was shared with virtually all of the other job hunters I met at the outplacement firm. I met on a regular basis with others going through the job search process. Hopes were raised and dashed over and over again leading to a general feeling of hopelessness for everyone going through the process. I remember interviewing with one large corporation in the area in which the people I interviewed with openly commented on how much they disliked their jobs. My feeling was that I'm only given one life to live and why should I be miserable during the large percentage of it that was focused on my work? Why would anyone willingly put themselves into bondage?
On the other hand the entrepeneurial path meetings, referred to as the E Team, were full of excitement and energy. The possibilities seemed limitless. In retrospect, one door that I was familiar and comfortable with, a secure job that paid well in a large company, was closed while another one was opened.
During one E Team meeting a local franchise broker gave a presentation about how to start a business through the purchase of a franchise. The benefits of a franchised business were compelling so my wife and I decided to complete a short survey that the presenter provided. We later met with the broker at his office after he had compiled some suggested franchise opportunities. Before sharing his recommendations, we spent some time discussing our goals and aspirations for a new business venture. During our conversation my wife, Nancy, commented "I'll do anything; I'll even clean toilets." When she said this the broker was suprised and responded how funny it was that she would say that given that one of the three recommendations he had prepared for us was Sparkling Image! After doing our due diligence of the recommendations it became very clear that cleaning toilets was the path for us and we opened our business in September 2004.
Most would say that the process was a series of coincidences that led to our decision, in fact we did as well at the time. However, it's become clear to me that God cares about us in everything we do. He doesn't ignore us when we go to work, nor does He want us to ignore Him there. When we put our trust in Him and count on Him to be our provider, instead of relying on corporations or what we believe to be our own talents, we can concentrate our energy on being about His work.
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