Donuts!

National Donut Day is June 5^th, but any day is a good day for donuts, true?  What is it about donuts anyway?  Yes, they’re bad for us.  Yes, they’re loaded with sugar.  Yes, we make it worse by adding toppings.  Still, the temptation just seems irresistible: 

Korman’s Law: 

The trouble with resisting temptation is it may never come your way again. 

Unknown Sage 

While no single person is credited with inventing donuts, a 16-year old sailor, Hansen Gregory, was the first person to cut the middle hole from donut “cakes” way back in 1847.  Leave it to a teenager.  Oh, if we only had their metabolism throughout our adulthood!  Today, it’s estimated that Americans alone eat over 10 Billion donuts a year.  That’s billion, with a “B”.

Back in my sales manager days donuts were part of my “tool box”.  When I had a tough message to deliver to my sales team, like increasing quotas, decreasing territories, or changing commission plans, I’d bring the donuts.  It didn’t change the bad news, buy hey, we’re talking about donuts!  I’d bring donuts to other sales meetings, too.  I didn’t want them to only associate donuts with bad news. 

Truth be told, salespeople know when bad news is coming, with or without the donuts.  It seems to be an irrefutable law in Corporate America: 

Sometimes I get an e-mail that begins, “In keeping with the dictum that bad news should travel faster than good news, here’s a gem.” 

Bill Gates 

When I brought donuts, it was merely a gesture, a gift, a tribute really to the quality of salespeople on my team.  Of course, I partook, too.  Chocolate frosted are my favorite.  I bet you have a favorite.  After all, we’re talking about donuts! 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.