23. Think And Act Like An Owner.

 
We share in our success. Make decisions by reminding yourself, “This is my company and my own money.” Think globally about Famous Enterprises, not just about you, your department, your branch, district, or group. Ask yourself, “Will this help all of us succeed?”

Dave's Message:

 

As I thought about the phrase “Think and Act like an owner”, I recalled some experiences from my career in the Plumbing and HVAC Distribution industry.

One instance comes to mind, when several associates were unloading trucks/containers.  Three of the associates were unloading a container of toilets (900 pieces) that were floor loaded and required a lot of work with a two wheeled cart. While the other two associates were unloading a truckload of coiled pipe (24 pallets) with a fork lift, which was a much easier task.  The truck of coils was unloaded in one (1) hour and those associates went on a cigarette break.  As the other three workers were continuing to unload the toilets which would eventually take almost six (6) hours to unload.  As I was witnessing this occurrence, I walked over to the two associates on the cigarette break and asked if they could assist those three working on the unloading of the toilets.  I explained to them that our company would be charged an hourly fee for a delayed return of the container if it was not unloaded in less than 6 hours.  Both of them responded, “They had completed their task and why did they have to help the others”.  Before I asked them to “Think and Act like an owner”, I conveyed a brief story to them, saying that our company was like a big boat and that all of our associates are passengers in the boat.  I then asked, “What if there was a hole in the boat?  What would you do?”  They both chuckled and responded with “we would plug the hole and keep the boat from sinking”.  I then exclaimed, “Exactly, if there is a hole in the boat (company) and it is taking on water and sinking (help needed elsewhere), the boat will sink no matter where you are located in the boat!   They both agreed and understood the comparison.  They then proceeded to help the other associates to unload the container so that the company did not incur any additional expense.

Moral of the story is…to always do what is in the best interest of the company…and “Think and Act like an owner”!

Thank you for reading this.