July 2024 Board Member Newsletter Article

Ideal Conditions

Nort Johnson
President/CEO
Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce

Hello MCCE Pals, what a privilege to share some thoughts with you in our newsletter! I haven’t really chosen a topic yet so bear with me. I’ll find something worth the read time.

Weather certainly merits at least a mention as record rains have followed up an exceptionally dry winter causing difficulties and losses in some areas. I know that I’ve mowed more already this season than all of last year! And the weeds! The rain is providing enough sustenance that they are practically growing out of rocks! We stopped by the Red Fox a couple nights ago and couldn’t help but start pulling weeds from the landscaped area around the patio while enjoying an after dinner drink. The good thing about pulling weeds with all the rain is that they pop out pretty easily – root and all!

There we go – ideal conditions to accomplish your work! Experiences I’ve been blessed with include working under ideal conditions at a few places – a great Board (or boss), healthy budget, reasonable expectations, decent economy, dedicated staff, and probably most important meaningful missions. How nice is it coming to the job and knowing what you do makes a difference for your customers? By customers, of course, I mean members, clients, patients, constituents, visitors, investors, etc. – anyone paying for, or benefitting from, your services. (This isn’t an official definition I believe, but we’ll just go with it.)

We’ve probably all had an experience or two as a customer somewhere that did NOT have ideal conditions in which to meet your need. Maybe the shop didn’t have a regularly stocked oil filter for your bike and the poor clerk couldn’t meet your needs. Or the hotel ran out of coffee for the continental breakfast bar. Or an advertisement listed a wrong price and the checkout staff had to disappoint you with the real price. No chianti to go with the pasta – no waitstaff wants to break that news!

I’m going two directions with this thought. First, a reminder to manage every experience with all the kindness you can muster. You truly never know what that clerk, desk manager, waitstaff, or phone jockey has going on in their life. I’m reminded of taking calls at our Chamber office in the months after our office tragedy and getting bawled out because we just didn’t have the bandshell schedule for music in the park or didn’t actually have the ability to shut down a business over a returned merchandise dispute. Also – no, we don’t have money for you to start a business. The rare unsatisfied customer who decides they’re going to be difficult or makes a snide comment when you’re doing your best but have a lot on your heart already can ruin someone’s day in just a moment of brashness. Always, ALWAYS err on the side of kindness, whichever side of the transaction you’re on.

Secondly, be the leader who creates ideal conditions for your office and staff to accomplish their work. Foster an environment of continuous improvement that allows them to do the same for your members and other customers! Keep your work environment well-watered so the weeds that inhibit great conditions to accomplish your work can be easily pulled.