The Staff of Dillanos Coffee Roasters
If you walk through the front doors of Dillanos Specialty Coffee Roasters you will undoubtedly witness something not traditionally seen in most business settings. In fact, it would seem nothing short of outrageous.
It’s not the presence of charismatic leaders, although you will soon witness their presence. Rather, at any given moment, a delivery driver, a receptionist or salesperson would appear, acting as though they are the chief executive officer. They could be found straightening furniture in the lobby, picking up a misplaced paper coffee cup and tossing it in a trash can, or stepping over to the entry table to skillfully fan national magazines with Dillanos features. Management does it, minimum wage employees do it. Everybody does it.
This personal ownership behavior is not rewarded with special monetary compensations, and there is no point system or other special award for such actions. Nor will you find a special monitoring system that watches if employees are living up to their job descriptions.
Every business leader wonders at some point if they have the ability to motivate their employees to have an overwhelming personal pride and a sense of belonging in their company. They try to imagine a place where every staff member has a special family-like connection and share a set of common values.
Brewing A Creative Culture will help small- to medium-sized business owners in any industry stop wondering. The key to creating a seamless team as passionate about their company’s culture and profitable growth is blocked out into twelve inspiring formulas to blend outrageous fun with high accountability.
Some readers will find the formulas familiar. But they’ll be driven to action based on the book’s unique approach of sharing Dillanos’ story told directly by members of the staff. Whether viewpoints from the CEO and president, or delivery driver and warehouse manager, a delicate hand was used in rewriting their chapters.
The idea for this book came from one of Dillanos; members of the sales department, not the CEO. What a perfect start to a project brimming with heart and soul.
The twelve formulas for success are within every business leader’s grasp. Each chapter gives exact examples during everyday life at Dillanos, and the reasons for applying each formula to meet company goals.
By the time the reader reaches the conclusion of Brewing A Creative Culture, they are ready to grade how their company measures up to these solid motivational basics. Readers are armed with the inspiration and formulas to turn disenfranchised employees into unbelievably enthusiastic team members.
Brewing a Creative Culture was written by select management and support staff members of the Dillanos Coffee Roasters staff in Sumner, Washington. Growing at record speed, the largest specialty coffee micro-roaster in the Northwest is recognized nationally as a business cultural icon by such best selling authors as Jack Canfield (co-author of Chicken Soup For The Soul
series) in The Success Principles: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be.
Who would have thought the universal law of opposites would best sum up the essence of what creates the magic in our dynamic little company? It took me hours to zero in on the reason for our family company’s skyrocketing growth from a used coffee cart and espresso machine my stepson manned in early 1992 to being one of the Northwest’s largest micro roasters. Suddenly it hit me like a brick wall: my sons’ opposite personalities and strengths.
Sure, you’ve heard that opposites attract in romance, but what about in business? The symmetry and power behind the law of opposites is inescapable. Birth and death, male and female, love and hate, night and day, yin and yang, right brain and left brain help govern our lives. But can the law apply to business as profoundly as it does elsewhere in life?
Before jumping into an answer, I need to tell you that I don’t practice all of the ancient words of wisdom I read. Take the timeless advice of exercising moderation in all things. Moderation in any aspect of business is a fast track to down and out. We don’t do anything in moderation at Dillanos. The law of opposites bursts out of our roasting plant with blinding white light.
Does the universal law of opposites apply to business? In the chapters ahead, you will fill your heart and mind with examples of people, justifying a huge “Yes” to that question. The reason that Dillanos has a license to thrill everybody who walks through our doors is because my sons unite what may seem to be poles apart: outrageous fun and high accountability.
With the challenges of the economy, most companies are saying, “Employee empowerment and happiness be damned.” Employees are working overtime with the only additional benefit being the chance to keep their jobs.
