The Johnsons owned a hardware store...
Illustration
The Johnsons owned a hardware store and they devoted their lives to their business -- tracking what sold and what didn't sell, finding new ways to meet their customers' needs, running to the shop in the middle of the night to fix broken pipes or leaky roofs, working long hours to train their employees to ensure quality service. All of the employees respected the Johnsons and their store was one of the most successful in town. In the next town over, however, the hardware store was an entirely different story. This store did not do well. The owners spent most of their time traveling for pleasure and rarely met with employees face-to-face. The owners blamed employees if inventory was damaged from broken pipes or leaky roofs. They gave little training, they punished employees for days when few sales were made -- even if the weather was bad or other factors prevented customers from getting into the store. No one respected these owners. They did not lead by example. They liked to blame and to complain. Which store would you prefer?

