By Bill Roddy | Publisher, Landscape Management
In 2014, Kip Tindell, chairman and CEO of The Container Store, published the book Uncontainable. It’s the story of how Tindell’s passion for organizing things and delighting customers helped build The Container Store from a single, 1,600-square-foot store in Dallas in 1978 into a thriving business of 75 locations throughout the U.S. today.
This book is an extremely fast read, taking the reader through the company’s values-based foundation principles. The first few chapters provide background information on how Tindell came to open his first location. The following chapters explain the seven “Foundation Principles” in detail with wonderful stories and examples of how each principle is put into action each day within the walls of each store location.
The seven Foundation Principles are:
1. One great person equals three good people
2. Fill the other guy’s basket to the brim; making money then becomes an easy proposition
3. Man in the desert selling
4. Communication is leadership
5. The best selection, service and price
6. Intuition does not come to an unprepared mind; you need to train before it happens
7. Air of excitement
While reading, it’s easy to see why The Container Store has been so successful at delighting its customers, its suppliers and each of its employees. It’s no surprise they’ve been ranked in the “Top 100 Companies to Work For” by Fortune Magazine for 15 consecutive years.
I highly recommend any business owner or manager with an interest in creating a positive culture for your business or team to add Uncontainable to your reading list.
