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People Before Profit--Laurie Cruea-Blosser (July, 2005)

There was an article recently in the Sturgis Journal by a syndicated columnist and motivational speaker, Jim Davidson, so it's possible that you even saw this article in your own hometown newspaper. For proper crediting purposes, this article was titled, "The people before profits recipe", and appeared on page A4, Saturday, July 24, 2005.

I've taken quite a liking to Jim's columns. They are sometimes helpful (one not long ago detailed 17 uses for dryer sheets, other than softening and removing static from clothing) and sometimes insightful ("Have you lost your marbles?" was a great one, too. I might have to add that another day), but most of all, the column tends to make you think deeper thoughts than you really want to think, especially on a Saturday after a long week at the job.

This particular column spoke to me on a very personal level. See, in a different position I held before AIB came to fruition, I was put in what I consider a horrible situation. I had approximately 120 people who contracted to work for my department, ages varying from 10 to over 75. Even though you wouldn't think so, every last one of those contractors became part of a large family. I knew them all by name and face, carried their home numbers in my head, gave them mine, and would go out of my way to help them because I knew, in turn, that if needed, they would do the same for me.

Then it happened. The corporate bean-counters (we just love that term, don't we?) decided to cut expenses. Every department was trimmed until we were all working twice as hard for the same money and barely keeping up with demands. It's part and parcel of the economy in this segment of the country since NAFTA opened the borders. (I'm not going into a political tyrade, merely stating an actual fact.) In Sturgis alone, several thousand workers found themselves without work because their own corporate bean-counters decided that labor was cheaper in Mexico. Facts are facts. Of course it would be. That doesn't change the fact that there were now thousands with no means of supporting their families.

Back to the corporate bean-counters. For three years, these bean-counters were telling me that we could cut our contractor expense in half by changing methods. However, this method meant having to put 120 people out of work, and cutting out the only means of income for children under the age of 16. Beyond the whole customer contact issue, these people were my family. I fought and fought against the bean-counters, but in the end, I lost. 120 people were put out of work. With my boss leading the show, I had to inform these 120 people that they were out of work.

I'll gloss over the death threats, slashed tires, and broken glass, not to mention nearly having to hire a guard to keep my children safe. Heh. Every family has a few bad apples, right? Either way, they were still family.

From that day forward, I lost all interest in my job. It really dug deep how expendable every person was to a large corporation, including myself.

Now, back to talking about Jim's column. On Saturday, 23 July, Jim talked about Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A. This company has experienced growth for 34 consecutive years, something that is nearly unheard of anymore. The unique part of this is that Cathy is a committed Christian and has taught a 13-year-old boys Sunday school class in Jonesboro, GA, for over 50 years. His stores are not open on Sundays, one of the biggest sales days for restaurants. I'm going to gloss over a lot of the story, it's available through the Chick-fil-A website, or his own site. With as successful as this company is, it has never gone public.

When asked why, Cathy's answer was simple. Too often, Wall Street analysts are more interested in profits than they are in principles and people. "If I had a widow invest her savings in Chick-fil-A and the company didn't pay the return she expected, I would feel obligated to make up the difference to her. Feeling that way about it, I might as well sign the bank note and be personally responsible rather than take other people's money." He also believes that the reason many companies fail is by trying to grow too fast. Then, when there is a downturn and business slows down, they have to lay people off. "You don't build a good reputation by discharging people, but rather by developing people." Cathy has included these, and other life lessons for business, family and faith, encouraging readers to open themselves to unexpected opportunities to make a difference in someone else's life. Eat More Chikin: Inspire More People is available in bookstores and most online book retailers.

I don't make any money for plugging Mr. Cathy's book. I feel that if you believe in something, you should help it along, even if there is no physical "reward" for your efforts.

You see, in the end, you really cannot take it with you. So, what's more important in life? The people you meet and befriend along the journey of life, or the amount of money you leave behind at the end?

People before Profits, folks. The people will make more of a difference in your life than any amount of money ever could.

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