A viral video from a Washington music festival in 2009 showed a shirtless man dancing amongst a crowd of festival-goers lounging on the grass. The man looked like a maniac even when a second dancer joined him. The first man even seemed to give the other pointers of how to dance. Later, a third and fourth person joined the duet. In less than a minute, hundreds of people were dancing, filling the frame of the anonymous videographer. Before another minute passes, more people were dancing than sitting, and a person still sitting would have seemed awkward and out of place.
A movement had sprung.
No organization can exist with a single person or single idea. It requires a team of people who work toward a common goal. It also requires at least another person to follow the “crazy” ideas of the idea-maker. In my case, that was my wife, Carmen, who always seemed to make me look good when others rolled their eyes. Friends cautioned legal troubles. Attorneys warned against lawsuits. I was the shirtless dancer. During the months that followed, more people followed our whim to honor all moms in a national mothers writing contest.
I am so glad I did not hire employees similar to myself, and gambled it would require multi-talents for a company to grow. Although one must be a steward of a company to ensure a positive direction, it is equally important to release the reigns of control and let the genius of one’s employees shine. One must hold the vision, yet others must understand and share the vision. Have you ever watched a group of novice movers grab a sofa to lift it up the stairs? If the movers do not work together, the sofa may remain on the bottom floor. On the other hand, if one person takes charge, convincing the others of the best direction to tilt the sofa, it will eventually rise to the top of the stairs. This constant cooperative “tilting” from every employee who has worked for Gallery of Diamonds and the Why Mom Deserves a Diamond contest has been responsible for the unbelievable growth and success of each company.
To keep up with the modern world, an organization needs many skills. We have employed software programmers, website masters, jewelry designers, and social media experts. In the early days, some employees actually built the jewelry showcases with wood and screws. They painted the walls. They moved the furniture. No matter one’s skill level, or the impressiveness of a resume, however, it has always been required to have a positive attitude, a good heart, and the shared desire to leave the world in a better condition than one found it.