Value Open-Handedness: Part 2
We are gradually making our way through Imagine Thailand’s seven OUTWARD FACING VALUES. Last month we looked at part 1 of our value of Open-handedness … We freely share what we have: time, resources, ideas and people.
This month it’s Open-handedness, part 2 … We embrace partnerships because we believe we are better together.
3,000 years ago a wise king wrote: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity.
In 1546, an English writer by the name of John Heywood coined the expression, “Two heads are better than one”.
And in 1837, two brothers-in-law decided to get their two heads together and start a business.
Both men had emigrated to the U.S. William was a candlemaker from England and James was a soap maker from Ireland. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, and first met when they married sisters Olivia and Elizabeth Norris.
Their father-in-law, Alexander Norris, noticed that both men competed for the same materials to make their products. So he encouraged them to work together as a single company to get a better deal for their materials and, of course, make more money to support his daughters.
Their little business grew. Boy, did it grow! During the American Civil War the company won contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles. Not only did their profits increase but soldiers from all over the country were introduced to their products.
By the 1880s, they were advertising their wares in full page ads in nationally distributed magazines. And when the new medium of radio came along in the 1920s, they jumped on board. By 1932 they had become one of the biggest sponsors of daytime radio dramas. So big that the public starting referring to the shows as “soap operas”. Now you know!
Today, a mind-boggling 103,000 employees work for the little start-up company created by William Procter and James Gamble in 1837. Their market share is $221.5 billion USD, they operate worldwide, and Procter & Gamble products include (but are definitely not limited to): Bounty paper towels, Charmin bathroom tissue, Crest toothpaste, Dawn dishwashing soap, Downy fabric softener, Febreze odor spray, Gain & Tide, Gillette, Head & Shoulders, Olay, Oral-B, Pampers, Pantene, Vicks, Herbal Essences, Cheer, Old Spice, Swiffer, Mr. Clean, Vidal Sassoon, Metamucil, Pepto-Bismol, and of course (he pauses to take a breath) their original, Ivory Soap.
SCC runs a student dormitory in Bangkok. They make “soap”. Imagine Thailand is headquartered in Bangkok. We make “candles”. Together we’ve initiated a little “start-up company”.
SCC looks to create global leaders, but have needed that extra spark of inspirational expertise to springboard them to the next level, and beyond. Imagine Thailand now provides them with leadership development curriculum, camps and mentorship, as well as coaching certification programs.
The start-up is growing and its dreams are big: 103,000 students? a worldwide presence? media influence? breathtaking expansion beyond just soap and candles? Per Buzz Lightyear … to infinity and beyond!
It is good indeed for brothers to dwell in unity. Two heads really are better than one.
Next month we will examine our 5th Outward Facing Value: We value transformation.
In the meantime: Add value. Act with valour.