The Salt Bag Story

Commit to work harder on yourself than you do on the job. Every new DEFENDER Direct employee hears this parable from founder Dave Lindsey on their first day of work. It epitomizes the philosophy that is the key to DEFENDER's success.

A tale of two men, and two different attitudes

Bob and Ben both get hired at the Acme Salt Factory on the same day. Their job is to load 50 pound bags of salt from the loading dock to the delivery trucks. Bob and Ben have a difficult first day at work. The work is physically demanding, not particularly interesting, it is incredibly hot and by the end of the day they are worn out.

At the end of the day, both Bob and Ben arrive at their homes exhausted. At home, Ben's wife asks how things went on the new job. "It is horrible, hot, boring, back-breaking work. How about getting me a beer and I will order a pizza for dinner. The game is coming on TV soon and I don't want to miss a thing!".
Across town, Bob and his wife, Susie, are engaged in a similar conversation. Bob answers his wife's inquiries differently though. "Wow. That is hard work. I had not realized how out of shape I'd gotten since I quit working out with the basketball team in high school. This should not have been so difficult for me." Susie suggests that they eat a healthy dinner and get a good night's rest so that he is fresh for the second day of work.

Day two on the job was as dismal as day one for both Ben and Bob. At the break, Ben grabs a candy bar and soda and hangs out with a group of guys in the break room. The conversations are negative as they discuss how hot it is, how heavy the bags are today and the poor outcome of last night's Cub's game.

Bob grabs a bottle of water and some fruit and then catches up to Earl and Ed for a chat. He noticed that they handle the work more easily than others and he want to find out if they have any tips for him. He discovers that they have a weight lifting belt that they use to give them more support and they recommend that he try some light weight lifting to prevent injury and fatigue.

When Bob arrives home that night, Susie is happy to hear about the weight lifting belt and suggests that they go pick one up that night. On the way to the store, Susie says, "Bob, my cousin Sam called today. He is a fitness trainer and they just transferred him to the club on the way to your plant. What do you think about him working with you on lifting techniques? It might help prevent injury." Bob agreed that was a good idea and met Sam at the gym a couple days later.

Ben continued collapsing on the couch, drinking beer, eating pizza and burgers, night after night and complaining to his wife about how hard the work was, how exhausted he was and how bad the Cubs season was going.

Bob continued to work out, eat healthy, read books on strength training and apply what he was learning to improving his performance on the job. In a few weeks he was stronger than he had been in a long time and his energy levels were climbing. He arrived back home each evening excited to share his accomplishments with Susie. They began to go to the gym together and they found they were happier as a couple than they had been since they were newlyweds.

Then something happened that really gave Bob's career a huge lift. Bob started improving his system for loading the salt bags. Because of the weight training and his increased endurance, Bob discovered that he could lift two salt bags at the same time. This caused him to be able to complete twice as much work as Ben or anyone else on the dock.

Bob's foreman noticed the increased output. He asked Bob what had caused the significant improvement. Bob showed him the lifting belt that Ed and Earl had recommended and a few of the simple exercises that Sam had trained him on to strengthen his lifting muscles and sustain energy. The foreman asked Bob if he could share those lessons in the team meeting the next day.

When Bob conducted his training with the rest of the team, some of the other team members started using the techniques Bob shared. Over time, they also increased their capacity to load salt bags. It wasn't long before a few were able to load two bags at one time. A few months later, lifting two bags at a time was standard operating procedure at the plant. The Acme Salt Factory's production started to climb significantly.

Ben continued to be miserable, refusing to take responsibility for improving his skills and outcomes. He ended up quitting the job and going to his next job with the same bad habits, destined to achieve the same outcomes he had achieved in many past jobs.

Bob got promoted. More than that, Bob made a difference for others on the job and at home. He worked harder on himself than he did on his job and everyone around him benefitted.

Our expectation at DEFENDER is that you will work harder on yourself than you do on your job. This is your responsibility to those you love and care for. By working hard on yourself, you will be a better parent, family member, community member, friend and you will also be a better team member. You will move down a path of unlimited opportunities both personally and professionally. It is what you were created to do.