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I think if corporations spend their stock options it is off the point, especially when the shares are worthless. We have studied the gap between employees and employers over the years and have found that many great brands are eventually destroyed due to internal conflicts and frictions within the company itself. Many great corporate leaders and thinkers of our age have discussed it at length. Tom Peters, consultant and author, has discussed this in speeches and in many of his books. The book “Built to Last” looks at what makes and breaks great companies, from their mission statement to their employees and a sense of team spirit. The late great Vince Lombardi had many comments on the subject of teamwork. Winston Churchill and General Patton, including Von Clauswitz, who both leaders had read frequently to understand the will to win and the rules of engagement, discussed the front line and the dedication required.
So many big companies understand the game, companies like Microsoft, Starbucks, Wal-Mart, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, State Farm Insurance, South West Airlines, Dell Computers, HP (pre-Compaq merger), Disney, AFLAC, CISCO, Patagonia , Continental Airlines, Genetic, Harley Davidson, Fed Ex, Marriott, American Express, Texas Instruments, etc. Well, I like to think; so does my company, The Car Wash Guys. Does your company understand it?
I watch as the rest of the car wash industry discusses the dynamics of the job, not even realizing that the job is actually real people. Sure they have names, but in the eyes of the Car Wash owner they are typically a cost of doing business, a large percentage of the cost, and therefore, whenever possible, exploited for higher profits. This goes against many of the great entrepreneurs who discuss the benefits of teamwork and working, not to mention advice from Deming, Perot, Fred Smith, Howard Hughes, Nolan Bushnell, Sam Walton, Ray Kroc, Tom Monahan, Dave Thomas, Bill. Gates, Warren Buffet, Michael Eisner, Dell, and Schultz. I find it so interesting that so many great entrepreneurs and business leaders in our lives have spent so much time and encouragement on these issues and it still falls on deaf ears. The famous quote “Pearls to the pigs” seems quite appropriate in the car wash industry for advice on how to team up and treat employees fairly. As if “empowerment” were a BUZZWORD from the past, which now has no meaning.
Some entrepreneurs will repeat the mantra “Customers are always right” and “Customers first”, while the best business leaders like Jack Welsh, Tom Peters and Fred Smith will say “NO”, customers are very important, but employees are the first. Even our own US Marines, Navy Seals, and Airborne Rangers say that gear is all you have when the going gets tough; They act decisively, with the utmost naturalness and with the knowledge at hand. Coal miners who lived through their ordeal in Pennsylvania said that they all decided from the beginning, that “we all live or we all die,” that’s why everyone is alive today. It is for this reason that the governor of the Palestinian Authority was able to say “The 9 are alive”, “We are 9 by 9”.
Fred Smith talks about subcultures and small teams of employees developing their own strength, Jack, founder of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, has a culture of young and aggressive team players who work together and are rewarded for it. Howard Shultz insists that all employees are entitled to a 401K with stock options and calls them Team Partners. Sam Walton from the beginning empowered his employees and visited every store to shake hands. Bill Gates says we won’t fire when everyone else does and immediately begins hiring talent and employees who have become disenchanted with other companies. The late Walt Disney cared more for his employees than for his own life. Michael Dell participates in meetings, writes personal notes, and congratulates his team directly. Winston Churchill inspired a nation. General Patton defeated the Germans, and if we look at Schwartzkoff, Horner, or any of the other great leaders of the Gulf War, it was about men and women in uniform, not themselves, it was about the team.
I recently took a photo outside a car wash asking employees to park on the ground. Interestingly, car wash employees who clean cars all day were asked to park on the dirt, received no discount for washing their own cars, and were told to like it; Was there a lot of room even on your busy Saturday? Was the owner of the junk car wash that his employees drove embarrassed? Did you ever think about paying them more? Detailing their cars for them, after all, he is in business. Hardly the way you will see our team members treated. Many will say that we are exaggerating on this issue. We’re? Certainly not in the eyes of the greatest leaders and entrepreneurs of our time. In fact, we look to our soles to determine if we are really doing enough for our team. Sure we demand hard work, customer service and integrity from our team members, but in return they know that we are with them at all times.
It is a wonder that these companies, which do not adhere to these principles, can continue to operate. I question the longevity of any company that abandons its team for short-term gains. You can have short-term earnings, consecutive quarters, and strong teamwork and good employee relationships; in fact, you can have both or neither. I want you to think about this.