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May 02, 1994 02:00 AM

OF THE SPINED AND THE SPINELESS

Robert Freyberg
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    Today my competition made my day more rewarding than usual. One of my competitors ``snuck'' into my parking lot and entered the building through a side door with the intent of soliciting one of my alignment techs.

    This gentleman pretended to have an alignment problem to lure this tech outside the building and then preceded to offer salaries, 401Ks etc. You should have seen this guy; it made me laugh. Clean-shaven, white-shirted, narcissistic yuppie ``wanna be''!

    I feel good that my competition admires the reputation of my employees enough to reduce themselves to unethical behavior. I feel good that they have such ``lousy'' business ethics they can't keep and attract quality people. It makes me realize it takes more than advertising to build a business. People make the real difference.

    Because of such spineless individuals, there is still room for me. Spineless people represent spineless owners of spineless businesses. They have this perception that without having a spine, they can bend the rules of business ethics, round the corners of a business's integral cornerstone and stretch the truth to justify their ends.

    Employee recruitment is not an easy task nowadays. Why? With all the questions you can't ask, you are lucky enough to be able to ask them to come to work at all.

    I've been to seminars that actually encourage the spineless recruitment of competitors' employees. I think we as an industry ought to be careful of the advice given us by manufacturers, suppliers and associations.

    I'm glad to be a small tire dealer able to maintain pride in my business, my employees and as a direct result, my customers. Wouldn't it be nice if you could grow big without sacrificing one of these three? I've never seen it.

    As to my tech, upon telling me of this farce, I encouraged him to take advantage of their invitation for coffee, if he so desired, and to use it as a learning experience that we may all share.

    Of the spined and spineless, which are you?

    Mr. Freybergis vice president of Mankato Oil Co. in Mankato, Minn.

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      • Mid-Year Report 2022
      • RUSSIA WAR IN UKRAINE
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