Off the Course: a Third Lesson

Last week, I told the story of two lessons that I learned on a golf trip with men from my church. I learned a lot from them on that trip, but I also learned something off the course as well.

In this post, I would like to share the lesson I learned from an audiobook I listened to on the way to the golf course.

Lesson 3: “Doing business is no more about making money than being human is about making blood.”

That’s a quote from Shoe Dog by Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike. Mr. Knight says, yes, the human body makes blood and then must distribute that blood smoothly and efficiently to where it needs to go on time (just like a business must do what it has committed to do efficiently and punctually). But being human is so much more than just the delivery of blood. This distribution of life sustaining blood to the rest of the body is only the basic process. That process allows us to transcend basic functionality to higher aims. Life is more than living, and business is more than making money.

Although the differences between Griswold Home Care and Nike are obvious, this lesson can be applied to my business as well. It can be applied to any business with the right mindset.

I began building Griswold Home Care in late 2013 to serve Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Clayton, and all of Wake county, and I closely identify with all that Phil Knight chronicles in his Nike journey. Each day brings with it 50 new problems and 50 tough decisions that need to be made right now!

When caring for others in home care, situations are emotional because a loved one is in need and the family members are concerned, frustrated, and usually exhausted. It reiterates the philosophy of seek first to understand others and see things from their point of view. Ours is a stressful yet very meaningful job—by delivering care to those who can’t live a normal life alone, we positively impact the care recipient, their spouse, the family members, the professional CNA caregiver and the CNA’s dependents as well as others. It’s a long work day, with us often on call 24/7 in case there is an urgent need on the other side of Raleigh or a little farther in Cary or in Clayton.

But our role at Griswold Home Care affords us the opportunity to care, to do something meaningful each day, to provide dignity and respect in one’s life, and to give comfort, peace, and even joy to family members who desperately need it. Our responsibility is to operate Griswold Home Care as efficiently as possible so we may continue to positively impact so many in and around Raleigh.