How They Built One Culture Across 400 Stores

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Most workplace culture problems do not start with bad people.
They start with unclear expectations.

Different teams operating with different standards. Different leaders communicating in different ways. Different locations building completely different cultures under the same company name.
Over time, that creates confusion, inconsistency, frustration, and unnecessary drama.

In this episode, I sit down with Greg Rush, President of Houchens Food Group, to talk about how they implemented The Five Rules across more than 400 retail locations and nearly 13,000 employees.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
🔵 Why shared language creates stronger workplace culture across large organizations
🔵 How clear expectations improve accountability and execution
🔵 Why “Do Your Job” became the foundation for operational consistency
🔵 How kindness strengthens performance, trust, and customer experience
🔵 Why “No Surprises” improves communication and problem-solving
🔵 How reducing workplace drama helps teams stay focused and productive
🔵 Why protecting the brand starts with everyday employee behavior
🔵 How employee ownership changes the way people approach leadership and responsibility

One thing Greg said during this conversation really stayed with me:
Take care of your people, and they’ll take care of the business.

That sounds simple, but strong cultures are built through consistent behavior over time. The businesses that stay healthy long-term are usually the ones that never stop teaching people how to communicate, lead well, solve problems directly, and protect the experience customers have every day.

That work never really ends, and honestly, it shouldn’t.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

All right. Hi, this is Steve Black, and this is episode one of our new podcast, The Five Rules in Action. I'm really excited to have our guest today, Greg Rush, the president of Houchin's Food Group, headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky. So, Greg, welcome to the first podcast. Thank you, Steve. Thank you. I'm uh your story from your journey there with the five rules has been inspiring. Uh, it's been very well thought out. You got a great team there. And if you would just share a little bit kind of about how the five rules came about uh there and with your team and kind of what the plan was that you guys did to roll it out.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

Sure. So I had been um kind of observing uh from the outside, read the book, um, and and you and I got introduced uh some somewhere around two years ago now, uh and at an industry event and uh being on the Alliance board, that was the first group that I was involved with um that kind of adopted the five rules. And uh so being a board member, I got to see from the outside, outside in, right? And um for myself, I was uh promoted to president of of Houchins uh food group in October of 2024 and um recognized the need to establish a set of common expectations across the food group. The food group consists of over 400 retail locations that includes grocery stores as well as convenience stores, restaurants, uh hardware stores. And so we're across 15 states. Obviously, there's a you know, there's a pyramid of of leadership uh involved in communication throughout the organization. And Howchon's Food Group has evolved uh through acquisitions and and um building new buildings and and acquiring new facilities over time. And with that, we had inconsistencies in expectations across uh the different groups within Howton's Food Group. We've got a diverse uh group of companies with anything from Subway restaurants and and Slim Chickens restaurants to Ace Hardware stores and cost plus grocery stores, uh conventional grocery stores, food giant, IGA, piggly wiggly, you name the banner, and we're operating it across across our 15-state geography. And so having a common language, a common set of expectations uh was something that really appealed to me. And and so that's what um initiated that first conversation that you and I had now probably 18 months ago. And um, and so we put a plan together to uh bring the leadership team together in in one room and have a conversation with yourself uh to learn more about the five rules, encouraged everyone to read the book and basically made a decision um with the officers of the company. There was 13 of us in the room, if if my memory serves me correctly. Is this something that we can do? Um, because if if I can't get buy-in from 13, uh we certainly can't get buy-in from the nearly 13,000 employees uh that we're responsible for. And um, you know, we had a unanimous decision made that day that yes, there is a need. The five rules can serve a purpose inside Houchins Food Group, and we are all on board. And so that's really um when the movement began within Houchins Food Group. Over the course of the last 15 months, um, you know, first step was to develop a plan for initiating and and communicating the five rules across, again, uh nearly 13,000 employees. And so uh we had multiple teams um here at headquarters that put together a plan uh to make that happen, to make that communication happen in approximately nine months. And and so really proud of how the team came together around um getting the community, you know, establishing the five rules across the entire network in a nine-month time frame. And so the first step was to train the trainers, and we utilized the the 10-week masterclass. We like to celebrate our wins, and so when the 200 plus trainers that we trained, and that we so we had over 200 people, uh, Steve, to go through masterclass, as you well know. Yeah, and so we wanted to celebrate that. That was a big win. That was our first win with the five rules, and so we had a commencement ceremony. We were honored to have you in our in our presence and to speak to all of the leaders of Houchin's Food Group that day uh last August. From that point, it was time to start, and that was district managers and leadership throughout the organization. Uh, so the next step was to go to the store managers and then to the store employees. And so uh we spent several weeks, um, several months, I guess, uh educating our store management team, educating our employees. And I'm proud to say that uh today uh we have over 12,000 employees who understand the five rules and who follow the five rules each and every day.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

Man, I I gotta tell you that uh I and you guys just all you the whole team, the way you rallied around the five rules from that first executive team meeting we had and and the unanimous vote that was given and cast. And then and I'll never forget when you presented to your board of directors too. You sent me a text and said the movement has begun. And uh that that was so fun. And and the celebration for the graduation, man, you guys know how to throw a party. I'll tell you. Well, when when I showed up and it was at the campus on the Western Kentucky, right?

SPEAKER_01 5:49

Yes, Western Kentucky University, uh Houchens Industries, LT Smith Stadium, uh home of the hilltoppers.

SPEAKER_00 5:56

Yeah, that man, I'm telling you, I told you when I walked in that room, I'm like, good. To have you guys embrace the five rules like you did was just was mind blowing to me, honestly. And and that's why this podcast is is the five rules in action. And man, you guys did the five rules in action. And to roll it out to that many people, because early on, when all I had was the book, I had so many people read the book, and then I didn't have the masterclass developed by then. And but they were like, well, we love this, but how do we get this out to literally thousands of people across an organization? And and that's when obviously at being a lifetime grocery guy, you're always looking for ways to improve and and you pivot and you take feedback and and then you come up with a plan. And and then again, that's when we did the online masterclass, and then you guys took it into a whole new level where I know if you would kind of share what you did with your own internal podcast, your interpretation of the five rules to the team, because I thought those were just exceptional to hear it from you.

SPEAKER_01 6:54

So part of, you know, part of uh our communication strategy, right, was to that we wanted a consistent message to be communicated across all 13,000 employees. And so in today's world, we're fortunate, right? We have the technology to be able to have conversations or to to get messages out um consistently through technology. And uh we we utilize a our human resource uh management tool uh has a communications uh function that allows us to uh share video content. And so uh one of the creative ideas uh from our marketing department in cooperation with human resources was to do a podcast. And so we had one of our marketing executives to interview me and so that everyone in the company, uh, regardless of geography, was able to hear directly from me uh what the five rules mean to me personally and professionally. And so uh I think that was very well received. And so uh it was a it was one of many creative ways in which uh we were able to communicate the five rules.

SPEAKER_00 8:03

Yeah. And one of I know one of the things you guys did at the graduation was you handed out some cups with the five rules on it. You had your wristbands with the five rules on it, and really you that was a commitment band. Would you talk about that just a little bit and how that was received? And now that it's been what a year, year, year and a half. I'm I'm assuming you still see the wristbands around in all the stores when you make stores.

SPEAKER_01 8:24

The bands are are on our wrists. Uh one one of the things that um that we did was also to create a commitment card. And the commitment card, it includes our mission, why Alton's Food Group exists. Yeah uh we exist to proudly empower employee owners, serve customers, and support communities. And that message is is on our commitment card along with our values and our five rules. And so this was a way to, in a pocket-sized communication, uh get this this message out, and to we encourage every employee to keep to keep a commitment card on hand on them for on their person so that they can speak to the five rules in our industry. Um, turnover is just part of the business. Yeah, and so we've constantly got new employees, and so there's a a training and retraining process that takes place every day. And these are just small ways, the commitment bands, the commitment cards, small ways in which we keep the rules alive each and every day uh by having visual reminders on each person.

SPEAKER_00 9:29

Yeah. So I kind of jump in to a little more specific details on on some of the ways I I know over the last 18 months, I love it when you're out in stores, and I know you were in Pennsylvania a couple of weeks ago and in Ace Hardware and sent me a picture of them, and they had created their own five rules out of tools in the Ace Hardware environment. And man, that was so, so exciting. And that and that's really what I've seen through through several of my clients is how the five rules almost take on a life of their own and people just embrace it. And then that picture you sent me, and and we'll try to get that into this podcast as well, because it it was exciting to see their creativity on on the each one of the five rules and the tool that they used, you know, to marry that up. But I know those are proud moments for you as the president of the company when you walk in and see that. And I know you've sent me pictures when you see a drama towel hanging somewhere, and and and and that that is really validating that the team has embraced it. This hasn't been just some poster on the wall. And I know we talked about that in the in the graduation ceremonies. How do you keep it from being a poster on the wall? But you know, as you've gone into the stores and and I'll just kind of start with each one of the rules. First rule is do your job. How have you seen that rule specifically kind of come to life with the teams on accountability andor making sure that people knew what their job was? Because I uh in the grocery business, that's why that rule was number one. So many times our teams they don't know what their job is, but it's our job to make sure they know what their job is. So if you would talk about that just a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Sure. I I do want to uh I do want to give a a shout out to Judy King, uh, who is the creator of that uh five rules sign up in Pennsylvania in our Hardware store. And uh before I saw the sign, Steve, when we were first introduced, the first thing that Judy did was to recite the five rules. Uh she was so excited to recite the five rules. Myself and the other executive team members who were traveling together that day. And so uh moments like that that you know that is truly a movement. It's truly alive. And so I I'm very blessed that as I'm as I'm traveling stores and and traveling to different locations uh that include our employees, they're so proud to share. And uh and we've got and they've come up with such creative ideas on how to share the five rules and to continue to communicate and emphasize the importance. But um so do your job, right? Rule number one, do your job. And that and and doing your job is is the foundation for the rules. Uh it's uh I think being number one is is probably the right placement. Uh, in order to do your job, of course, you have to know what your job is. And that was really an eye-opening revelation for us uh is that we need to do to do a better job of letting people know what their jobs were. Uh in an employee-owned company, accountability is essential uh because everyone in our company has a stake, got an ownership stake, and it's real. This rule, do your job, uh, gave us clear expectations, gives our employees clear expectations. What I've seen is that boosts confidence and also the consistency from store to store and from department to department. You get in certain situations and and when you say do your job, people immediately put a smile on their face because they the rules are are fun, they're serious, but they're fun in a way. They are. Yeah. So that has been very rewarding. We reorganized uh to better align on our work across store operations and support functions such as marketing, merchandising, HR and IT. We connect every function to execution and we connect it to results. And this alignment has strengthened us as a company. And it all goes back to rule number one, do your job. And we've seen better execution in stores. Our teams are better aligned because everyone knows their roles and the connections. And leaders, they they reinforce it daily to uh to make it stick. And this consistency, um, you know, it becomes cultural and we see it driving performance gains. And so do your job is is essential uh to the housing food group culture.

SPEAKER_00 13:54

I love that. And I and I'm I'm like you it can be fun. And and there's been times when I've done a presentation on the five rules, and sometimes before we get out of the room, I hear somebody say, Do your job. Yes. And uh that's what's so fun about it. And and again, once you know you've got a wristband on, that the first rule is do your job. And you know, somebody run across somebody that's not doing their job, and it it's a little less intimidating and threatening to just reach over and kind of tap the wristband and say, What's that rule number one? Do your job. Let's talk about that. Let me coach you on that just a little bit. So, and we talked about that early on through this whole process is once you're unified and have a commitment band on, it's real hard to say, Well, I didn't know about that.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Yeah, we do we do not hear that uh that is that is not the case. You you get a uh a nervous grin from folks often uh or an immediate acknowledgement, right? Like, oh yes, that's yes, I've you've caught me out of the rules.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Yeah, yeah, I love that. Let's go on and move on to rule number two, which is be kind. So what what is that how have you seen that kind of come to life throughout the movement, even from the early, early conversations we had, and then even when we talked together at the graduation, that I think that was one of those those rules that really truly, and that's what the five rules are, changing behavior. It really has changed behavior across organizations where they're kinder team members, kinder to customers, kinder to vendors, because once you hear the message of be kind and kind of the five life lessons that roll up under be kind, it's real difficult to be unkind. And like we talk about so much, it's easy to be kind to kind people, and it's not so easy to be kind to unkind people. And and unfortunately, since COVID, it feels like there's more unkind people today than ever. And uh, whether it's an unkind customer, an unkind vendor, or an unkind team member. So what have you seen on that front?

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Well, I've found that often be kind is is what employees or leaders would consider to be their favorite of the of the five rules. Uh and I think it because it can be very empowering to be kind, it's it's often misunderstood that kindness is allowing uh us to lower standards or to avoid accountability, but nothing could be further from the truth. Right. Especially in a in a performance-driven environment, kindness is is listening, it's it's learning from people. For us, it does not mean lowering standards or avoiding accountability, it means how we treat people while we hold the standards. Uh respect is really at the center of that. Yeah. Uh and and listening is a huge part of that as well. People want to feel heard and understood. Um, and when leaders take the time to listen, the dynamic changes, right? And they they feel the kindness of of you listening and it builds trust, it strengthens relationships. Uh, we have encouraged our leaders to coach rather than just correct. And that approach develops people instead of discouraging them. And and over time you build stronger teams. We've learned uh kindness and performance, they're they're not working in opposite directions. They they actually reinforce each other. When people feel respected, they fully engage, they contribute readily, uh, they accept feedback uh because they trust its intent. And in our store, this leads directly to better customer experiences. To your point, you know, you're you're kinder to your customers when you when you're purposely following the rule of be kind. Yeah. Customers sense when a team works well together and and kindness uh builds a foundation and and strong performance uh truly follows that uh that kindness.

SPEAKER_00 17:40

And you know this the smile that's on customers' faces when they walk to their car after leaving the store where they felt that. And and that's something that I think over the years kind of disappeared from the grocery landscape, and we're bringing it back through this movement. And uh it's okay to be kind to people. You don't have to just, as we all know, when we go to other stores, there's a lot of snippy people and people that kind of don't care. They just want to get through their ship and get home. But when you really embrace the five rules and the lessons, and they really do change your behavior. And and like you said, with when they're mixed with values, good high values and good behaviors, you're gonna have happier people and better results. And uh again, that's so foundational to me. Uh, but it is a thing that I think due to the pace of the grocery business, it it's easy, and that's in one of my slides, obviously, is you you can never be too busy to be kind. And that's what we have to do is we have to intentionally slow down and and take the time to be kind. So, but I'm glad I agree with you. I hear that too. That's kind of the favorite of everybody. Like we talk about on these five rules, they also work at home. I've had a lot of testimonies from people that said, you know what, I've become a kinder person at home too, because I think we have a tendency to go home and just relax and and uh kind of let down part of our personality. And we need to not do that. I mean, and I've said this, you've heard me say this, is usually we're the least kind to the people we love the most. Yeah. That's why we have to take this lesson to heart and live it everywhere we go. Um, so again, I appreciate your comments on that.

SPEAKER_01 19:13

So easier said than done at home, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:16

Easier said than done for sure. Absolutely. So if we could move on to the third rule, which is no surprises. And and in our world, as as we know, uh anytime retail business, and there's so many moving parts, you can have a lot of surprises throughout the day. And so, have you seen the no surprises rule come through better in leadership communication or or just in conversations you maybe walk up on or see, or or how your team communicates better with you with no surprises?

SPEAKER_01 19:45

Well, this no surprises is probably mentioned more than any other rule. It is uh frequently used. I've heard it this morning already, uh, and and but it's appreciated, right? It lets me know, it lets my other people know um as you're speaking that I'm intentionally protecting you. It all goes back to trust and communication. And um, and I hear it so frequently, no surprises, here's what's going on. No surprises, this is the issue that I'm dealing with today. Yeah, no surprises, you're probably gonna hear from so-and-so. And it's it's amazing how often that specific rule is it is definitely the most frequently quoted inside this building, out in our stores. It's just become part of our language, which was was the original intent, right? To create a common language and uh and no surprises. It means building trust through communication. And in our business, surprises usually disrupt and slow things down for any issue. Early communication matters. We aim for an environment where people are feel comfortable speaking up. Uh, we want them to let us know uh in advance as proactively as possible. And leaders must show that uh that honesty is valued, right? Even bad news is better early so we can respond and adjust.

SPEAKER_00 21:12

Bad news never gets better with time, does it?

SPEAKER_01 21:15

No, absolutely not. Early sharing prevents small problems from growing.

SPEAKER_00 21:20

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 21:21

It keeps that snowball effect from happening. And and over time, the the trust really builds across the team and and problems happen. We know that we expect problems to happen. What we don't want is uh hidden issues uh that are festering uh and becoming worse over time. And so early sharing really leads to faster solutions and better teamwork, and and it always improves decision making at every level.

SPEAKER_00 21:46

Well, and you remember one of the lessons in there too is about raise your hand. That kind of goes hand in hand with communication, but you got to raise your hand if you need some help. And like we talk about in the book and in the master class, it's it's not a crime to have a problem, but it is a crime. To have a problem and not raise your hand. Absolutely. To your point, you got 12,000 team members. You can rally some troops if somebody needs some assistance.

SPEAKER_01 22:08

Yes. We can move mountains if need be.

SPEAKER_00 22:11

Yeah. But you got to know about it. And that's the no surprises part, right? That's right. I love that. And then the fourth one here, the the no drama rule. That's usually a crowd favorite because we all live in a world full of different levels of drama. So just from the drama standpoint, how's that no drama rule maybe help the team stay focused? Andor just say, like we talk about in the class and in the book, is you know, if it's gossip, you know, just say, we don't do that here. We don't do that here. Nothing gets accomplished when you're talking to somebody about a problem that they can't help you solve. So have you seen that no drama rule? And when obviously the drama towel, which you know, you guys have your drama towels around. And I always have one right here handy too, just in case I need to reach over there and wipe some of that drama on that.

SPEAKER_01 22:56

Well, and our you know, House's food group colors are red, white, and black are the are the primary uh colors of our brand. And I have a uh bright red drama towel that was hate HFG customized hanging on my door. And this one I find myself stopping, uh, you know, I'm able to kind of blunt drama, if you will, uh from festering um by the just the mention of that that sounds like drama. And and it's uh it's amazing how the tone of the conversation will change because our focus is on reducing drama. You're never going to a limit in a in an organization of our size and in a business in which you're working with the public and you've got um different generations uh of people inside of your your employee base working alongside of each other, yeah, different genders, different backgrounds, all of the diversity that that we have. There's there's just an inherent drama that can take place, but uh the reduction has definitely impacted our culture. Uh it's easy to get caught up in emotions and assumptions, distracting from what counts, but we focused on facts and and solutions and what's happening and what to do. And this grounds teens and reduces tension. Uh, we encourage direct, respectful communication, uh, addressing issues early, uh, keeping small. Um over time, the environment gets more professional and focused. And and drama is just not a um a culture issue. It affects how we operate, it diverts time and energy from customers, uh, stalls decision making, reduces productivity, um, and focused teams perform better. Yeah. Seeing that in our stores and our support teams. Clarity increases, distractions decrease, and people spend more time solving problems than discussing them. Uh, and this momentum uh really improves morale, creates a more positive environment, gives teams some more control of their work, really leading to better results.

SPEAKER_00 25:00

That is so good. Um, it's amazing once you really get it out into the culture in everyday conversations, everyday verbal, written, whatever, you know, conversations is how it really does. And you've said it several times, how it really does change the culture with the common language and expectations. It and and as you know, leadership, everybody, our job as as leaders is to create other leaders and raise them up and call them to the point where they're teaching it when you're not around. And that's what I know's happened there because I've I've I've seen it and heard about it. But what's really a nice thing is when when these rules get followed and taught, and you're not you're not anywhere around, but you're the one that led it, and it had to, and it really works best when that when it works away from the top. But when it takes on a life of its own and people grab it because they believe in it. And when they're, you know, kind of like you said, the the lady with Ace hardware up in Pennsylvania. I mean, she couldn't wait to tell you, you know, uh about the five rules and what they had done with it. That's when it really is fun. And and the grocery business, as we know, is tough. It's it's not for the weak. It's hard work, it's it's hard emotionally, mentally, physically, and for everybody to come together with these five rules, it really does change the culture. And and as we know, post-COVID, everybody needed a culture reset because our whole world got turned upside down. And to to rally everybody around the same, the same set of uh expected behaviors, it really does change how it feels to come to work. And that's what we talk about is a lot. We're in the people business, and everybody deserves to be led well. So and the last rule is the protect the brand. And I honestly think I could have written a whole book on protect the brand, and I still may, honestly, because I've had a lot of questions about what's when's my second book coming out. But but I really think the protect the brand could be the second book because there's so many elements of protecting the brand, but it starts with the people. We protect each other as we talk about, but there's also we got to protect the business and the reputation of the business. And and really you see it every day today, where somebody didn't protect their own brand, whether it's a professional golfer or a professional athlete or a executive in a public company, and you see the changes that happen because they don't understand that you got to protect the brand in everything you say, how you act, and what you do. So, how how have you seen protect the brand come up in conversations?

SPEAKER_01 27:26

So I feel very blessed that Houchins Food Group, when we say protect the brand, because we are 100% employee-owned company, protecting the brand is protecting our individual. I mean, it's our individual and our collective business together. And so it's not just protect someone else's company, protect someone else's brand. You know, we're not I'm not protecting for the for Greg Rush. I'm not protecting for a boss. I'm protecting for my own business. And our employee owners, they take pride. Our mission uh starts with proudly, um, because that's you know why we exist. We're we're proudly employed employee owners, uh proud to be 100% employee owned. Yeah and and it's this one really uh resonates for an employee-owned company and protect the brand. Uh to your point, there's so many different facets of that. What does that mean? It's it's my individual brand, it's my team's brand, it's my company's brand, it's my store's brand. And brand is not a name or a logo, it's the daily customer experience, it's the way we treat each other, it's the way we communicate. It's every interaction reflects on the company, it reflects on you as a person, reflects on your team, and it reflects on your family. As employee-owned business, this connection is is stronger. Each each associate shapes that experience. Uh, and when when people understand it, they really take pride and and they want to strengthen the brand, not just protect it, but strengthen it. And uh protecting the brand, it's about consistency, doing things right every day. Small actions really add up over time, and um positive interaction builds trust. So does how we handle problems. We really emphasize ownership, fix the issues, learn from them and and move forward without a fear of failure. We're going to have problems, we're going to drop the ball from time to time, but learn from it, pick it up and move forward. And and that um it really builds credibility and a strong culture. People know that their actions matter, and and people are watching. This is a way to let people know hey, everything that you do, everything that you say is a reflection of your not only yourself, but your teammates, yeah, our store, our company. I feel like that really resonates with people. And it's been a great um, you know, having that rule in place and again, having that common language. People understand when I say protect the brand, got it. You know, they they they understand that and and they re and it resonates with them as employee owners.

SPEAKER_00 30:05

Yeah. Well, and I, you know, one of the things I know Jonathan Brown came up with pretty early on in this journey was hashtag. He came up with a really good hashtag that we've now spread across the country, honestly, is hashtag live the five. That's why I love that. And you really almost don't have to say anything once you hear about the five. Now your challenge is to live the five. What you guys have done and accomplished across that many stores and that many different brands in your organization and that many people involved in the rollout. The five rules isn't going to go away. And that's what obviously this podcast is about the five rules in action. And even this year, going into the second year, you've got you know, you talked about turnover and you got a group of new supervisors and leaders in the organization. And and we've even scheduled up, I think about a month from now, we'll be there and and have a leadership academy and bring everybody in and introduce them in a more detailed way to the five rules to make sure we don't lose the momentum. So that and that's critical. As you know, throughout our lifetime, sometimes we we get excited about something, and then a year later, it's like, oh, yeah, what what was that? You're not gonna let this die. No.

SPEAKER_01 31:18

We we can't afford to, Steve. It's being ingrained in our in our uh culture, but that it has to be cultivated over time. And we're you know, we're gonna we're gonna continue to have leadership events, we're gonna continue to re-emphasize, we're gonna continue to train the next generation. We're gonna train um new employees as they arrive, and then we're gonna train our exector veterans. Uh, we're gonna remind them of of the life lessons. And so uh it it has to be cultivated over time.

SPEAKER_00 31:47

Yeah. Well, and you guys, if you would talk a little bit about you have an annual all-store, you know, store director of the year by region, and then you pick an overall company store director of the year, and and I think that that's an amazing way to let people know how much when they come in and truly make a difference every day, bring their best self to work every day and make a difference in the organization, you guys recognize that. So if you would talk just a little bit about that, and I know you've you've built some good momentum over the last few years with that, but I think that's an amazing thing to have in an organization.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

Yeah. So the Houghton's Food Group Store Manager Appreciation Awards is is how we recognize uh really the most important employee in our in our organization. That's the store manager. You know, like I said, we've got over 400 retail locations, and that's like having 400 individual, it's really 400 individual businesses. That store manager, um, they really help determine the success or failure of each of those 400 plus businesses. And we've got to recognize when their behaviors align with company directives and and company initiatives and our goals, when their communication includes the rules and the values and their mission focused. We have made a very intentional point of recognizing those leaders within our organization that represent our brand the best. And so that's been a very rewarding process, not only to the managers, but also for everyone else that's involved, because it brings us together as a company and gets us focused on what's truly important. And that's our yeah.

SPEAKER_00 33:25

And that's that's right. You know, we're in the people business and everybody deserves to be led well. And and when we take that serious, and you guys clearly have, but and I know one of the things we're gonna do in this next leadership academy that we do there is we're bringing in a five rules champion from the organization to when I get through kind of talking about each rule, we're gonna have the champion share how that rule's come to life in in their life and in in their whatever role and responsibilities they have. But that's what's fun about a movement. You start getting champions, and then those champions create other champions, and and then that's how that's how this this movement never dies. And and that's the big thing we want to, I know it's in your heart to make sure this doesn't. We can't afford to let this go away. We've got to keep it alive. And that means we're constantly, constantly talking about it, uh threading it throughout conversations, throughout uh celebrations. When people have that common language, they really do have a reason to get out of bed and come to work. And then I I love the emplo the Aesop employee owner uh model so well because man, I've worked in companies before where we didn't have that. And I had to try to teach people to treat it like you own it. Well, there's a big difference in treating it like you own it and you don't, and treating it like you own it and you do.

SPEAKER_01 34:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

There's a big difference.

SPEAKER_01 34:48

It's treat it this way because you own it.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what's gotta be so fun uh for you guys. So powerful message to deliver to your employees. Yeah. Well, is there so we kind of hit the five rules? Is there anything else you'd like to add to the to the conversation here? Because I do have one last question I want to ask you because it's one of those that I think is really important. And uh, and uh, but anyway, do you have anything else you'd like to add on the five rules?

SPEAKER_01 35:14

You know, I think just thinking about the impact of the organization, and the five rules have set a foundational expectation across our organization. Uh, they've created a communication bridge across all the different business types, all the different levels within the organization. Uh, we have one common language that everyone understands. Everyone is, I'm uh responsible for five rules that dictate how I'm to behave every day, and every other employee across all the different uh departments and and stores and and formats. And um, and that's really the biggest impact is the alignment, which is so critical to a large diverse company. Expectations, you know, in the past have varied between stores and teams and having that common shared language and making the communication clear and consistent has been so uh powerful for our organization. And we talk about not letting it go away. We're getting to the point, and we will be at the point where we're so reliant upon the five rules as an organization, it can't go away because it's part of who we are. It's it's it's part of our blood, right? It's it's uh oxygen within within the blood. It keeps us alive. And so I don't I don't foresee us ever letting go, but but uh as leaders of the organization, you know, again, we have to continue to cultivate the five rules and uh as part of as part of who we are.

SPEAKER_00 36:46

Well, and and I'll tell you this me knowing you like I know you, uh when your little grandson gets to the age where he can understand, I got a feeling he's gonna learn about the five rules too.

SPEAKER_01 36:56

Henry will know about the five rules, yes.

SPEAKER_00 36:59

That's what's so fun. I mean, even with my grandkids, I mean, they wear the wristbands, they and they call us out on the rules, and and that's what's so fun when and and this is so much of what leadership is to me, is you don't change who you are, whether you're at home or whether you're at work or whether you're out in the general public, the same you is there with those same behaviors and and those same those same way you live your life. And I've been that way for a long, long time. I hardly would ever meet somebody new that I hadn't that I didn't know that within the first five to ten minutes of the conversation, somehow the five rules come out. Yes. And uh that's what's been been so fun for me to to see this and share this across the industry. And again, I I can't thank you enough for the way you embraced it and your teams embraced it and and the talent that your team has, that the ability to roll this out to that many stores and that many people. It could definitely be a case study in in how to truly impact a culture in a very organized way and not letting the expectations slide for for a second.

SPEAKER_01 38:02

Well, thank you for for uh investing in uh in writing the book and and uh making this available to us as a as an outline uh for success because it it truly has helped us as an organization. And and so we're indebted to you, Steve, for uh bringing this all together.

SPEAKER_00 38:20

Well, thanks. I appreciate it. And we you and I talk about this all the time. We're partnered up here and we're in this journey together, and and we'll continue to grow and evolve. And the final question kind of here is I I love this because I usually get some really good answers is what's the best advice you've ever received in your entire career?

SPEAKER_01 38:36

Wow, there's been so much along the way. Um, as you think back to all the mentors at different steps in your career. I think the best advice I received is simplistic as most uh advice that I retain over time is, and that's take care of your people and they'll take care of the business. Uh this idea stayed with me throughout my career and it applies everywhere. Uh, focus on people, the performance, the culture, the success will improve. Uh, it's really not complicated. It it requires consistent time and energy. Uh, you listen, you support, you enable your teams to succeed. And in an employee-owned company, that advice means even more. Uh people are our owners, uh, not just employees. And when supported, they take the responsibility seriously. They care about the results, they take pride in their work, and that creates better customer experiences, performance, and it builds loyalty. Uh, people want to belong somewhere that values to them. And when we succeed at that, the business thrives and it's uh sustainable long term.

SPEAKER_00 39:38

Yeah. Oh man, that's great advice. And I couldn't agree more with it. If we take care of our people, our people take care of our customers, and the customer rewards the shareholder with the business. And that formula truly does work, and it needs to work in that order. Yes. And uh unfortunately, throughout generations and decades in the grocery business, it's it's had it's kind of took us this long to get here. But the good news is, is we get here. Yeah. And then we continue to to spread the word. So again, Greg, thanks for being on this first podcast. And and uh all your words of wisdom are so rich and and valuable to so many people. And uh I appreciate your leadership role where you're at now and what you're doing every day. Thanks, Steve. All right, take care.