There are no Guarantees

When I signed up for all of this, being an entrepreneur that is, I thought most of what I was going to do would turn out pretty good and my rewards would be fairly satisfying. Expectations vs reality can often lead to shocking realizations. More than 10 years of business and it hasn’t gotten any easier nor has it resulted in the rewards I originally expected. Although I knew success was never guaranteed, I grossly misjudged what my rewards would be. In the beginning, I wholeheartedly believed that significant monetary rewards would come to our business. Today, I would not call our financial rewards significant; the word adequate seems to be a better descriptor.

What has been significant, however, has been the progress we’ve seen in our clients. We can honestly say that not a single client is in the same place today as they were when we began the journey. The movement they have experienced has been continuously toward a richer, more robust culture that values people first and foremost. This focus on the humanity of the organization has resulted in powerful relationships. These relationships have built a capacity for growth and development as well as a what-ever-it-takes attitude. It must be admitted, however, that although the graph of progress looks like a nice, steady upward trend, if you view the graph in detail, you’ll see it has ups and downs. But, the overall trend is upwards. I’ve discovered that this steady progress of our clients, and their amazing loyalty to us, is a reward that cannot be measured in dollars and cents.

Our clients, like Five Star Food Services in Chattanooga, Tennessee, G and J Marketing and Sales in Palm Harbor, Florida, Newport Industries in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, CST Industries in St. Louis, Missouri, VVS Canteen in Cozad, Nebraska, and RS Electric of St. Joseph, Missouri, to name just a few, have put incredible faith in our ability to help them make better, more scientific people decisions. What could be more satisfying than to know that CEOs like Al Recher (Five Star), Greg Sidwell (G and J), Stef Lopata (Newport Industries), Tim Carpenter (CST Industries), Dick Davis (VVS Canteen), and Rick Schultz (RS Electric) have invested their time and money in the analysis and coaching we provide. Times are hard, but we have these wonderful companies and their hard working, dedicated leaders to consider as more than clients; they are our friends. No matter what tomorrow brings, we know we have people that depend on us and that fuels our drive forward.

There are no real guarantees in life other than the guarantees we, in our own personal integrity, offer to others. If we go through our lives expecting nothing more than what others are willing to give us in payment for what we do, we can reduce the chances that we will be disappointed and increase our chances that we will be pleased when others exceed our minimal expectations. We’ve experienced the pleasure of having fantastic relationships with our clients. I am so grateful for everything they have done to support us and we hope that others will consider them if the need ever arises. There are no guarantees, but connecting with great leaders, as far as I’m concerned, is better than a guarantee.