The Nordstrom Way
I spent a number of years working for Nordstrom. I started at the bottom like everyone did, and got promoted up to store manager and in fact managed 3 different stores over my career there.
I was speaking to the Poulsbo Rotary last week about gratitude, and a wonderful young lady named Amy Sanford came up to me and mentioned that she worked for Nordstrom. After comparing notes about our careers there, it reminded me that this would be a perfect time to mention my incredible gratitude for the impact Nordstrom had on my life.
The Nordstrom Way is a way of doing business that very few companies seem to be able to master. Everyone thinks it’s the great customer service that stands out, and it does. However, what I remember the most was the sense of empowerment that Nordstrom gave you. They hired the nicest people they could find, and they then simply let them do their job.
When Bruce Nordstrom was asked about the fantastic sales training program the company must have, he said: “We don’t have a sales training program”
When pressed to explain further, he exclaimed. “When we find the nicest people to be our employees, we find the best training came from one source………..THEIR PARENTS!
I am so grateful for the many things that company taught me, and will forever be indebted to the values that they instilled in me. They emphasized the golden rule, and I noticed whether your raising kids, or managing people, if you set a good example, and follow the golden rule, you’ll probably be successful. Thank you Nordstrom for helping me leave things better than I found them.
