Openness: Lessons From My Swiss Great-Grandmother

Did you read Daisy Nguyen’s fascinating Associated Press article on McDonald’s incorporating ancient Chinese feng shui principles into their restaurants? It’s exciting to see a U.S. corporation open itself to ideas that weren’t necessarily invented on these shores and that aren't exactly Mayberry mainstream.

Some 12 years ago my company Tires Plus incorporated feng shui elements into the design of our stores and our new Team Support Center in suburban Minneapolis. It was funny. The design shop we had hired, Dayton’s Home Interiors, was offended when I told them that before we could go forward with their layouts and furnishings we needed approval from my feng shui consultant. After some teeth-gnashing, they complied. A few years later they teamed up with my consultant and began incorporating feng shui into designs they sold to clients.

Lesson: Openness to unfamiliar ideas outside our way of thinking is critical for entrepreneurs. My father’s Swiss grandmother who raised him liked to tell him when he got a little too big for his britches, "Bill, it’s what you learn after you know it all that really counts." Call it a beginner’s mind, or whatever you prefer. It allows you to differentiate from others. I applaud McDonald’s for their openness. I also hope their new frame of mind carries over to their menu. They could take on the likes of Whole Foods, the fastest growing U.S. grocer, by including healthier fare like grains, beans, fruits and vegetables while cutting back on offerings filled with fat, sugar and trans fat. Less super-size, more super-openness.