Why Don’t You Get a Sponge?
What Startups Can Learn From Larry David
Every company has a code. A defined set of standards to which employees are expected to uphold. Rockerbox is no different — except that we borrow our code from a rather unconventional source.
Like Rockerbox, Larry David also has a code. At times his value system seems misanthropic, cynical, and counter to society’s conventions, but few have taught us more about how to live in the world than Larry David.
One particular lesson comes in the form of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm titled “The Survivor.” As the below clip shows, a Holocaust survivor becomes embroiled in a feud of Who-Had-It-Worse with Colby Donaldson, a cast member from the iconic show Survivor. But the lesson (and punchline) is in the final seconds, when the Holocaust survivor becomes so flustered that he knocks a bowl of gravy onto Larry’s shirt. A dinner companion exclaims, “Somebody get a sponge.” Larry, in typical fashion, counters, “I don’t understand. Why don’t you get a sponge?”
The Lesson
As Larry illustrates, recognizing a problem, even suggesting a potential solution, is only half the battle. Here at Rockerbox we ask our team to not only identify inefficiencies, but to take the initiative by finding a workable solution.
People who take the initiative figure out how to do things on their own. Instead of waiting to be told exactly how to do something, we teach our team to be independent.
Whether we use this mentality to catch a problem in a product or implement a process that yields better results, workplace initiative is important because it leads to improvements in both the product and service that we deliver to our clients.
Using initiative in the workplace isn’t just a way we help the company be more successful, it’s also a way to shift from a reactive mindset to a proactive one. In other words, thinking about a situation and foreseeing problems is better than just reacting once those problem occurs.
Sound interesting? We’re looking for highly talented individuals to join our team. All we ask is that you bring the sponge: rockerbox.com/careers.
