Krulak's Law

Krulak’s Law states that the "future of an organization is in the hands of the privates in the field, not the generals back home."

Some time ago I was in a conversation about excellent customer service. I didn't know this law at the time. Part of the discussion was a challenge to think of the most customer focused organization you could think of, and then ask yourself whether the CEO of the organization woke up every morning, wondering if customers were being taken care of.

Obviously, the answer to this has to be "No." If the leader of an organization has to ask if the most basic of activities is happening on a regular basis, they are doomed to fail.

The basics of the job have to be hard-wired, part of the DNA of the organization. There are some examples which come to mind. In Kansas City, if you enter a Gate's Barbecue, you will be immediately be welcomed with a round of "How may I help you." If you stop into a QT, at least the ones here in Iowa, someone will say "Good Morning" and if you pay in cash, I would virtually guarantee they have the change ready almost before you place the cash on the counter.

New employees are trained for these the types of behavior, but this is bigger. It has become part of the culture. Not behaving in the manner expected is a failure to the culture. In one way, it becomes almost magical.

When I was running lumberyards, we used to talk about teaching "perfect." Many times, the people you were training had never seen "perfect." So, you started improving things with the crew you had. The yard would come to a better place than ever before and everyone was proud. You knew there was still a higher standard. You knew it because you had seen it and managed it before. So you pushed the next level, talking about changes and behaviors and the yard became even better. And you hit a new level. Then, rinse and repeat.

When the yard was finally the way you wanted it, the challenge became keeping it at the level your team had achieved. And then, at some magical moment, it became easier to maintain that level. Why? Because the team saw and understood the level of execution you expected. It became part of the DNA of the organization. As difficult as it was to achieve, it was just as difficult to destroy. With a little effort and occasional maintenance the standard stayed in place and was the new norm.

I've made this sound much easier than it really is. There are so many things pulling us in so many ways every day, it is hard to stay focused. But when you do, the end is something you can be proud of.

I am fortunate to manage a great group of people. They work every single day to achieve/maintain excellence. I have had the good fortune in the last couple of days to be around many of them. It has been a joy. I have the right people in the field and they work every day to differentiate us from the competitors. This will continue to set us apart. And I know we have each others backs. I will look out for them and they will look out for me. This is a good feeling to have, from either side.

Okay, coronavirus. If you are at all like me, I'm not sure what to think about it. I know the extremes of the situation. I have people in my life doing the shopping and the work to be prepared for weeks of being locked in their homes. On the other side, I know people believing it is a complete hoax. I don't land at either of those extremes. I am much more pragmatic.

It looks as though my sister may well cancel her trip to come to Iowa over Easter because travel has been made so much more difficult with the virus. As you know, I was looking forward to her seeing the Teardrop and making plans to pull it all the way home. Not only will I miss seeing her, but it makes this all so much more ... difficult. More to come on this front.

Hope all is good and you are all healthy. Wash your hands and be smart about this thing.