A Warrior's Mindset- Focus on the 5's

It has been a constant message the last 60 days: focus on the 5’s, learning all we can from the 5’s inside and outside our business. Outside our operations, we know the 5’s and what separates them from the rest – they surround themselves with people who share their values and have non-negotiable standards. The people who share their values are not necessarily hired that way; they are engaged, trained, and coached to learn and share those values. They are expected to maintain the shared values (that’s one of the non-negotiables). We (okay, mostly I) discuss at length what sets 5 organizations apart from the rest.  Today, how about a shout-out to some of the 5’s within our organization, Christian and Jeff, and their warrior mindset.

While discussing business with Jeff last month, he shared that he was convinced he was on the right path, doing the right work, to get 7/McDowell sales to surpass Cotton. He was not just confident this would happen; he was certain. In my opinion, what made this extra special was that 7/McDowell isn’t even second in sales. Jeff wasn’t looking to move up one rung on the ladder - he wanted to move to the top. A few weeks later after a particularly busy day at 7/McDowell, I was emailing Jeff and Christian, where I mentioned to Christian that Jeff commented on how he was working to catch him in sales. Christian’s response was two parts. The first comment, 'bring it,' and the second was that he wasn’t thinking about who was behind him in sales; he was thinking about how to catch In-N-Out. Coincidentally, two weeks later, In-N-Out opened down the road from Christian. 

That is a Warrior’s mentality. You don’t just take note of the 5’s, you want to be one and better. I should mention Cotton is still up in sales, even with a new In-N-Out, and Jeff has moved up a few more rungs on the ladder. 

A Warrior’s Mentality doesn’t look at the comparisons to see who is behind them in sales - they look to see who they can learn from and move beyond. Warriors don’t look at the competition, wishing they were lucky enough to have their sales - they do the work to earn more sales. They don’t look at 5’s and think I can’t, they look at 5’s and think I will. 

A 5 is not just something to be admired from afar; it is something to be. That is the Warriors’ Mentality.

Be a warrior. Be a 5.