Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Chapter 19. Build Trust

Nancy sat at her favorite table at Grandma's, eating her soup, reading the reports, and shaking her head. The numbers were improving, and progress was noticeable, but she thought the company would be much further along by now. She wasn't sure what she felt most: frustration or hopelessness. She had poured every ounce of optimism and vision she had into the soup, and while it was better, it still wasn't great. She was practically sleeping at the office, sacrificing time that could have been spent with her husband and children, and what did she have to show for it? A minor improvement in the growth of sales and productivity. The numbers still fell way short of where they needed to be to appease the board and save the company, and she wasn't sure what to do next.

When Peter saw Nancy, he came running over. "Grandma and I thought we scared you away," he said.

"Oh no, Peter, quite the opposite. You gave such good advice that I've spent the past month immersed at work, stirring the pot with every ounce of optimism I could muster. It's been the most challenging month of my life."

"Well, wait here," Peter said. He went into the kitchen, grabbed Grandma, and they joined Nancy at her table. Grandma, of course, gave Nancy a big hug and told her how much she had missed her. Nancy explained why she hadn't been back to eat and told them about the plan she had executed to let go of the pessimists and hire optimists. She also told them about the importance of adding vision ...