October 2008

Hi Folks!

My newsletter this month comes a few days late as I’ve been helping a friend open a Fleet Feet Store in Menlo Park. My staff has been holding down the fort in such a way that I sometimes wonder if I need to be here at all! Props to them! And on that note, make sure you stop soon we are bringing in some new staffers. The store is getting busy and, simply put, we need help. They are amazing people and they look forward to helping you all.

This month I’d like to thank you all for your on-going feedback. Running a business is something new to me and each and every one of your constructive nuggets of information has served as a guide in some way or another.

A few months back I sent out an on-line customer satisfaction survey. Many of you took the time to fill it out and some even added an addendum of detailed comments. Recently I received the results of this survey. I read every one of them. Some made me proud while others made me cringe. The quantifiable data was very interesting and will likely play a large as we move forward. Your results opened my eyes to some things that were sitting right under my nose. Sending that survey was one of the most productive things I’ve done all year. Thanks for taking the time to respond to it.

The big message here is communication and feedback. As a middle school teacher I found that the more informed my students were, the more comfortable they were as students and as people in the world. I can’t imagine leading any other way. During interviews I tell candidates that I have a tendency to over-communicate. I also encourage them to interview me. As human beings we have the right to direct answers. Yet with this year being election year we’re witnessing the opposite. It is what it is. But I digress.

Fleet Feet wants your feedback. We need your feedback to grow and become a more integral part of this community. So don’t wait for the next survey to give us your two cents. Say what you have to say right now. Good or bad. We can take it. In fact, we’ll thank you for it!

Keep on Keepin’ On!

Tom
October 2008