“Remember that your fans are your lifeblood. See that you know who they are,
and give them a reason to follow you. Be sure to thank them, often,
for caring enough to support you.
They’re responsible for your success just as much as you are.”
― Simon Zingerman, “We All Need Heroes: Stories of the Brave and Foolish”
My passion is leadership and extraordinary work cultures. The two go hand in hand; they feed into each other. Leadership is essential for creating a well-crafted culture that reflects intentional values, norms, and behaviors. The result is an organization that attracts, retains, and develops a workforce that is mission-focused and so committed that all employees act like owners.
In addition to building a list of role-model leaders, I am always on the lookout for organizations that tend to their cultures and spend an equal amount of time on the business’s transactional work, as well as on the people and process work. In my experience, organizations that follow the recipe of equal amounts of time and attention to both the WHAT of the work and the HOW of the work create a sustainable culture which can survive — and even thrive — in both good times and bad. As I said, I keep a list in my head of such leaders that I have served and from whom I have learned. Ari Weinzweig is such a leader and Zingerman’s Deli in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is such a culture.
In the early 2000s I was looking for a remarkable organization to research and possibly feature in a book. I commuted from Cleveland to Ann Arbor to visit the famous Zingerman’s Deli and experience their coffee, genuine customer service, and deli sandwiches. And while a book deal was not part of the experience (Ari was planning to write his own book) I discovered that Zingerman’s hit upon all my hot spots. They display leadership in all situations. They are purveyors of delicious food stuffs in all the categories that I love to sample and share. Their food inspirations come from travel and culture and interesting people all of which I delight in learning about. Everything is delivered with a personal and passionate service that makes customers feel part of their culture and in relationship with them.
During this Covid 19 era when many businesses have closed and some have folded, Zingerman’s has taken their delivery packages a step beyond. With the help of financial donations from customers, newsletter subscribers, and even folks around the country, Zingerman’s launched “Buy a Sandwich for a Health Care Hero.” Since the program began, near the start of the stay-at-home portion, Zingerman’s has delivered meals to more than 1600 local medical workers — doctors, nurses, emergency medical techs, hospital cafeteria staff, custodians, and support staff. At no cost to workers!
“We hope these meals help them power through their long shifts,” Rodger Bowser, managing partner of Zingerman’s Delicatessen said, “and feel the support of our community.” The meals delivered in Zingerman’s colorful bags contained some of their famous sandwiches, pickles, chips, chocolate, and snacks. Receiving a colorful bag of goodies while you social distance will make your day.
In addition to their “Buy a Sandwich” program, all nine of Zingerman’s divisions created their own delivery plan and products. “…we decided to keep our businesses open . . . (to) help our staff stay employed,” Ari said in a March 18th Zingerman’s Newsletter. “We help support the many small artisans we buy from and keep their staff employed as well.”
It is that kind of thinking and caring that has become a trademark of Zingermans. In this crisis, they embraced their relevancy, reinvented themselves, and deepened their relationship with their workforce, vendors, customers, and community. When this collective crisis passes, I expect Zingerman’s to be stronger, better, and more capable than ever before, thanks to good leadership and an extraordinary culture.
I have made no secret that I admire leadership and organizations that make good things come from challenging situations. Zingerman’s tops that list.
• What is your organization doing to contribute, uplift, redesign, learn, and connect?
• Will it be stronger than ever?
• Or will it be no more?
Leslie
“How do we balance the needs of everyone
with the resources that we have?
That’s the challenge of leadership.”
— Paul Saginaw, Co-owner, Zingerman’s