Thoughts from the Desk of Gene Mims

I stopped in a local “meat and three” restaurant yesterday to grab a quick lunch, make a quick exit and move on with my day.  The restaurant has been around for years, although recently ownership changes have been frequent.  The menu is the same, the service is grounded in southern hospitality, and the food is good. What I realized, however, is that this type of restaurant with its southern cuisine is in fact serving a shrinking customer base that is slowly but surely killing its business.  The recent ownership changes have done little to attract new customers and while I like the menu offerings it seems others are not so impressed.

I thought about how success, legacy, history, and customers in a limited demographic range can spell trouble for any enterprise young or old.  What are the strengths of the restaurant in question?  The quality of food and service stand out.  The location is not bad and the consistency of what customers get is a plus.  So what’s the problem?  The problem is that the food offered and served is not the food younger families are eating.  It more resembles Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners than quick, fast, healthy items that families are eating today.  People want quick, healthy (more or less) cheap food to sustain busy lives.

Yesterday I noticed the ages of the patrons and without a doubt I was the youngest person in the crowd who came for lunch.  At 62 that meant that everyone else was my age or even a generation removed.  Also, the price points of the food were high, no doubt driven by small volume and food quality.  Even so, I predict that the woes of previous owners have been passed on to current management.

How can a restaurant with great food be losing ground?  By staying a course to satisfy its steady customers while failing to account for the shrinking number of those customers and failing to attract new, younger ones.  Serving great food to a declining number of people is the recipe no one wants.

I think there are lessons to help any enterprise.  First, take decline seriously no matter how rave customer reviews are.  Second, whatever you do find ways to cross or include as many generations as possible.  Third, watch costs and price points.  Costs can be passed to customers but not if your market is declining.  Finally, before you buy, find out why someone is selling. If you don’t you may just serve yourself to death.

I’m enjoying a great day with my wife Ann in Philadelphia. Despite the heat we have delighted in viewing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.  I am always amazed at the number of people from around the world who come to our nation’s capital, New York and Philadelphia. Liberty seems to have a home in the United States and we remain the hope for freedom that beats in the heart of all men and women everywhere. When you enter the building to view the Liberty Bell one of the first displays you read contains a quote from Leviticus 25:10 which reads in part, “Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”.

Those words have sent the message and meaning of freedom across the world thousands of times as people and nations have fought for the right to be free from tyranny of every form.  I am proud to be a citizen of a free nation built upon the principle of scripture, reason, and democracy which is why another recent experience has left me unsettled.  Just days ago we visited the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.  It is a short but impressive account of the birth, development and maturity of our nation from the Revolution until today.  The displays and illustrations are educational and inspiring.  Anyone could get a quick lesson in the Nation’s history just by spending a few hours in this museum.  What is missing, however, is any reference to faith, the Bible or religion. There are no pictures of churches, no explanations of the biblical references in the documents and speeches of our national leaders.  Nothing.

It is an odd omission from an institution whose very name has carried the weight of historical integrity.  I suspect that those who now serve in leadership at the Smithsonian are saying much by refusing to say anything at all.  It is indeed an omission which strikes at the integrity of those who are charged with the task of making our national history interesting, entertaining, and above all accurate. Sometimes revisionists would  have us believe that what happened and why it happened never really happened.  The truth and facts of faith will never ultimately be removed from their influence on the birth and shaping of our nation.

One of the hardest lessons for leaders to learn is to tell the truth. What might seem obvious to anyone in leadership about the truth may not be easy to practice. Leaders are constantly involved in delicate matters whether in business, non-profits, or church. Some things we know are confidential and must be guarded while other things may call for discretion about with whom we share the information.

If knowledge is power then secret knowledge is even greater power. Knowing what to tell, when to tell it and to whom to tell it is crucial in any leader’s experience.  A leader “knows” things that help him/her to lead. But knowing and telling something is not the same as not telling the truth. Withholding information may be necessary at times but lying has another dimension to it.

I have a friend who served on a church staff for years. After a pastoral change he met with the new pastor and was told that he was wanted and needed in his position for as long as he wanted to be at the church. The next week-end the new pastor introduced a new person to replace my friend. Promises broken are lies that destroy. No leader should ever lie and no leader who lies will last very long.

Why are we tempted to lie? Here are a few reasons I have experienced.

Fear–  Whether we admit it or not, we do not like to make decisions and choices that hurt people, send them away, or distress them.  Rather than telling the truth we often try to coat our words with assurances that we know will eventually not hold up.  But it is tough to face a person or a group of people and tell the truth.

Pride-We do not want to be caught in failure, ignorance, or wrong.  The lack of accountability can contribute to this but in the end it is pride that will fuel most lies.  Leaders are by nature competitive, aggressive, and out front. When we fail or struggle we may feel our leadership is undermined and we might be vulnerable with critics or supporters.  Lying seems the easiest way to cover failures or weaknesses.

Expectations-Every leader lives under a burden of expectations.  Some are self-imposed and some can be imposed by boards, persons of influence, and assessments by which we are judged.  Expectations can be factual or imagined but they are real in any case.  When a leader is not meeting expectations, lying to make things look better than they are is a temptation.

There is a good rule of thumb for leaders when tempted to lie: don’t.  Nothing ever comes to good from it.

Recently I received a computer generated telephone call informing me that my debit card was deactivated. I was confused at first but decided to listen to the message to determine what was going on. The computer’s voice asked for my cooperation in order to get my card reactivated. It felt like a scam from the very start and when commanded to provide my debit card number I hung up.

What made the exchange interesting for me was the fact that no names were ever used. The caller revealed no name and my name was never used either. It is troubling to know that my phone number was known, the type debit card I held was known, and my card number was requested.  I guess it is safe to say that the thieves “had my number.”

Can We Live Numberless?
I suppose it is possible to go through life without some kind of number but I doubt it. In fact the reason for so many numbers is that people’s names are simply not enough. You likely have your name on a social security card, bank card(s), employee identification card, driver’s license, and personal checks but names are not enough. You have to have numbers.

In fact, you must have numbers but you don’t necessarily need a name. For example, your computer and router have numbers but your name is not important to Google when it captures your recent visits to various websites. Identification on internet sites often require a number or numbers on your password.

A name links us to our past where significant persons and events lie but numbers are more suited for analysis, trends, and marketing groups. Names can reveal personality traits, hopes of parents, and ancestors. Numbers reveal buying tendencies, spending, and credit scores.

We Can Live Transparently
I don’t think numbers are going away anytime soon so we have to live in a world where names simply do not tell everything about us. Our numbers are needed to fill in the picture.  I hope your character is in tact and that your live a transparent life.  What might be hidden may now be brought to light by the use of numbers.

Help me understand two of my recent restaurant experiences.  Last Friday I ordered grilled chicken for lunch at a local restaurant only to be informed that no chicken was left. It was listed on a blackboard as the daily special, it was 11:00 AM, the restaurant had just opened, and I really wanted grilled chicken! Then on Sunday evening we went with friends to a local eatery which has bread in its name only to find out that most of the bread listed on its board was not available. Despite being a “bread company” and having ovens to bake bread, several patrons were told that sandwiches were available without bread. I watched  three customers order in vain for unavailable bread.

I understand that restaurants run out of an ingredients but at 11:00 am? How about a bakery not have bread? At the first restaurant the server seemed to be a little put out that I tried to order chicken when it was obvious (to her) that there was none. The cashier at the second restaurant seemed slightly embarrassed to have to tell customers repeatedly that there was no bread. A sandwich without bread is a sad thing. A bakery without bread is a disaster.

I was left to ponder both situations Sunday evening and I remain puzzled at both events. Why advertise what you do not have and have no intention of providing? Why not tell eager customers up front that some things are not available? Why be in business if you don’t won’t to prepare and sell what people want to eat?  Why…why…why? I won’t be back in either place for a while. I can’t stand the thought of menu/ordering/requesting rejection.

While I’m disappointed by both experiences, they have been a good reminder to deliver on my promises, practice what I preach, and be consistent in all I do. Though neither restaurant could deliver, they certainly served up some food for thought.

It was my pleasure recently to travel to the small African nation of Malawi. A group from our church went to a resort on the shores of Lake Malawi, the nation’s eastern border separating it from Mozambique.  Malawi is a nearly unknown nation which lives in the shadows of larger nations with more wealth, unrest, war, and influence.  It is a nation that is struggling economically to the point that is unable to provide critical services to its people. Shortages in diesel and gasoline are examples of current problems.

But every place is a place to learn and enjoy learning. One morning I awoke and went outside to enjoy daybreak and discovered only forty yards away in the lake a hippopotamus bobbing up and down patiently waiting for an opportunity to enjoy the lush grass and plants at the resort. Monkeys ran around, camels were herded nearby, and donkeys walked leisurely from place to place.  Fisherman and wood carvers went by without any interest in the animals near them. Members of a United Nations group staying at the resort went to their meetings busily talking to one another in English or on cell phones to offices across the world.

Man And Nature Moving In Harmony
It was an interesting environment to say the least. I thought about what was going on in that moment in a very small space and how all activities moved seamlessly. On the base level of the environment animals looked for food, people went to work, and tourists enjoyed some pleasure. Food was being prepared in the kitchen, workers cleaned the pool for swimmers who came later, I was thinking about the two messages I was to preach, and missionaries and their families were awakening to another African day.

It seemed to me that much of what we often think of as different and unrelated can actually exist without much effort.  Animals, people, processes, business, and political events were happening simultaneously and no one got in another’s way.  People from many nations speaking many languages walked the same paths, ate the same food in the same place without incident. Different agendas did not conflict and in general things were enjoyable.  I also noticed that the environment was not damaged while construction and business was done.

It made me wonder if it might be possible to return to the U.S. and be exempt from interest groups, political parties, networks dedicated to ideologies instead of news, sports without bounties, and just one day without litigation. Twenty four hours after I returned I realized that our world remains fractured, selfish, violent, corrupt and vulnerable.  I am here as Salt and Light but it was nice to be taken away for a week where man and nature seemed to move in an easy harmony.  It seems now as something too good to be true. But it really was both good and true-just for a while.  Oh well, let’s get back to work and try to overcome this decadent mess.