Everyone's Part of the Show
The other day I attended Disney on Ice with my 8 year old daughter and I really didn’t pay attention to the songs or characters. What I was paying attention to was the ‘show.’ I began to study everything that was going on in all corners of the floor; it’s amazing what you miss if you don’t look.
First, it started with the other skaters on the ice who were not center stage at the time- they held pose, reacted to the others or moved quietly to the next spot. Then I noticed some people squat-running along the ice placing props for the skaters to pick up. Then, when the lights were not on a prop that was left on the ice, a beautiful skater came out and moved it out of the way. Then my mind then drifted to all the people behind the scenes, including the lighting crew, costumes, props, sound and even fireworks. Not to mention someone has to set up and tear down, load it on the truck and haul it to the next town. It occurred to me, everyone here is part of the show! If any one of just the few things I mentioned did not occur, the show wouldn’t have been, well, The Show!
This got me thinking about my own store- is everyone part of the show? Does my manager feel he is more important than the line attendant or cashier? Or does the cashier feel he/she is the most important person on the lot? For that matter, do I feel that I am more important than any of them? What about my equipment supplier or my chemical supplier- do they even know they are part of the show? What about the kid I pay to mow the grass, does he know what an important part of the show he is? The answer is I’m not sure about the employees and, at times, yes-I feel I am more important, but for the rest of the people it is a resounding no.
So that is my challenge- make sure everyone involved knows and feels like they are the most important part of the show because without any of them the show wouldn’t be, well, The Show.
Aaron Green
