Page 26 - Barbecue News Magazine SEPT 2020

bbq purpose
Make an Impact
Regardless of the
Pond You’re In
Vic Clevenger
Chimney Cartel
victor0568@gmail.com
Last month we celebrated one of the greatest weeks of the year, Shark Week! It’s practically a holiday week in my house which will rival Thanksgiving, Christmas and Labor Day. What impresses me about this week is the variety of sharks they explore. Of course, the Great Whites get the most press because of their reputation, their size and just how stealth they are. But they aren’t the only ones who get the airtime. There’s Bull Sharks, Thrashers, Hammerheads but have you heard of a
Cookie Cutter Shark, a Bon-
nethead (they look like
small hammerheads) or
White Spotted Bamboo
Shark? These are little
sharks, only about 24 inches
in length but each have a
place in the ecosystem. The
one I found most fascinat-
ing this year was the Cookie
Cutter. Their main charac-
teristic, besides their size, is
when they bite their prey, it
leaves an almost perfect cir-
cle bite, like a cookie. Although small, they make a huge impact in the ocean.
Regardless of the size, whether it’s a Great White or a Cookie Cutter, it’s clear that each make an IMPACT in the ocean. When I was a kid we would throw rocks, sticks or even leaves into the pond in which we would fish. When the item was thrown, regardless of
the size, there would be an impact
which then sent ripples out from
the point it impacted the water.
Whether it was a rock or a leaf,
there were impact ripples, which
has me thinking about how we also
impact the pond or ocean in which
we swim. We can be a big fish in a
small pond, or we can be a small
shark in a large ocean, but regard-
less, we can make an impact.
INVEST
Whenever I purchase something for my business, I always call it an ‘investment’ especially now as a start-up. Ex- penses seem scary, costly and more likely to get cut or do without. However, when I changed my mindset to it is an investment, I think about it a bit more and when the pur- chase is made, I see it as a part of the bigger picture. In-
vestment also comes in the form of how you view peo- ple who work for or with you. Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks says, “We are not in the coffee busi- ness serving people. We are in the people business serv- ing coffee.” This is a great way to look at how we con- duct our businesses or even lead our competition team.
MOTIVATION
Motivation is a tricky thing. It’s different for each person and each situation. As each
Star Wars movie was released, I was ‘motivated’ to see them in the theater just like I had done for the original (yes, I’m old). When it comes to my work there’s a different motiva- tion. Pride in doing a great job. A love for what I do and speak about. Being recognized for doing a great job and a drive to do better. Oh, and money, I do enjoy getting paid,
it’s just a little lower on my “what motivates me” scale. Sure, I need to pay bills just like everyone else, but its what I love to do, so that is my real motivation. Look into yourself to see what motivates you. What motivates your staff?
PURPOSE
Having a purpose for what you do produces a direction to go. Do you remember the Pirates of the
Cookie Cutter Shark
BarbecueNews.com - 26
SEPTEMBER 2020