All types of businesses provide name badges for their employees.  It’s a simple, front-line business strategy, but it represents something more significant.  People are intensely relational, and this reality shapes human interactions at every level.  Corporations, at least some of them, are aware that people are so inclined towards relationships, that even a small personal touch can go a long way.  Name Badges add a name with a face and they allow people to better relate, even if it’s just for a moment.

Disney exemplifies the Name Badge strategy by listing their employee’s hometowns below their names on the badges.  It’s a brilliant touch.  Everyone’s story begins somewhere.  “Where are you from?” is perhaps the most frequently used ice-breaker question in every context.  Disney Name Badges often start conversations between Disney Cast Members and Disney Guests, aka employees and customers, due to this simple, personal measure.

Quality relationships begin by effectively relating to other people through a genuine spirit and mutual respect.  Corporations and small businesses that center their operations around customer relationships are leveraging the proper perspective…. The perspective that customer relationships don’t just drive long-term results, they enrich our lives and they establish the legacy of our careers.  So, if that’s true, then how about the other side of consumer interactions?

Now that we’ve talked about the business strategy of name tags, and customer service opportunities, allow me to turn the tables on us, the customers.  All too often, I witness consumers berating workers in offices, restaurants and retail stores.  Remember that relationships involve relating to other people through a genuine spirit and mutual respect.  That relationship works both ways, even in the marketplace….

What if, in the course of our consumer-oriented lives, we warmly greet the person checking us out at Wal-Mart, Target, Publix, Kroger, Chick-fil-a, etc.?  What if we, when wearing our customer hats rather than our professional hats, turn customer service on its head by reading someone’s name tag, then asking him or her; “how are you today, ______________?”

I sometimes wonder if we have a tendency to become the type of customer that we ourselves dread dealing with professionally.  Hmmmm.  When I read someone’s Name Badge, I want to remember that this a person who is probably much like me.  This person has a family.  This person has hopes, dreams, problems and emotions.  This person is working for a living, and maybe they have had a tough day….

I say let’s be better customers.  I say let’s be a bright spot.  I say that we try to show more grace, to smile more often, to tip better and chose to treat people the way that we want to be treated.  It’s a simple way to perpetuate the solution rather than exacerbating the problem.  More than that, it’s a cool opportunity to make someone’s day!  When is the last time that you came home from work and told your spouse, “I had the best customer today.”  How cool would that be?  OK, so I’m issuing a challenge to you, and to me, this week…..

I challenge us to be a memorable customer this week.  I challenge us to be attentive for opportunities to offer a retail worker an encouraging word, by name.  We just need to read a Name Badge.

If you accept my challenge, I want to hear about it!  Return to this post throughout the week and share the results.  If you make someone smile, that’s a win!

I finished reading the entire The Hunger Games trilogy this week, and I can’t stop thinking about the remarkable life and times of  Miss Katniss Everdeen.  This bestselling series has inspired a much anticipated movie based on book one, The Hunger Games.  The movie debuts in theaters next month.  The Hunger Games is a captivating story that’s hard to put down, but be warned, the psychological warfare and the intense violence will leave you emotionally drained, even distressed.  Based on the trailers, it appears that the movie has captured the essence of the book, so I’m definitely looking forward to it.

Katniss Everdeen is the protagonist of The Hunger Games, and she lives in the oppressive future world of Panem.  Panem was born out of cataclysmic ends to the world as we know it today, which were presumably brought about by the global mistakes of humanity.  Panem actually exists in what was once the United States.  Panem is made up of The Capitol and twelve impoverished, subservient districts.  Katniss lives in the coal mining district, District 12.  It’s fair to say that The Hunger Games espouses some political messages, but broadly and creatively so.   Overall, it’s a really great read.

Our story begins on an ominous day known throughout Panem as The Reaping.  On the day of The Reaping, two children, one boy and one girl, from each district are randomly selected to take part in the annual Hunger Games.  Those selected are known as Tributes.  Katniss Everdeen becomes the female Tribute for District 12 in The Seventy Fourth Hunger Games, in unconventional fashion.  A courageous spirit is the first thing that we notice about Katniss Everdeen.  We also quickly learn that Katniss is a survivor, a faithful sister and a masterful hunter….

The Hunger Games is one of those stories that truly gives us pause, enlists our emotions and inspires deeper thinking.  This story profoundly highlights the effects of war and violence on children, while demonstrating the destructive nature of power in the hands of corruptible leaders.  Heroes do emerge in this epic story, but surviving The Games, and perpetuating hope, takes an immense toll on all of them…

The Hunger Games deals with weighty, global issues, so it definitely calls for some conversation between parents and the teens who read it.  My fifteen year old daughter, Anna, has read the entire trilogy, so I felt compelled to discuss it with her.  Violence, corruption and despair are unfortunate realities in our world, but there’s always hope.  That’s what Katniss Everdeen came to represent.

Though Katniss sometimes felt hopeless, she never stopped fighting inwardly, and outwardly.  Katniss became a symbol.  Katniss never stopped trying to apply an admirable set of values in the face of unimaginably difficult choices.  Katniss showed courage, responsibility, loyalty, generosity, perseverance and she was willing to make sacrifices for those she loved…

That Katniss Everdeen sought to follow her moral compass reflects that she had a soul, a soul that simply would not surrender.  Hope often shines the brightest against the backdrop of tragedy and adversity.  That’s something to keep in mind when you read The Hunger Games, or see the story unfold for the first time on the big screen.  Hope is an eternal force of nature, and no matter the adversity, it cannot be blotted out.  It has been planted in our hearts, just like eternity has.  That’s what I took away from The Hunger Games.

Have you read The Hunger Games?  What did you think?

When I was kid, magnifying glasses had special place in my heart.  My Great Grandmother had a massive, old-fashioned magnifying glass that she used for reading.  I was allowed to take the magnifying glass on outdoor excursions in the small wood lot that separated her home from my Grandparents home.  I would peer deeply into that small part of the natural world, and discover some intriguing, hidden details.  Oh yeah, and I burned holes in a whole lot of leaves.  When we look deeply into the fabric of the natural world, it offer us insights about the core dynamics at play there.  The same could be said about the fabric of culture…

When we look closely at the fabric of a given culture, we find that it’s essentially defined by the collective application of a particular set of values.  These cultural values might be stated, but we really have to look closely at how people live to discover their actual values.  To be sure, there are countless subcultures, embedded within mainstream culture, that shape and influence people….  And these subcultures shape the mainstream culture.  The osmosis effect of the subcultures that we immerse ourselves in wields a major influence on our hopes, our dreams, and our very identity…

Much of what we learn in life about values, relationships and even faith, are modeled to us by the influential people in our lives.   This is especially true for children.  We see attributes and virtues displayed by all sorts of people throughout our lives, but the ones closest to us can really leave a mark.  Sometimes, it’s actually the absence of values that leaves a mark on us.  Yet, no matter the past, we are each endowed with the opportunity to touch lives, to make a difference, to leave an imprint on culture.  People who shape culture consistently apply their values, learn from their mistakes and develop a deep sense of confidence in their identity.  When a community of people live that way, it’s viral….

A community of people with a purposeful sense of identity can actually create culture.  Culture defines nations and authors history.

I hit a major turning point in my life was when I recognized the origins of truth, and the nature of grace.  I still have a whole lot to learn, but my compass is a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.  The eternal power of Jesus comes from knowing who he is, and believing in what he did (John 3:16).  This sometimes means making some blatantly counter-cultural decisions.  Once we right ourselves with God, through Jesus, something crazy amazing starts to happen within us.  We become attentive to the still, small voice….  We begin growing in wisdom and in truth….  We start asking deeper questions….  And we become part of His movement, a movement that creates culture.

I think we all want to be difference-makers.  I think we’re all searching for true north.  I think we all want to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  When we look deeply into the hearts of those who truly make a difference, we find that they’re values-driven to a fault.  They do believe in something bigger.  In the face of cultural opposition and the internal struggles that we each face, these cultural architects inspire us to remain faithful, anyway….

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

- The Paradoxical Commandments by Dr. Kent M. Keith

Well, the drama, the historical weight and the fanfare of  Super Bowl XLVI (46) is almost upon us!  It’s the Giants versus the Patriots!  I’m excited not just because I like football, but because my small group is going all out with a low country boil!  I still don’t think that Amy, my wife, knows what teams are playing, but she’s on top of the menu and every other detail for our Super Bowl Shindig.  That’s what’s great about the Super Bowl, it’s a transcendent cultural event that brings friends together.  We love sport in America, and we understand that our character is displayed by how we play the game.

Leading up to the Super Bowl, football fans have read and watched some intriguing feature stories about players who’ve made it to the big game.  I always enjoy hearing a person’s story, and I’m a huge fan of the high-profile NFL players and coaches who show strong character through the adversity and the challenges that a season of Pro Football inevitably brings.  There’s always some great stories and intriguing dynamics that make for some great subplots in big games.  The story of a person, and of a team, creates a certain intangible dynamic, or psyche, that impacts how we play the game…

The most interesting dynamic of this year’s Super Bowl has to be the rematch aspect.  The New York Giants and the New England Patriots also faced off in Super Bowl XLII (42) in 2008.  The Patriots were heavily favored to win Super Bowl 42 after coming off a historical undefeated regular season.  Tom Brady and the Patriots offense appeared unstoppable.  The underdog Giants shocked the football world with a 17-14 win that was defined by their formidable defense, and some big plays from their QB, Eli Manning in Super Bowl 42.

I have been fascinated with how football analysts, and my friends alike, are picking the winner of this year’s game.  Almost everyone is picking the Giants, yet odds-makers actually favor the Patriots by a three-point margin.  There’s clearly a shared intuition among the fans that the Giants are going to win.  I wonder what’s fueling that intuition.  Is it a critical analysis of the factors that will impact the game, or the fact that the Pats were a much bigger favorite in 2008 and lost?  Hmmmm…..

The better team on paper is, once again, the Patriots.  The Patriots have a much better record and better offensive stats this season.  Yet, we can all sense that the Giants are playing their best football at the right time.  Since the Vegas odds-makers are picking the Patriots, and the majority of the analysts and fans are picking the Giants, who is the underdog?  Well, I can tell you that Coach Belichick is telling his Patriots that they are the underdogs, and Coach Coughlin is telling his Giants that they are.  Hmmmm…..

The underdog card carries some motivation.  In spite of being extremely high-paid professionals, NFL players and coaches understand that the collective psyche of the team will play a vital role in the outcome of this game.  That’s what I love about sports.  Things don’t always play out the way they appear on paper.  Real people get to decide the outcome by how they play the game.  That should motivate me and you as we think about our future.  We can overcome the odds by how we play the game, and by placing our trust in the right things (most importantly, the right person; Jesus).

OK, who’s your pick to win the big game? I’m taking the Giants 31 – 24.

A Lemonade Stand is the perfect model for launching a successful small business.  Lemonade Stand Entrepreneurs clearly understand how the value of their product will meet a specific consumer need…. Everyone needs refreshment, and a cool glass of lemonade is a great way to refresh yourself.  What I love the most about Lemonade Stand Entrepreneurs is the contagious passion that fuels their simple mission…

Lemonade Stand Entrepreneurs sell just one product, and they completely understand every production and distribution detail about their product.  These entrepreneurs take their product to the marketplace with very low start-up costs, or overhead, so they operate in the black almost overnight.  These entrepreneurs run a cash only business on both sides of the ledger, so they’re masters at sourcing supplies like ice and cups.

Kids that launch Lemonade Stands recognize a consumer need, and they quickly create a customer base for themselves by meeting that need.  That’s the basis for the Lemonade Stand business model.   Kids can even learn about some basic business principles, including the distinctly American value of entrepreneurial initiative, when they launch a Lemonade Stand.  A Lemonade Stand is a temporal endeavor that’s best suited for children, but it provides a great illustration of a key principle that’s at play in the larger work-life journey…

The Lemonade Stand has been around for a long time, and no one has really done much to change it.  However, a successful Lemonade Stand proprietor must consistently get the small stuff right, like using freshly squeezed lemon juice and serving their product with enough ice.  Have you ever considered how much value consumers place on the type, and the quantity, of ice served by fast food establishments?  Ice is such a simple, yet valuable, component that’s woven into the value proposition of fast food restaurants, and Lemonade Stands… Perhaps true innovation in business, and life, is more about sustaining a focused approach than chasing the next great idea….

A focused and passionate work-ethic plows the most fertile ground for innovation, growth and future opportunities.

I think we sometimes go awry when we begin to compare ourselves with the achievements of our peers.  It’s an easy trap to get snagged by.  Not only does this trap snag us individually, it snags multimillion dollar corporations as well.  It’s healthy to be inspired by our peers, it’s unhealthy to envy success in others to the point that we lose sight our own unique opportunities.

I’m not suggesting that we should not think, strategize and dream about innovations and opportunities.  Quite the opposite… I’m suggesting that these innovations and opportunities are birthed down in the trenches.  I’m suggesting that opportunities and innovations are often closer than we think.  A focused and passionate approach begins by understanding our customers.  A clear understanding of our customer’s needs and expectations is the foundation of meeting those needs and exceeding those expectations.  Those are the goals, right?

Even if you’re not too concerned with the bottom line of your employer, it’s still in your best interest to meet and exceed the expectations of your customers.  Satisfied customers are the best friends of your career goals and aspirations.  That goes for external and internal customers alike.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ – Matthew 25:23

So, I’m reminding you, and me, to stay focused on the responsibilities of today as we dream about the possibilities of tomorrow.  That’s how we’ll make a difference and foster innovative solutions to for life and for business.  Did you ever have a Lemonade Stand as a kid?  How about any other youthful small businesses ventures?