Two Stories and a Number

Christnerinc.com

When life becomes difficult, as it has a way of doing, the folks around us can make that time more difficult or they can help ease the trial.  This writing is about two stories and a number: one story is about a small company that helped during a difficult time and one is about a large company that did not and a number that might explain why.

First Story:


Rick is Isabel's Papa. He is a great Papa and a very good architect.  He works for a locally owned architecture firm, Christner Inc.

Ted Christner founded the firm in 1963. Based on solid values his company has grown to be a leading design practice in St. Louis.

On Christner's website you can read this:

 "All work and no play makes a company lose it's edge.... At Christner, we believe people produce their best work when their lives are in balance.  So we make it a priority to create an environment that is flexible for families."

It is easy enough to hire a good writer to express an ideal notion like that. Not so easy to put that ideal into practice, especially when deadlines are looming in the highly competitive world of architecture.

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We were concerned when Rick called to tell supervisors about Isabel's critical stroke.  The family needed him as never before, but in four days he had a very important deadline with perhaps dozens or ultimately hundreds of people depending on him to meet it.  What would they say?

Basically the response was this:  "Rick, we'll take care of it.  Don't even think about coming in until Isabel is better."

Second Story: 

About 20 years ago Carl was a young husband to Rene' and father to 8 year old Toni. 

 He worked for a relatively new company in St. Louis.  They sold food and their prices were low, I mean seriously low. We were all amazed by the sleek operation.  We marveled that bringing your own bags, returning you own cart, and the magic of bulk buying could result in such drastically low prices.  I shopped there every week, what fun having money left in my wallet to buy other stuff.

During those shopping trips I got to know Carl.

Carl had been the manager of the store in our neighborhood for about 10 years, he put in really long, hard hours every day of every week.  He wasn't paid a lot but he was young and strong and hoped to go far with this new company. It was a good time for this little family.

But difficult times came when Rene' was diagnosed with an aggressive leukemia.  Their solid faith and community of friends supported them but the company in whom he'd invested so much did not.  They would allow an occasional day off for a life threatening crisis, but after a few of those they dispassionately informed him if he missed another day he would lose his job.  Carl made a good choice. He missed another day, left the company and was by Rene's side for her last weeks on this earth.

The enterprise for whom Carl worked has gone on to see great financial success. In many ways the Albrecht brothers who originated the store in Germany have done good things. Certainly, they have provided a very thrifty way for  our family and many other people to feed their families when budgets are tight.



A number:

And yet I wonder....

I know these are just two examples and many more could be offered:  large companies who were absolutely supportive during a personal crises and tales of small businesses who behaved poorly.  I do think if the Albrecht brothers had known Carl they would surely have helped him keep his job.  But they were layers of management and an ocean and half a continent away.

Dunbar's number is 150.

 Robin Dunbar has proposed a theory that people work best and are better able to sustain a stable social group if the number in that group is around 150.  Beyond that it becomes necessary to regulate the group with more and more stringent laws and regulations.  It is an interesting concept when comparing the relative advantages of small business and large corporations.

Doesn't this theory support our theory that big is not always bad but small has a better chance of maintaining a benevolence that enables them to treat employees (and customers!) with respect and human kindness?