Tiny Tim and the Acme Inter-Galactic Starship
“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor”-Charles Dickens
As a young lad I recall being told that what you do during the year has a lot to do with what the guy in the red suit is going to be bringing you come December. You may remember a few of those conversations, too. Now being the proactive little tyke I was, I believed it was in my best interest to figure out how I was going to best take advantage of getting what I wanted: An Acme Inter-Galactic Starship (thank goodness for big boxes). If a plan would help me be successful in my quest for Starship ownership, I was all for it. My best buddy Tiny Tim was going to be my first officer.
I couldn’t take what I needed to do for granted, this was far too important. I didn’t want coal in my stocking, nor did I want to bemoan what I should have done during the year that I didn’t do. Intergalactic adventures awaited, and saving the world was far too important not to do what needed to be done. Every month was important in the grand scheme of things. Objectives, goals, responsibilities must be met or the universe and the earth, as Tiny and I knew it, would cease to exist. A plan was needed and failure was not an option.
You don’t plan on doing things half right, so I knew I had to do things well and to the best of my abilities, always. Tiny Tim and I still have conversations about this to this very day! He’s turned Cratchit & Scrooge into quite the business over the years, let me tell you.
The ghost of Christmas yet to come had a lot to do with his success over the years, Tiny will tell folks. When someone shows you what can happen when you don’t do what you know you should, it can be very eye opening, he tells me. His uncle Scrooge can attest to that! Tiny’s dad and his uncle Scrooge believed in being the best in all they did. Tiny was reflecting on that with me the other day. Here’s a few thoughts my buddy Tiny Tim shared with me that I’m going to share with you.
Mark, he said, great companies don’t settle for being second rate. They believe in being the best, so always take advantage of the opportunities that allow you to become the best. Always set the bar high and never take prosperity for granted; it can be fleeting if you do. Plan your future and update those plans regularly. An outdated plan can be as damaging as not having one. Set realistic goals and objectives that are quantifiable and measureable. Be decisive and fix what needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. You’re only as good as your team. Hire, educate and train well, because people help customers, not companies. And last but not least, have a good time doing what you’re doing. The happier anyone is doing something, the better it will be done and the more consistently it will be done. Pretty good advice from the first officer of the Acme Inter-Galactic Starship.
Have a great December … MM
Mark Mooney is the principal of Mark Mooney Powersports Consulting, a Santa Cruz, California, company that works with OEMs and powersports dealers to strengthen dealership performance. Mark is a nationally known speaker and teacher that works with dealers throughout the United States. Mark Mooney Powersports Consulting is “empowering performance and strengthening profitability through practical solutions.”
