SOUP: A RECIPE TO NOURISH YOUR TEAM AND CULTURE by Jon Gordon
Brenda and Nancy looked at each other as Nancy answered, "Sure."
She knew they had a lot of work to do in the afternoon, but at the
same time she was very curious to find out what made the soup so
good.
CHAPTER THREE
Grandma
When they walked into the kitchen, they spotted Grandma immediately.
It was hard to miss her. The kitchen was small, and Grandma was not.
She had a pretty face, a big smile, and every ounce of her radiated
love.
"Hello, hello, hello. Who do we have here, Peter?" she cheerily
inquired as she stirred a big pot of soup with a large wooden
spoon.
Peter, realizing that the two women had never told him their names,
wisely said, "I'll let them introduce themselves."
Nancy introduced herself as she approached Grandma with an
outstretched hand, but Grandma wouldn't have any of it. She wrapped
her big arms around Nancy, squeezed tight, and said, "Handshakes
are for strangers. Hugs are for family."
Brenda, knowing she was next, approached Grandma and received a big
hug, too, while introducing herself. It was clear that Grandma
didn't know any strangers, because the minute you met her you
became part of her family.
"So, did you like my soup?" asked Grandma.
"We loved it," answered Nancy. That's why we were excited to meet
you and ask..." but before she could finish her sentence, Grandma
cut her off and interjected joyfully "That's wonderful. I'm so
glad! So, tell me about you. Tell me about your family."
Grandma, who could tell she was a businesswoman by her fancy-
schmancy suit, considered asking her about her business and work,
but she was really more interested in the person behind the suit.
Grandma knew that every person who went to work took not only his
or her briefcase but also his or her childhood dreams, family,
history, home life, and problems, too. Grandma wasn't interested in
masks and facades. She wanted to get to the core of a person--and
often did. She could learn more about someone in 10 minutes than
most people could learn in 10 years. She disarmed people with her
hugs, warmth, and smile, and Nancy, surprisingly, found herself
opening up. She told Grandma about her two sons who played high
school football, her seventh--grade daughter who loved to sing and
dance, her supportive and loving hu*****and who recently retired from
the police force after 20 years of service, and her work as CEO of
Soup, Inc.
"I know that company well," Grandma said. "When my kids were young
and I didn't have time to make my own soup, I'd just open up a can
of your company's soup. Now we're both in the soup business. Isn't
that fabulous!"
"I knew I recognized you from somewhere," Peter said excitedly.
"I've been racking my brain trying to figure out how I knew you. It
was from the article I read about you in the 'Times.' The article
said you were trying to turn things around at Soup, Inc. I became a
big fan of yours after reading the article. It's such an honor to
have you in our restaurant."
"Thank you, Peter. I appreciate that. We're doing our best," she
said, knowing in that moment it was time to go. "Brenda and I
actually have to get back to work. We have a lot on our plate right
now, as you can imagine." She turned to Brenda and motioned that it
was time to leave. She thanked Grandma and Peter for their
hospitality and delicious soup and said she'd be back. Grandma gave
her a big good-bye hug and said, "I really hope you come back."
"I will," Nancy said, knowing in her heart she wasn't telling the
truth.
CHAPTER FOUR
Nancy
As she and Brenda navigated their way back to the Soup, Inc.,
headquarters, Nancy wanted to kick herself for mentioning that she
was the CEO of Soup, Inc. People treated her like a celebrity and a
rock star, but she didn't feel like one. After all, just a few
months ago, before the board chose her to run the company (and
hopefully to save it), she had been the vice president of marketing.
The board said her marketing team and campaigns were the one bright
spot in the company and that she showed the leadership, innovation,
and creativity the company needed. Although the board had confidence
in her, she did not yet have confidence in herself. She had never
run a company, never mind a company that was spiraling toward almost
certain death. Once an icon of American business, Soup, Inc., had
lost its way, and it was Nancy's job to help it find its groove
again. Yet she didn't have a clue about what to do next. "Marketing,"
she knew. "Advertising," she knew. "Growing sales," she knew. You
could measure the success of marketing campaigns. You could see
whether sales numbers were growing or declining. But the negativity
and toxic environment that permeated Soup, Inc., was something she
wasn't prepared to deal with.
When Peter mentioned the article in the "Times," it merely reminded
her of how lost she was. The article said that although she was
putting a plan in place, the odds of it succeeding were almost nil.
Nancy wanted to know the secret of Grandma's soup, but she didn't
have time for more chitchat. She had to get back to work and figure
out how to restore Soup, Inc., and get revenue growing again. She
didn't plan to go back to Grandma's Soup House, yet she couldn't
stop thinking about the soup. What made it so good?
