Do the Right Thing, Even When Nobody’s Watching
My very first job—well, more like an unpaid internship—was scrubbing scuff marks off the floor.
My grandfather, Dave Herche, was an extremely important role model in my life.
He was a leader in his church and spent a significant portion of his life volunteering (both my grandparents did).
When Dave retired from his furniture business….he didn’t really retire. Instead, he found a new role: self-appointed head of maintenance at his church.
Nobody asked my grandfather to clean the church every weekend. Most people weren’t even aware he did it. But by himself, with a buddy, or with his 12-year old grandson (me), he’d spend 4 hours every Saturday scrubbing the place from top to bottom.
My job was to tackle the floor in the community room. The finish would get scuffed from the setup and teardown of tables and chairs. You’d probably never notice if you weren’t looking, but the floor was pocked by tiny black scuff marks.
My job was to wander around this room, which was at least 2,000 square feet, with a rag and wipe every scuff mark away.
Then my grandfather would come over and inspect my work.
When the job was done to his satisfaction, he’d take me to lunch.
***
My grandfather cared about doing things right, even when nobody was looking.
I saw the same thing in his furniture business: the care he put into details that would be in the back of a drawer or the inside of a cabinet.
Nobody would notice if it wasn’t done right. But he would know, and that mattered to him.
I still think about those Saturday mornings in the church, scrubbing the floor. What it means to do things right, even when it requires extra effort or time.
It’s why I like to grow companies that are good at what they do. I’m inspired to do amazing work for those who are doing amazing work.
It’s why a Core Value like Driving Outcomes is so important to us. We go the extra mile to help our clients win because I believe that’s our responsibility.
It’s why, although I am an expert in sales, I think so highly of delivery-driven CEOs who obsess over their product or service.
It’s why company culture is so critical, because your people must believe in your values, fundamentally believe that following them is the right thing to do.
Even when nobody’s watching. Even when it might not seem to make a difference.
***
This mindset is not always convenient.
Each Christmas, I set up a miniature village, hundreds of houses spread across my own home. Every building is lit, and it’s the most beautiful effect when it’s complete.
But to get there? Well, I’m not willing to let a single wire show. It spoils the effect. To me, that’s not doing the job right.
So each Christmas season, I also spend hours and hours burying wires. It takes 5x longer than it should.
But when I stand back and survey the outcome, I’m proud.
If I want to be completely inefficient with a personal project, that’s my priority. You can’t do the same with your business. There’s always a balance. Doing things right can’t drive profitability into the ground.
Even so—this mindset may lead you to make investments that don’t maximize your profit either, like our Help First Calls.
Because it’s the right thing to do.
***
Over time, people found out what my grandfather was up to every Saturday. A few of them began showing up to help.
Eventually, the church installed a plaque honoring the “cleaning crew” for their contributions.
I’m happy he received recognition for his effort. I also know he didn’t need it.
If you’re struggling with “doing the right thing” in your business, you may have an alignment issue. Let’s talk.
