How does Cream Rise to the Top?
“Time to milk “-those are words a boy hears when he grow up with dairy cows. Twice a day every day without exception that is what happened where I grew up.
A cow gives whole milk that has two components, nonfat milk, and cream. Left to settle, the cream will naturally rise to the top. Homogenization, a process introduced in 1932, breaks apart fat molecules under high pressure, leaving the fat suspended and evenly dispersed throughout the milk.
We did not homogenize our milk but left the milk to its natural state; this allowed the cream to rise to the top. Homogenization does not contribute any nutritional benefit, but is efficiency for the corporate farm and a convenience for consumers since homogenized milk does not have to be repeatedly shaken or stirred.
Skimming the inches of fresh cream from a jar of fresh milk is a simple art. The milk is refrigerated and allowed to sit for 24 hours giving the cream plenty of time to rise to the top. The following day the cream line appears with the precision of a fine watch. It now is easy to ladle gently the cream from the milk. The cream appears thick and luscious. The milk is thin and less appealing.
We all have heard that the cream rises to the top and most understand the analogy. Just how does that happen in the world of leadership and life?
Many corporations utilize profile tests in an effort to properly hire and promote employees. Most profile evaluations compare your natural tendencies to the behavior that you have adapted. An employee is most effective when they are behaving in their natural state. What companies really want is predictability and consistency. They want corporate behavior to be as accurate as a mathematical calculation.
They want something more than reliability they want dependability. Dependability carries the notion of reliable consistency. It means fulfilling my commitment at all cost.
Do you want to rise to the top and separate yourself from others? Leaders understand that dependability is not optional but is vital. Inconsistency is thin and less appealing. Dependability is not something one can compromise. Compromising dependability simply homogenizes you. You become uniform and similar. You blend in.
Rise to the top. Be dependable. Those you lead depend on your dependability!
Watch for my next blog when we discuss a rarely taught leadership key that will open doors that no other key opens.
Now for that cup of coffee…