The Invisible People Want To Be Seen Now ... Brace Yourselves
One of my favorite Romcom's is the transformation Renee Zellweger?goes through in New in Town (2009 movie with Harry Connick Jr.). She was sent by her managers to "usher in a new phase" of a manufacturing plant in small-town Minnesota. She strode in like a boss in her high heels and fancy suits, not dressed properly for the below zero weather and ice. She acted all superior at first, but the locals helped her remember what's most important in life. Things looked like they were not going to turn out well for the small town, but when push came to shove, she bought the plant and made all the employees partners.
The perfect example of what I'm always talking about. If you're making tons of money from your business, you need to start thinking about how to share some of it with your people. It's been done and it's a huge success. Look at Chobani and Gravity. But it's not just about the money. It's the way they do everything in these forward-thinking companies. They actually sit down and figure things out together.
Gravity CEO Dan Price says six years after giving all employees a minimum salary of $70K that it cut their turnover rate in half.
Chobani Founder Hamdi Ulukaya?says he always hears his Mom's voice in his head telling him to "do the right thing." That's why he shared 10% of the company with his employees.
Can No Longer Ignore The Growing Human Ego
You know how I'm always talking about the growing human ego? This is what it looks like right here in David Sable's latest: young college grads with jobs at Starbucks and Amazon wanting more money and all the perks they hear others are getting - they want it all and they want it right now. Regardless of what they've accomplished so far in life. Where does all this chutzpah come from? We're living in a transparent world now. So maybe a few years ago the invisible people were not aware of their inferior working conditions - but now they are. (Of course I'm not saying this specifically about Starbucks or Amazon who are typical large employers in today's business arena.) We all got a huge boost of emotional intelligence during the pandemic, so that's why you can't really anticipate what people will do next. Because we've never been in this situation before.
We all got a huge boost of emotional intelligence during the pandemic, so that's why you can't really anticipate what people will do next. Because we've never been in this situation before.
So Many Recalls Lately
Let's look at some of the biggest recalls - they're usually connected to huge companies with factories full of people. The Strauss confectionary recall in Israel keeps getting worse, because apparently all this was caused by pigeons flying around the factory. I'm sure all the employees noticed the pigeons, but when you're invisible - you don't think anyone really cares about your opinion - you don't really feel valued - you feel taken for granted day after day - so why should you care that some kids will get sick from eating the chocolate you're making? Now it's also spread to the US.
Interesting to see that there's also a huge Kinder chocolates recall. Europe's health agency says it is investigating dozens of reported and suspected cases of salmonella linked with eating the chocolate in at least nine countries.
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So many recalls these days - we really need to rethink everything to do with the invisible people who actually make the products. If this list I just put together quickly doesn't make you think it's time for a change, I don't know what will.
Can't Ignore Nature Either
One of the most interesting recalls is Mazda's gasoline loving spiders who were blocking the vents in 2014. I say interesting because nature is involved here, and in the Strauss recall too.
We still have this outdated notion that we can ignore all the invisible people and laugh all the way to the bank.
We think we can ignore the system of nature that we exist in. We think we can be oblivious to its structure and its rules that govern our world, and still have a great life.
We still have this outdated notion that we can ignore all the invisible people and laugh all the way to the bank.
Well I'm here to tell you that that's not how our social evolution is going to happen. It's going to happen no matter what we do, it's just a matter of whether we'll go along with the changes willingly. Or whether we'll keep paying a high price for resisting by trying to perpetuate the old ways of doing things. Hopefully leaders will start making the right choices.