Mickey Mouse Training

May 28, 2010

Now does, Jane run things smoothly – oh yeah! Is she on top of my accounts – unambiguously! Could I do it again if I had to? Not if my life depended on it (and it kind of does)!

Now, did Greg take to the janitorial business like a fish to water? Uhmmm … sorry Buddy, but no. Was he as good as me in dealing with the clients, staff and suppliers? Let me answer here by saying that the key word in that question is “was”. That is my “safe” way of saying that now he is as good, if not better, than me in dealing with the customers we’d built up and in handling some of the newer and more demanding ones as well.

Could I go back and do his job? I think the real question should be: Would I want to? And to both questions, I say that he’s the right man at this time.

The key point here is that – while things may not be as smooth as you like them during transitions – if you don’t prepare for future growth, you’ll never be able to handle any growth, nor will you see any opportunity to grow.

Not everyone can handle the humility it takes to be able to trust someone else to do the job they did so well for so long. But if I can point to one inspiration for my growth and quest for greatness, Greg will tell you that I like to point to Walt Disney.

I’ve read Uncle Walt’s biography several times since I was a child. I admire what he did. But think about this fact for a moment – what did his first cartoons look like? Steamboat Willie is a far, far cry from Snow White, let alone Jungle Book (the last one Walt approved personally).

Walt was the original cartoonist in the company; he built the name. But if you compare his rough drawings that he did of the original mouse to the images his staff created for Jungle Book, you would say that his drawings were crude.

He knew that, which is why he hired others to illustrate for him. He became a leader, a motivator and a creator. He pushed others to do better than he himself could do alone.

Now, did that hurt him? Did he die poor as a result of others doing his job? I think we all know the answer to that one.

Could his artists do as well if they worked on their own? Some did go on to work for other studios after training at the hand of the master, but most stayed within the Walt Disney Co. and helped it grow. But without his influence and leadership, we would never have enjoyed his movies.

Now back to the realm of stone. If I didn’t take the time to train my technicians, to push them and motivate them to be the best, would we be able to take on some of the large projects that we do? No way – no how!

Could I do these jobs on my own and just pocket all the money myself? I would be a fool to think so; I may not be as good as I once was, but as my Dad used to say, “I’m as good once as I once was.”

I need young legs and minds to do my bidding and to encourage to do better. Otherwise, I’ill end up as some washed-up loudmouth shooting off on a forum about all the good work I used to do.

Until next time, keep your stick on the ice.

Tom McNall is founder and owner of Great Northern Stone Care, a Huron Park, Ontario-based stone-cleaning and -restoration company servicing all of southern Ontario. Tom offers corporate and private consultations, serves as a trainer for the Marble Institute of America, and is also on the organization’s board of directors. McNall can be reached at stone_rx@earthlink.net.

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