So, as the pilot of this team, when you create your motto for the brick, I want you to make sure it doesn't just inspire, but it builds trust too. After all, that's what ‘run through a brick wall for you' means – trusting someone so much you'd attempt the impossible.”
“I trust you, Coach,” said Marcus.
“That's the spirit,” said Brian. “Don't forget when you meet with them, meet them where they are, not where you want them to be. Building trust starts there.”
“Roger that. Speaking of trust, there's one thing you can do for me.”
“Already giving out orders, huh?” laughed Brian.
“Not an order, just a request, Coach. I don't know all the rules of my culture yet, but I know one of them will be no alcohol. Since I consider you part of my team, I want to know if you're on board with that.”
After a pause, Brian responded, “I can do it … Coach.”
Both men were ready to try something different. For Marcus, it was a team motto. For Brian, it was a six-pack of seltzer.
4 Arthur's Bagels
Amid the buzz of Arthur's patrons enjoying their breakfast, Sam scanned the busy seating section and thought, “Maybe he isn't coming.” Then he noticed someone waving with both arms in the back corner. That someone was Brian.
“Hey Brian,” said Sam, sitting down. “Good to see you again, and thanks for meeting. Been here long?”
“Only a few minutes,” replied Brian. “I've learned that if you're on time, you're already late for something.”
Sam scanned the restaurant. “I haven't been here in a while. This place hasn't changed a bit. It was one of my favorite haunts.”
“Me too. So you went to school here?”
“Yes. My friends and I used this place as a study hall, but Arthur's coffee also saved me after many a late night,” laughed Sam. “Should we order or is this just a meeting?”
“Actually,” smiled Brian, “my first lesson's about why we must order. If I wanted to have ‘just a meeting,' it would've been somewhere quieter. We're here to break bread.”
“You made a good choice. Few bagels better than Arthur's.”
“You'll see,” hinted Brian, “why you're so fond of this place has less to do with the bagels than you think. Breaking bread isn't only about food. It's about building relationships. When people enjoy a meal together, guards come down and communication goes up. I don't know the science, but meals make connections stronger.”
Sam pulled out his phone and started typing “break bread.” He said, “I hope you don't mind, I want to take notes on your ideas.”
“I don't mind notes at all. They show you're a good student and value the information. What I do mind is how you take them. It seems ‘old school,' but I brought something for you.”
Brian pulled out a gold-colored notebook and slid it to Sam.
“What's this?” asked Sam.
“That could be the most important business book you ever own.”
Sam flipped through the pages.
“But there's nothing inside? Lemme guess; it'll be my most important business book after I fill it with your lessons, right?”
“Bingo, kid. Call me old-fashioned, but I believe writing notes is better than typing on your phone. Once you ‘think it and ink it,' you've made that idea more real.”
“I didn't bring a pen,” said Sam, frowning.
Brian reached into his coat pocket and produced a pen like a magician pulling a rabbit from a hat.
“Voilà! I've always got pens with me. My old coach said to have a pen and paper because your mind might forget, but the paper would always remember. Now,” said Brian pointing at the book, “when you said there was nothing inside, that wasn't true. One of the pages isn't blank.”
On his second pass, Sam still found nothing.
“Okay, what's the trick?”
“No trick, Sam,” Brian said opening it to the first page. “It's the next lesson: culture's hard to see if you don't know where to look. What's on that first page?”
“Well, I do see that tiny dot.”
“And what else?” quizzed Brian.
“I see it's blue?”
“And?”
“Nothing?” offered Sam.
“That's what most people see, Sam. Especially with culture.”
“A blue dot? I don't get it.”
“The blue dot represents the ‘little troubles' bringing you down – your problem with Dana or the deal you missed. It can also represent the minutia of the products Stamina produces,” said Brian. “You see those dots every day. But what people can't see is all the white space that surrounds the dots in our lives. We get so focused on the dot, we forget the white space. The culture of your business is that white space, and like most leaders, to you it's invisible. And when something's invisible, it gets no attention.”
Sam nodded.
“As your culture coach,” continued Brian, “my goal is to help you see things you never saw before. Because I'm ‘old school,' I can't change the dots in your life. But I can help you change your culture surrounding those dots.”
“I won't forget that one.”
“Let's not forget to break bread, either,” smiled Brian. “Before your next lesson, you owe me a bagel and coffee. So get me an everything bagel and a latte.”
While standing in line, Sam thought about the blue dots in his life, and felt hopeful Brian could help with them. He returned with their food.
“Here you go. You didn't say what size latte, so I went with the biggest.”
“Good move, kid. Can't go wrong with overdelivering, right? Now, for your first quiz as a cultural apprentice. What did you see in line?”
“What do you mean?” asked Sam.
“You said you've been here many times. So, tell me about the culture of Arthur's.”
“You're talking about the white spaces, right?”
“Yes,” replied Brian. “Tell me something you saw and how it made you feel.”
Sam thought and said, “One thing was how the girl behind the counter knew the first name of the person in front of me. That was cool. And the way everyone was smiling and said ‘thank you' made me feel good.”
“Nice,” said Brian.
