Sherri May & Co.

The Sherri May & Company team recently visited Iraq, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nepal and Bhutan. Okay, not literally, but on a recent Saturday morning, we did have the opportunity to meet with several refugee families who fled from those countries. The experience was both enlightening and humbling.

As friends of SMCO may know, we support The Welcome to America Project, a local non-profit that delivers furniture and household items to refugees relocated to Phoenix. We were happy to attend a delivery as a company and speak with the refugees in their homes.

What is a refugee? By definition, a refugee is someone who crosses an international border to escape persecution because of their race, religion, nationality or other components of their social identity. This was the case for each of the three families we visited.

“…you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them.”* Most people have heard some variation of this quote, but that Saturday just by visiting with these refugees and listening to their stories, we had a deeper appreciation for the plight of these families.

The first family left Bhutan because of political persecution and civil war. They lived in a Nepali refugee camp for over 10 years. The second group consisted of two young men who had fled Ethiopia to Eritrea and also lived in camps. And the third family was from Iraq and told us about their oldest son, who was kidnapped and murdered by the Taliban.

These stories were both heart-wrenching and eye-opening. But rather than being colored with sadness, the day was painted with laughter and hope. I was encouraged by each person’s positive attitude and the gratefulness they expressed for opportunities they now have in the U.S. – both big and small. The Iraqi family was thrilled just to have air-conditioning in their small apartment and a chessboard to play with, and one of the young Bhutanese adults was excited to pursue his MBA in the U.S.

Our cross-cultural experience proved insightful for everyone involved. I was inspired by the resiliency of the human spirit that I saw so clearly in the eyes of each person we met. This experience was a reminder that there’s a lot we can do to provide help in our local community— and you don’t even have to step foot on a plane to help families from all over the world.

Find out how you can get involved with The Welcome to America Project at wtap.org.

*To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Evel Knievel, I think of someone who understood the risks but went for the big reward. (Yes, I also think of bedazzled suits, but that’s beside the point). Not only was Knievel a top stunt man, he was also successful entrepreneur. The Evel Knievel enterprise grossed over $300 million in toy sales alone. His free-spirited approach can directly relate to you and the success of your business. Learn from the top daredevil of them all, and be the Evel Knievel of your industry. Here’s how:

Analyze the Risk vs. Reward. Before making any decision, it’s a good idea to analyze what you could potentially lose. And more importantly, what you can gain. If the risk outweighs the reward, then you might want to think twice.

For example, if you’re the Regional President at a bank and you’re weighing your options for a new acquisition campaign, choosing a campaign strategy that’s more fun and youthful might be risky, but it might be exactly what your region needs to get an edge on the competition.

Take Chances. This one tends to be a given, especially if you’re an entrepreneur. In the words of Henry David Thoreau, “We must walk consciously only part way toward our goal and then leap in the dark to our success.”

If you’re asking how you can take chances even when the economy is sluggish, keep in mind your chances don’t have to be financially risky. Just opting for an original marketing strategy or looking at a problem from a new perspective are both considered taking chances that can payoff.

Choose the Path Less Traveled. Whether it’s a path that takes you off a ramp launching through the air over 18 semi trucks, or just an original way to get the same job done, it’s always important to cut your own path. So if you’re planning that next big marketing push, consider a new approach to keep your content fresh.

A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine and his family came over for dinner. After eating, we got into an interesting discussion about teamwork. We talked about the things that make up a good team and what working together as a team really means.

With my military background, my concept of a team was somewhat different than my friends. I was trained to treat a team as a group of people who follow orders without question or hesitation. When everyone in my team responded with “Yes, Sergeant,” I felt I was doing my job. That’s just how it works in that type of environment. But even in a setting like the military, a cohesive team is still possible.

Even though my experience working as part of a team is different my friends, there’s one commonality … a team is more than just a group of people who work in the same office. In any team environment, the ground rules are usually consistent. You have goals, objectives, and a means of satisfying both. However, even though it’s important to make sure goals and objectives are met, it’s how they’re accomplished that will determine the long-term effectiveness of the team as a whole.

My friend’s point is well taken. In developing a cohesive team, there’s more involved than making sure people do what you tell them. There needs to be a genuine respect for every member. All members’ opinions, values, and skills must be viewed as an indispensable part of the team. Once everyone reaches that point, the team can then be built into something really special.

One especially interesting point my friend made was that just as there is great power in a strong, cohesive team, a weak team environment can be a disaster. I think we‘ve all experienced the latter at some point in our lives!

It was a great experience to get a different view on this subject. Sometimes, we can be so fixated on our past experiences, we fail to see a better way of getting the job done. The main thing I got from that evening (besides heartburn from too much pasta) was greater insight into what makes a great team and how to achieve it. It was certainly a conversation I won’t soon forget.