Recently I had the pleasure of being invited home to Hershey Pa, to participate in a day long educational training to improve my knowledge of how my school (and home) works with applicants. It was an enlightening experience to understand the process and the inner workings of some of the things that take place after someone applies to attend Milton Hershey School. The following day we were invited to attend the opening school ceremony at the Giant Center in Hershey Pa.
Wow…what an experience. This is what I posted on Facebook!
It really was a huge motivational uplift.
They started this opening school ceremony a few years ago. As student population increased, more staff were needed to support the students, and that resulted in them filling 50% of the arena! At the ceremony, there’s a theme, brought forward by Milton Hershey School President and Alumnus Pete Gurt ‘85. President Gurt‘s theme this year was “Be Golden”!
Image Courtesy of Dave Ober (via FB)
The “Be Golden” message is rooted in the Golden Rule. Treat others how you would want to be treated. This applies to service based businesses as well. So many times, I see the golden rule being ignored in business, and it makes me sad. It comes in all forms of service and communication. From pushing paperwork physically toward someone in an aggressive and disgruntled way, to purposely quoting prices that are misleading to the buy, to not being forthcoming with delivery dates because of internal knowledge that they can’t be met.
As we go about our business days, working so hard to increase referrals, retention of our customers, and get our business to where it needs to be, we must always keep the golden rule in mind!
As business owners, we aren’t perfect, in fact we are far from perfect. In many ways, we are broken…and beautiful people! During the opening assembly, that message came through as well when Andre’ Sumler ‘17 used his skills as a musician and current student at Berklee College of Music to show what it’s like to pursue your passion, regardless of any cracks!
As you embark on your week of work this week, I ask you to Be Golden! Be as Golden as you possibly can this week! And while you’re doing that, don’t forget to Live Happy, Smile A Lot, and #High5 Everyone Around You!
Ps… If you know someone that could benefit from attending Milton Hershey School, free of charge, please have them contact me. I’d be happy to chat with them about the school!
Here’s a recap of the event: