club.” A one-idea club is basically the practice of two or more
people meeting to analyze a competitor’s approach to business.
The object is to find at least one idea that the competitor is doing
better than you and that you might be able to use in your
own environment.
As your people complete this process, with you or others, their
inclination for productivity will increase. As you go through this
process, your people will become more sensitive to learning. They
will look at the work environment with new insights. You’ll begin
to hear things like, “You know, if we did this, it might help us in
this area over here.” Or, “If we changed this way of working, we
would probably improve that situation.” That is the lifetime gift
of mentoring.Case StudyMuriel and Jeff Havens owned a small business in rural
Nebraska outside Omaha called “The Berry Bucket.” They and the
families of their three sons tended 20 acres of blackberries,
blueberries and raspberries. The business attracted a good number
of seasonal, berry-picking customers, but had not grown
substantially in over five years — in spite of increased advertising
and new acreage (acquired by filling two of their six ponds)
planted in boysenberries.
To continue to support the growing Havens clan, “The Berry
Bucket” had to generate new dollars. At a monthly family
meeting, it was suggested that perhaps the family business needed
outside ideas. Each adult employee of the business was given the
assignment of meeting with at least one person who currently
operated a successful business, with the purpose of collecting
advice that could translate into business growth for “The
Berry Bucket.”
Over the next month, six business CEOs were consulted. The
businesses represented and the ideas gleaned from each are
listed on the following page.Coaching, Mentoring and Managing4 C A S E S T U D Y