So I heard about a convenience store that hired some new folks the other day to work the grill. The first day on the job was indicative. Some folks came to the drive through and ordered bacon cheeseburgers to go and almost crashed a mile or so down the road when they found out that whoever cooked the cheeseburgers just slapped a couple pieces of raw bacon on top of the hamburger and sent them on their way. I believe that bacon is good on anything but even I know that it has to be cooked.
I say that this is indicative because I am hearing from folks who hire other folks that those they hire can’t read or write and cannot do the simplest tasks without constant supervision. Some one told me that by the time they get done explaining simple things they would have been better off to do it themselves. I also recall a great conversation on the minimum wage in which a company owner told me that if I was not worth at least $17 an hour to him he would not hire me. He also said it is getting harder and harder to find anyone worth $5 an hour. Excellence is disappearing, and even mediocrity is getting hard to find.
Now to the point of this blog. On a Friday night I talked to the CEO of Concordia Publishing House and tried to explain an idea I had for a presentation. I tried to explain in my muddled way. I say muddled because I was not really sure what I wanted except in the most general terms. I have a picture that I would like included in a format but I am not sure how to make it work. He says send the picture which I do. Monday morning I get an email with an attachment showing a product that is exactly what I wanted. It is as if the person doing the work read my mind. One shot from a muddled explanation and these folks got it perfect and I have the finished product less than a week after my request. To me that is excellent service from concept to conclusion. Concordia Publishing has been recognized for excellence for years and they won the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award in 2011.
This is their mission statement.
Concordia Publishing House is the publishing arm of The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod. It exists for the purposes of strengthening and aiding member congregations in their proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and working in partnership with the agencies and congregations of the Synod to provide publishing services. On their behalf, Concordia Publishing House will develop, produce, market and distribute products and services that are faithful to the Scriptures and the Lutheran Confessions and which will effectively serve such proclamation to people throughout the world. All to the Glory of God.
I have worked with CPH before and find that from the receptionist to the folks that take your orders on the phone they are all excellent. They have tremendous customer service and a fantastic catalog of products. They are the publishing arm of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and they are a gem. They may not make cheeseburgers but if they did I imagine the bacon would be perfect. Please check out their website at www.cph.org.
