All Hands On Deck: 8 Essential Lessons for Building a Culture of Ownership

Chapter 6. Lesson 4: Trust Is the Glue in a Culture of Ownership

Corey tossed the rock back and forth between his two hands. He considered tossing it like a shot put to see how far it would go, then thought better of it. Though he could not see them, he sensed the presence of other people nearby. He shuddered at the cosmic consequences of hitting someone in another dimension with a rock thrown from this one.

"You know what I could go for right now?" Walt asked, interrupting Corey's musings on the nature of the universe. "A cheeseburger and a chocolate shake."

"Didn't we just eat hot dogs?" Corey looked at his watch. The second hand was moving, but the watch still read 7:11 in the morning.

"Oh, that was ages ago. Besides, you should eat when you're hungry, not just when your watch tells you it's time to eat."

Corey followed Walt down the sidewalk and realized that he was indeed suddenly famished. They were headed toward a yellowish glow that grew increasingly bright. At last, Corey recognized the Golden Arches. The restaurant came into view. It was small—no inside seating, only a walk-up window. The two arches stood over the building like twin rainbows over a meadow. It looked like photos Corey had seen of the very first McDonald's back in the fifties. "Wow, McDonald's has really gone retro. This looks just like the earliest stores." Walt smiled but didn't comment.

As they walked toward the building, Corey noticed a man in a suit and tie who was on his hands and knees, scraping a piece ...