ALL IN: Three Stories, One Conclusion
A Catholic saint, arctic explorer and corporate CEO walk into a conference center.
Wait. Have you heard this one before? If so, it’s because you were at our annual SpartanNash Summit this fall and know where the setup leads. All three people exemplify ALL IN resolve. Their stories—saint, explorer and CEO—reveal the focus and commitment called for during times of uncertainty.
Navigating life, in my experience, works the best and is the most fulfilling when you’re playing to win, rather than playing not to lose. It’s all in the mindset, whether accomplishing an immediate task or working toward a longer-term goal.
What can we learn from Mother Teresa, Roald Amundsen and Hubert Joly? Each in her or his own way can inspire our actions as we serve others, meet the challenges of extreme conditions and create new solutions by leveraging personal strengths. Let’s take each in turn.
Missionaries of Charity: Sisters Who Stay
There’s been a lot written about Mother Teresa, who started the Missionaries of Charity in 1950 and was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta in 2003. One of the things I love the most is the wisdom she conveys in this simple yet life-centering statement: “If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.”
For me, it sums up a clear sense of purpose and mission. Even as the number of Catholic nuns in the U.S. has dropped over the past six decades, the Missionaries of Charity has grown by a third and now consists of more than 5,100 members in 139 countries.
These are sisters who stay. They don’t just embrace the mission. They live it, rising every day at 4:40 a.m. to fulfill their vows of providing “wholehearted and free service to the poorest of the poor.” No matter what the circumstance, they ground their lives moment by moment in kindness, continuing to wear the iconic white sari bordered in blue as a color associated with Mother Mary and representing purity, in this case purity of purpose.
As an example, the Missionaries of Charity began working in Haiti in 1979. Since then, among the hardships they’ve endured, they’ve stayed through two earthquakes, gunfire at their hospitals, highway kidnappings and supply blockades by the government! In everything they do, they demonstrate an unshakeable ALL IN mindset.
Getting There—And Back: The 20-Mile March
Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen did more than win a race. He lived to tell about it. The details of how exactly he accomplished his logistically self-supported, three-month expedition to and from the South Pole in late 1911 and early 1912 are many. What I see is that he prepared himself to maintain self-control in an out-of-control environment.
By provisioning his five-member team with proven, dependable polar equipment, he made it possible to reasonably expect a 20-mile march—every day. No matter what the weather conditions or terrain, he and his team started each day planning to push on another 20 miles.
In his own words, “Victory awaits him who has everything in order—luck people call it. Defeat is certain for him who has neglected to take necessary precautions in time; this is called bad luck.”
The good luck Amundsen prepared for started with well-fed dogs pulling sleds lightened from nearly 200 pounds to 50. His team could put up their tents with a single pole. And they had just one goal—reach the pole and make it back. Amundsen’s team reached the pole, returned to the coast and survived. Another team did not, in part because they relied on untested technology, held onto side goals of scientific field work, had too much weight to move by human power and were willing to (and sometimes had to) wait for favorable weather conditions.
Do the math. Amundsen’s team covered 1,800 miles in 99 days. Marching 20 miles a day for 99 days will get you 1,980 miles.
Showroom Geeks: Betting On Yourself
As CEO of Best Buy, Hubert Joly looked to his own people for insights, even as online merchants were destroying brick and mortar retail sales. In 2012, Bloomberg lumped Best Buy in with the Big Box Walking Dead. By January 2013, Best Buy’s share price had cratered at $16, down from $41 just three years before.
Yet Joly knew Best Buy had a core of terrific people. They could, in fact, provide far better service than any virtual retailer. The recipe for success that Joly arrived at was great service at the best price. “Always start with people,” Joly observed. So he did.
He bet on his people, made service the highest priority and matched it with a Low Price Guarantee. In six years, Best Buy took control of the environment, tripled earnings and cut employee turnover by 2000 percent. Oh, and Best Buy doubled its own online sales.
And yes, I know what you may be thinking.
ALL IN is extreme. Saints? Intrepid Arctic explorers? Corporate turnaround gurus? Definitionally, they’re not mainstream.
But look at their intent and their actions. Is kindness extreme? Or preparation? Or doubling down on something you’re already doing really well?
I see ALL IN all around me every day. As much as I admire heroic figures from history and world events, I find just as much inspiration in the work of the people at my company.
At our recent annual Summit, we recognized 70 of our frontline hourly Associates for the ways their ALL IN commitment helps Our Winning Recipe succeed at SpartanNash.
Here’s our People First culture at its finest. I am ALL IN on everything they’re accomplishing, https://youtu.be/esAtw5_04J0.
