My advanced Leadership class, Leadership in the Trenches, ran last week at Madison Adult Career Center (MACC) and, per usual, we had a super engaged and compassionate group of leaders in the classroom.
We discussed everything that a manager might need to thrive in the strategic, creative, volatile, and uncertain space that executives and senior leaders dance through day in and day out and I’d like to think the attendees walked away with new techniques and mental models that they can apply in their workplaces right away.
Instead of focusing on what I taught, though, I want to dedicate the bulk of this post to something I learned in this class, because teaching is not about me dumping boilerplate content into “empty vessels” (students), it’s about all of us showing up with curiosity and vulnerability, sharing our experiences and expertise, and trying new things. This is how we make new connections and insights that we can each apply in our unique and varied work environments to improve outcomes for our companies, our staff, and our communities.
At the beginning of the second day, one of my students, the manager at Hercules Express Wash, handed me a gold coin. He explained to me that, as a result of the positive work I do in the community, he wanted to reward me with a free, top of the line, car wash. But the program behind this coin is more than it appears at first glance. You see, I am supposed to take the coin with me to get my car washed. They will capture my information in their system and wash my car. Then I can “pay it forward” by giving the coin to someone else in my community who is doing good things. When that person brings the coin to the car wash for their free wash, I will receive a credit for a second free wash.
The cycle continues in this manner until the end of the year. The employees also receive rewards based on the number of hands their coin passes through.
How cool is this program!? It’s marketing for sure, but it’s so much more. It’s marketing that gives back, that rewards positive actions, encourages neighbors to interact with one another, and builds a stronger, more connected, and thriving community.
Honestly, I tend not to be the target customer for a car wash. I have kids, they make a mess in my car, and I drive my car through all sorts of mud, dust, and grime on the daily transporting said kids to practices and activities. And I’m busy. I’m the mom that’s cleaning the garbage out of my car at the gas station while the tank is filing up, anxiously looking at my watch because I’m late for whatever’s next on my agenda. I tend to park my car outside overnight and hope it rains because I can’t find the time to pull up at a car wash and treat myself to a shiny clean car.
But this program has grabbed my attention. Because it’s not only about me. If I can reward someone else who is trying to do the right thing, help increase social capital in my community and get my car cleaned all at the same time? Count me in.
So I’ll be stopping by Hercules Express Wash over the course of the next couple of days. And then I’ll be passing my coin on to someone else in my community. I get the opportunity to do something good and the folks at Hercules get at least part of the credit.
It’s a novel and positive spin on a necessary business process. Imagine if all of the locally owned businesses in our communities took a similar pay-it-forward-style approach to marketing? How much more connected, trusting, and happy might we all be if we were spending more time interacting with our friends and neighbors and supporting our locally owned and operated businesses?
At first I’d wished I’d thought of this idea. I quickly realized, though, that I don’t have to have thought of this idea to also implement it. I’m already thinking about ways I could do something similar with my business. Maybe I buy your coffee when you join me for a “Coffee and Consulting” session, or maybe I offer a free leadership assessment. IDK, I’m still thinking on it. What would be a good way for me to create a pay-it-forward chain through my business? What about you? What will you do?
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