Lessons at the Meat Counter
Many moons ago, I had an 18-month ‘gig’ running a supermarket chain. Although it’s now become the largest network in the country, at that time, it was a modest one of 6 locations. It was a laggard in the business portfolio of the group I worked for, and my mandate was to “either turn this damn thing around or shut it down.”
Among the many wrinkles we had to iron out was hygiene and cleanliness, and this was soon to become my pet subject, not just at this job, but at all those that followed.
During my visits to one of our locations in the suburbs, I had begun to notice that every time I walked in, the first thing that greeted me was a strong and very unpleasant odor. After some investigation, we traced it to the drainage system of the meat counter situated at the far corner of the store. Having pinpointed the origin, many attempts were made to eliminate the smell with very little success. One day, having reached the end of my tether, I demanded that we get to the bottom of it and called for a meeting of all those we felt could help find a solution.
The refrigerator supplier was summoned, the air-conditioning engineer, construction team, the General Manager of the store and many more ‘titled’ individuals were present and we proceeded to dissect the issue at hand. Much discussion went back and forth with very little in the way of a solution, but we were getting close to agreeing that the draining needed to be re-laid, along with a more powerful expeller fan and AC vents installed closer to the unit.
While the experts debated the pros and cons of our plan, I could not help but observe the man behind the meat counter. His hands were crossed as he stood leaning against the door post, with a look of utter bemusement. Curious as to what was on his mind, and fast loosing patience with the inconclusive chatter around me, I walked up to him and asked him what was on his mind.
His answer was simple. “Sir, if we put a bucket of boiling water into the drain, each night, before we close down, it will wash out the blood draining from the units, and the drain wont smell.” My initial reaction was … “and why haven’t you done this before?” His response was that he suggested this to his ‘Manager’ who had asked him to ‘do his job and leave this one to those who know’ and he, therefore, decided to keep his mouth shut.
I walked back to the gaggle of ‘experts’ and suggested we try the boiling water solution. Being in my early thirties and managing a much more ‘senior’ team, I was used to the look of contempt I got. But given I was the ‘boss’ they grudgingly agreed to give it a go.
That night two buckets of boiling water were poured down the drain at closing time and for good measure, one early morning as well. The problem was solved immediately, and the odour was totally eliminated.
How often do we turn to the ‘qualified experts’ for expensive solutions, when the best ideas come from those who actually DO the work of the work? Too often we let our feelings of superiority prevent us from reaching out to those who may have the simplest and most effective solution to many operational problems.
Those who have worked with me over the years have heard me tell this story many a time in many a forum, but the lesson never gets old. The best lessons can be learnt not from the folks who theorize and supervise, but those who actually do the ‘work of the work’.
I am proud to say that in the period we were given, we were able to make the chain financially viable and gave the holding company reason to keep it in operation. It was probably the period of some of the most practical learnings in my entire career. However, to me, one lesson that I will always cherish and one that has helped me since is the lesson I learnt at the meat counter.
