Table of Contents
Praise
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1 - Hungry
Chapter 2 - Grandma’s Soup House
Chapter 3 - Grandma
Chapter 4 - Nancy
Chapter 5 - Another Bowl
Chapter 6 - Who Stirs the Pot Matters
Chapter 7 - Teachers Are Everywhere
Chapter 8 - Soup = Culture
Chapter 9 - A Culture of Greatness
Chapter 10 - Nightmare
Chapter 11 - Lead With Optimism
Chapter 12 - Leadership Is a Transfer of Belief
Chapter 13 - Guard Against Pessimism
Chapter 14 - The Mirror Test
Chapter 15 - Nancy Stirs the Pot
Chapter 16 - Hire Possibility Thinkers
Chapter 17 - A Unifying Vision
Chapter 18 - Spread the Vision
Chapter 19 - Build Trust
Chapter 20 - Busy
Chapter 21 - The Survey
Chapter 22 - Enhance Communication
Chapter 23 - Fill the Void
Chapter 24 - Add a Big Dose of Transparency and Authenticity
Chapter 25 - Treat Them Like Family
Chapter 26 - Love
Chapter 27 - Rumors
Chapter 28 - A New Measuring Stick
Chapter 29 - Relationships
Chapter 30 - Soup Is Meant to Be Enjoyed Together
Chapter 31 - Rules Without Relationship Lead to Rebellion
Chapter 32 - The Enemies Are Busyness and Stress
Chapter 33 - Engaged Relationships
Chapter 34 - Encourage, Inspire, Empower, and Coach
Chapter 35 - A Team of Pot Stirrers
Chapter 36 - The Offer
Chapter 37 - Another Shot
Chapter 38 - 40 Days of Engagement
Chapter 39 - No One Eats Alone
Chapter 40 - Success Fridays
Chapter 41 - Fill Up with Appreciation
Chapter 42 - The Ultimate Recognition Program
Chapter 43 - Great Service
Chapter 44 - Leading by Example
Chapter 45 - Friday Night
Chapter 46 - Passion
Chapter 47 - Hot Soup
Chapter 48 - Tastier Soup
Chapter 49 - The Decision
Chapter 50 - An Offer They Couldn’t Refuse
Chapter 51 - The Power of Relationships
Chapter 52 - Unity
Chapter 53 - The Recipe Book
A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture
Nourish Your Team and Culture
Wiley End User License Agreement
Praise for Soup
“It’s often said you get out what you put in. Same goes for how we lead our teams (at work, home, or school). In Soup, Jon Gordon has done a masterful job of illustrating the necessity of this point for anyone who wishes to increase their influence, build a better team, or expand their leadership effectiveness. The one who stirs the pot is the one who impacts the flavor of the soup, just as the one who leads the team is the one who creates the culture around it. This book will help you add flavor to your life, the lives of others, and your team.”
—Carl Liebert
CEO, 24 Hour Fitness
“Once again, Jon cooks up a world-class recipe for business, emphasizing that the key to ultimate leadership success is enabling your employees to deliver excellence.”
—Ryan Magnon
VP of Quality, The West Paces Hotel Group
“If you are ready to stir the pot and lead your team with more optimism, passion, and trust, you will love this book.”
—Deborah Gilmore
President, Women’s Council of REALTORS®
For my grandparents, Martin and Janice Gordon.
Your love made the difference.
Jon as a young boy with his grandparents
and a big pot of SOUP.
Acknowledgments
I’m thankful for all the people who helped me stir the pot and prepare this Soup.
Thank you to my wife Kathryn for your continued encouragement, love, and support, and for creating a culture of greatness at home.
Thank you to my publisher, Matt Holt, and editor, Shannon Vargo, and to Beth Zipko, Kim Dayman, Larry Olson, and the rest of the team at Wiley for being more than just a publisher. You are family.
Thank you to my agent and marketing genius Daniel Decker for all your hard work, talent, and support. We are a great team.
Thank you to all the soup makers out there who stir the pot with love. I hope you enjoy this book.
Most of all, I thank God for the most important relationship in my life. Thank you for your daily bread. You nourish me and give me strength. I am here to know you, love you, and serve you.
Introduction
When I think of soup, I think of my grandmother. She loved to cook, and food and love were one and the same to her. When she cooked, she wasn’t just making a meal. She was pouring out the love in her heart and sharing this love with her family. When we ate her food, we loved her back. And no soup, no matter who made it, ever tasted as good as hers. Her love made the difference.
I’ve discovered that who stirs the pot has an impact on what’s in the pot. For example, did you know that some wine experts can determine the personality of a winemaker simply by tasting the wine? There is a common challenge experienced by chefs I call the “stirring-the-pot phenomenon.” No matter how carefully different chefs follow the same recipe, the final product always varies a little bit because we can’t separate who stirs the pot from what’s in the pot.
The same is true in business and in every aspect of life. Every day you are stirring the pot of life, and the most important ingredient you can put into your soup is you. Your love, optimism, trust, vision, communication, authenticity, appreciation, and passion make life delicious, and the relationships you create at work and at home determine the substance and quality of your soup.
In my work with countless businesses, professional sports teams, hospitals, and school districts, I’ve seen firsthand how one person who grabs the spoon and decides to stir the pot can make a difference. One person who decides to bring out the best in others by sharing the best within him- or herself can transform teams and organizations.
My hope is that in reading this book, you will decide to be that person—that by your example, you will lead your company, your team, your family, your classroom, your church, your hospital. That you will invest in others and create engaged relationships that foster teamwork and create a culture of greatness.
Soup is meant to be enjoyed together. So, let us read together, learn together, eat together, lead together, and create success together.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Hungry
Nancy’s stomach growled as she walked with Brenda toward their favorite lunch spot—a burrito joint with dirty floors, old furniture, and cheap, oversized burritos. After a long morning analyzing spreadsheets, reading reports, and engaging in heated discussions that lasted well into the lunch hour, Nancy was tired, hungry, and in need of food . . . quickly.
She didn’t want to think about the bad news the spreadsheets revealed. She didn’t want to worry about the reports anymore. And she didn’t want to talk to one more person about the future of her company. All she wanted to do was eat. Yet instead of turning left into the burrito joint, she grabbed Brenda’s arm and whispered, “Keep walking.” Her intuition was stronger than her hunger, and it told her that the man with the mustache in the blue suit was following them.
“What’s the matter?” Brenda asked, as Nancy began to jog instead of walk.
Nancy pointed and nodded toward the man following them.
“Again,” Brenda said.
“Yes, again. Come on. Let’s lose him,” Nancy said as she grabbed Brenda’s arm and they ran down the street. Moments later, they came to an intersection, turned left, made a quick right, and then took the next left, zigzagging their way through downtown, hoping to lose their pursuer.
The first time Nancy realized that someone was following her, a few months ago, it terrified her. She’d called her husband, a retired police officer, in a panic, only to learn at her board meeting later that day that it was probably some form of corporate spying. More like idiot espionage, she thought. She was told it came with the job of being the newly appointed CEO of a company that everyone was watching. With its stock price in the tank, revenue falling, and rumors swirling, the company was a likely acquisition target, which meant that business reporters, investors, potential acquirers, and powerful businesspeople were doing their due diligence on the company, and it also meant that they wanted to know more about the new CEO.
Her life wasn’t in jeopardy, but her privacy was, and Nancy didn’t like it one bit. She did whatever it took to keep the prying eyes out of her life, even if it meant forgoing mouthwatering burritos and running through downtown streets. Thankfully, her effort paid off, and when Nancy and Brenda stopped in the middle of the street and looked around, their pursuer was nowhere in sight. They had lost him, and now it was time to eat. But where?
Nancy noticed a long line of people at the end of the street, and as she and Brenda approached, they realized that these people were waiting to eat at a restaurant. Brenda looked up and read the sign on the building: GRANDMA’S SOUP HOUSE.
“Let’s eat here,” Brenda said.
“Are you serious?” replied Nancy. “We make soup. We live and breathe soup. We are surrounded by soup every day of our lives. Do you think I really want to eat soup for lunch? I’ve had enough soup.”
“Oh, come on,” Brenda said. “Where else are we going to eat? And besides, look at this line. It’s almost 1:30 and the place is still packed. It must be good. Plus, they probably have sandwiches and salads, too.”
“Fine,” Nancy said, realizing that her hunger was getting the best of her. “But if it’s not good, you’re buying the burritos tomorrow.”
“Deal,” Brenda replied.
Chapter 2
Grandma’s Soup House
The lunch line moved quickly, and before long they were ordering from a cute young lady who stood behind the counter. It was one of those fast, casual places where you place your order, receive a number, and wait at your table for someone to bring the food. The good news was that the place was clean, the people were nice, and the smell was amazing. The bad news for Nancy, however, was that they didn’t serve sandwiches, wraps, or salads. In fact, they didn’t serve anything except soup and bread.
Just great, Nancy thought, as she and Brenda ordered their soup and were handed an empty plastic soup bowl with their order number on it. The person working at the cash register told them to simply place the soup bowl at the edge of the table, with the number facing outward, and someone would bring their soup shortly.
In most restaurants, when they say the food will be out “shortly,” it usually means a wait of 15 to 20 minutes. But in this case, the register person meant it. Within two minutes, a good-looking twentysomething with dark hair and blue eyes delivered their soup and bread with a big smile and a warm welcome.
“Have you been to Grandma’s Soup House before? You look very familiar,” he said as he stared at Nancy. He knew he had seen her somewhere before, but he couldn’t quite place where.
“No, this is our first time,” Brenda answered. “We sort of found it by accident.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. My name is Peter. Just let me know if you need anything. I hope you enjoy the soup,” he said before walking back to the kitchen.
“I’m sure we will,” Brenda said as she smirked at Nancy, who ate her first spoonful.
The smell should have warned her. This was no ordinary soup. It was the best soup she had ever tasted.
“Well?” Brenda said, waiting for the verdict.
“Wow. I’m shocked,” Nancy said, as Brenda also tried the soup.
“Yep, looks like I won’t be buying burritos tomorrow,” Brenda quipped.
“No, you certainly won’t,” Nancy countered as she attacked her soup with hunger and delight, savoring every bite. The soup was so good that Brenda and Nancy ignored each other until every drop was gone. They even wiped the bowl with their bread, hoping to savor the taste a little longer.
“You must have been hungry,” Peter said as he approached the table with a big smile. “Did you enjoy the soup?”
“We loved it, as you can tell,” Brenda said.
“Best soup I’ve ever had. What’s the secret?” Nancy asked.
“My grandmother. She makes the soup every day.”
“So, there is a real grandma behind Grandma’s Soup House,” Nancy said, nodding her head. “I like that. I thought the name was just some warm-and-fuzzy marketing ploy and Grandma was likely a 50-year-old bald guy with a mustache who smoked cigarettes in the kitchen while heating soup from a can.”
“Oh, no,” Peter replied. “Grandma is very real, and she’s the reason I work here. I got my MBA from Cornell University, and just as I was graduating, she asked me to open this soup house with her. Fifty-fifty partners. I always thought I would go to work for some big company or head to Wall Street after business school. I was recruited by a number of Fortune 500 companies who wanted to develop me in their leadership programs but I found myself here, and I don’t regret it one bit. In fact, I’ve learned more in the first six months working here than in all my years of schooling. Grandma is one smart lady. She knows more about business than you would think. In fact, she’s in the kitchen. Would you like to meet her? You’ll see how real she is.”
Brenda and Nancy looked at each other as Nancy answered, “Sure.” She knew they had a lot of work to do in the afternoon, but at the same time she was very curious to find out what made the soup so good.
Chapter 3
Grandma
When they walked into the kitchen, they spotted Grandma immediately. It was hard to miss her. The kitchen was small, and Grandma was not. She had a pretty face, a big smile, and every ounce of her radiated love.
“Hello, hello, hello. Who do we have here, Peter?” she cheerily inquired as she stirred a big pot of soup with a large wooden spoon.
Peter, realizing that the two women had never told him their names, wisely said, “I’ll let them introduce themselves.”
Nancy introduced herself as she approached Grandma with an outstretched hand, but Grandma wouldn’t have any of it. She wrapped her big arms around Nancy, squeezed tight, and said, “Handshakes are for strangers. Hugs are for family.”
Brenda, knowing she was next, approached Grandma and received a big hug, too, while introducing herself. It was clear that Grandma didn’t know any strangers, because the minute you met her you became part of her family.
“So, did you like my soup?” asked Grandma.