Throwing Spaghetti On The Wall Doesn’t Work

A woman cooks a traditional southern breakfast for her husband’s mistress, who rests in the couple’s marital bedroom.

Her husband’s attempts at cooking for his mistress failed, resulting in the mistress throwing the tray of food out of the bedroom and against the hallway wall. So Celie takes matters into her own hands and prepares pancakes, eggs, and buttermilk biscuits.

Celie tiptoes to the bedroom, opens it, and slides the food tray by the door. Then, she walks to the corner and cowers.

“I just stand back and wait until what the wall gonna look like now,” Celie says in a voiceover in the film, The Color Purple. “I see what kind of color Shug’s gonna put on there now.”

Celie’s breakfast doesn’t land on the wall. Nothing, yet, everything happens.

Based on the 1982 Pulitzer-prize book by Alice Walker, the now iconic film scene from one of my favorite movies brings humor to a story laden with the brutality of domestic violence, incest, pedophilia, poverty, racism, and sexism that some Black women faced during the early 20th century. The scene foreshadows Celie’s journey from a mousy girl-child to an empowered, wealthy, Black businesswoman.

So, what does this story have to do with your business or my services as a General Counsel and strategist?

Not enough cooks in the kitchen

Many business owners are not the protagonists of their business strategy and story.

Like the husband in The Color Purple, who Celie refers to only as “Mister,” many executives throw together the ingredients of their business strategy. But, then, they hope it sticks with their clients, customers, and shareholders.

Companies, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs cite their mission, vision, and values and hire employees they hope will execute them. However, unlike Celie, many business owners don’t take the time to understand their clients’, customers’, or stakeholders’ real needs. Instead, they launch a menu of services, products, and offerings. They lack a roadmap for the company or organization’s next year, three, or five years.

Your business strategy defines what you do, who you do it for, and what sandbox you want to play in.

Cooking with gas

I conducted an experiment with my team during my decade as a trade association advocate and General Counsel.

After researching building trust and meaningful bonds among work colleagues, I cooked for my reluctant team of expert soloists who hadn’t learned how to harmonize their strengths and weaknesses. Our employee satisfaction scores reflected this problem.

I bought “real” plates and cutlery, broke out the chafing dishes, and created our first meal from scratch – lasagna, Cesar salad, green beans, and dessert. As we ate together as a team, I noticed the barriers that prevented us from working and relaxing started to fall.

I tried new recipes and occasionally ordered butter chicken from my favorite Middle Eastern restaurant until COVID-19 health restrictions forced us to stop. Nevertheless, I witnessed my team do what previously seemed unthinkable – communicate, collaborate, and trust each other. Our employee satisfaction scores shot up while we were in one of the most challenging work environments of most of our lives – being in the healthcare industry during a global pandemic.

Once our organization moved to a hybrid work policy, I continued cooking for my team once a month. I liked thinking about them and how I could help them reach their goals. A simple meal was now a tool for building a resilient, satisfied team of professionals who exceeded expectations and blew our performance metrics out of the water.

Breaking bread together

I may not cook for your employees, but let’s break bread together.

I am a seasoned legal strategist with over two decades of experience advising clients on operational realignment, risk management, innovative legal solutions, and talent representation.

In addition, I launched several successful small businesses with my wife, including a law practice where my trial success record was 100% positive. After serving as a trade association advocate and General Counsel for a decade, I transferred my skills as an operations expert and general counsel to launch Cody Hand LLC.

I focus on providing expert strategic planning and legal counsel to my clients so that they can focus on providing an excellent customer experience. In short, I help entrepreneurs and business leaders create smart, focused business strategies that allow their customers, clients, and stakeholders to become the protagonists of their own stories with confidence and clarity.

Schedule a complimentary consultation and learn how we can create the right ingredients for your business. Spots are filling up fast, so claim your seat at the table.