I know who you are.

I love the Coquitlam SuperStore on Westwood Street. Good service, bright, clean, they have everything you can think of, quality, and good prices. I cook and find the meat and seafood are exceptional. Assuming you've never bought any produce at SuperStore you might agree with me. If you have bought produce, you know they can't sell you a fresh potato if their life depended on it. Everything else, they're pretty good at. I park in the underground parkade and am facing a sign which says, "vehicle maintenance repairs are not permitted." Only slightly disoriented, I knew that had to be life changing for somebody. What happened that made SuperStore decide these signs are necessary? Management had a meetings, powerpoint was involved, somebody made the case that their underground parking lot was turning into an unauthorized and unprofitable repair underworld. Signs had to go up. What volume of do-it-yourselfer auto repair was going on that drove SuperStore to the brink and forced them put a stop to it! Signs, lots of "no more car repair!" signs. Was it guys pulling transmissions? Rotating tires? Changing their oil? I'd like to know. Next thing you know some Audi owner will be offended by his down-market parking neighbor slithering out from under his Dodge Ram.

The management lesson. People will tell you who they are, even if they don't intend to. We are the experiences we value. If I tell you my experiences, I also tell you who I am, my values. Whether you're dealing with your children, your neighbor, dating, hiring, or managing, a casual conversation will tell you exactly who the other person is. All you have to do is listen and dealing with them will be much simpler! Today, SuperStore and I are a bit cool towards each other. The love has dimmed. Life, (in this case SuperStore) was telling me something about myself. I was shopping in a place where customers do their own repair work in the parking lot. I guess SuperStore knows who I am. Simply talking about shopping SuperStore, means I'm giving out a lot more information about who I am, than I had intended. Great people make great companies! Choose wisely. Wolf