Love Works – Joel Manby (1)

We had purchased the park out of bankruptcy, and it was in poor shape when we got it. Now, four years later, it looked beautiful — in part because Jack Herschend had led a refurbishment team that planted more than five hundred trees and removed — yes, removed — more than two thousand tons of concrete to soften the park’s feel and add more shade. We sold the concrete to the city of Valdosta, which used the recycled material as a base for new roads — talk about a win-win!

The new landscaping was gorgeous. Flowers shot up colorful fireworks everywhere I looked, and the tree beds were free of weeds. In the middle of the park a brand-new garden with shady benches beckoned weary visitors. So when I saw a landscaper on her knees planting some flowers, I went over to thank her for what I saw. She introduced herself as Monica. I said, “Monica, thank you so much for what you do; these grounds look tremendous!”

She said, “Thank you, sir. But I want to thank you for supporting Share It Forward.” “You’re welcome,” I replied, even though I had no idea exactly what she was thanking me for. Share It Forward, our company foundation to assist employees in need, has helped more than two thousand of our employees and their families since it began, but I wasn’t sure where Monica fit in. As I walked away, the park’s general manager, Bob Montgomery, asked, “Do you know Monica’s story?”

He proceeded to tell me how Monica’s older sister died unexpectedly and left behind a nine-month-old daughter named Layla. Although Monica was only twenty-two and single, she decided to take Layla as her own. At the time, she had only a seasonal job at Wild Adventures, and her parents didn’t have the resources to help financially. Herschend Family Entertainment encouraged Monica to apply for help from the Share It Forward Foundation, which agreed to help with the costs of her sister’s funeral.

In addition, Monica qualified for the single-parent program, so she received a monthly stipend. Wow! Monica, a single young woman with her entire life in front of her, made a selfless decision to adopt her sister’s baby — for life; and Monica’s selflessness was aided by HFE’s selflessness.

1. A Hard Day’s Night 2. The Jedi Masters 3. Patient: Have Self-Control in Difficult Situations 4. Kind: Show Encouragement and Enthusiasm 5. Trusting: Place Confidence in Someone 6. Unselfish: Think of Yourself Less 7. Truthful: Define Reality Corporately and Individually 8. Forgiving: Release the Grip of the Grudge 9.

Dedicated: Stick to Your Values in All Circumstances 10. A Choice You Make Appendix: Herschend Family Entertainment History and Properties Acknowledgments About the Author Praise for Love Works Copyright About the Publisher Share Your Thoughts OceanofPDF.com Foreword June 16, 1998. It was a typical Tuesday morning in Atlanta, Georgia.

I had flown into town to meet with a potential board member for the company my brother and I cofounded, Herschend Family Entertainment. But where was he? I glanced at my watch for the fifth time. 9:20 AM. Joel Manby was twenty minutes late. Twenty minutes! Clearly I’d made the wrong choice in asking him to be part of the team. I’d been impressed with his credentials and experience, but I’d wondered about his values: would he get our company culture?

And would he ever actually show up? I took a last look at my watch. It seemed like he would be a nonstarter — probably just another hot-shot businessman with a character as shallow as a sheet of paper. That’s when Joel walked in — he’d gotten lost in those pre- GPS days — and the rest, as we like to say, is Herschend family history.

Today Joel serves HFE as CEO and President, and our company has grown from nine to twenty-six properties located in ten states with exceptional financial results. Joel was exactly the right man to lead. Now don’t misunderstand me: I’m still not happy Joel was late! I’m extremely punctual, and I expect my team to be punctual as well. But the fact that Joel went from such a rough start to such a strong finish is actually testament to a simple but overlooked idea: Love works.

You see, when Joel walked in twenty minutes late to that first meeting, I had every right to let that first impression be my last impression. One strike and he would be out. But I decided to interview him anyway, and it didn’t take long for me to realize that giving him a second chance was one of the best decisions I’d ever made. It was the right thing to do.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

Book Information

• Unique ID: e802d5db6c0a91a1
• File Extension: .pdf
• File Size: 1,902,774 bytes (1.815 MB)
• Title: –
• Author: Unknown
• Pages: 193
• Language: English (en)

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