Killer Openings

We lost another great one this week with the passing of J.D. Salinger. While we hadn't heard from him in decades, and most likely thought he had died years ago, The Catcher in the Rye was, possibly, the most important novel many of us would read growing up. (Yes, Mr. Iverson, that includes Wuthering Heights. Especially Wuthering Heights.) Just take a look at the first sentence:

If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you’ll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don’t feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth.

Is there a better opening sentence to a novel? Even if you overlook the use of the word 'crap' -- something very few of us junior high school boys could -- you've got a sentence that nailed it. It was like something we might have said, if only we could use the English language that well in 8th or 9th grade. (We certainly could use 'crap' in all of its forms with dexterity and eloquence.) For most of us, it was the one novel assigned in school that we actually read -- not because we had to -- but because Holden Caulfield seemed like one of us and had something important to say. To us.

Thanks, J.D. From us all.

While we're on the topic, is there a better opening sentence to a novel? Okay, that book with 'In the beginning...' as its first sentence is a grabber. Moby Dick's 'Call me Ishmael.' is noteworthy, but, frankly, not terribly exciting. Better than both, though, is the magnificent first sentence from A Tale of Two Cities:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Brilliant. And the book only got better from there. Pick it up again. You'll be taken by the scathing political observations, the humor (yes, laugh-out-loud humor), the terrific story and Dickens' ability to capture the ethos of a desperate time. I think you'll find that the second reading is far better than the first -- especially if the first was during junior or senior high.

Even so, here's my absolute all-time favorite novel opener:

It was love at first sight.

The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.

Yes, I know that was two sentences and two paragraphs actually, but, hey, it's my game. Know the novel from which they come? Of course you do. Another book worthy of a second or third reading, to be sure.

Speaking of great places to work (sorry for the neck-straining segue), Fortune this week released its list of the top 100 organizations in which to work. Methodology used to select these companies aside -- the company must be at least 7 years old, have at least 1,000 employees, have applied to be considered and have scored in the top 100 of the 343 applicants -- there's much to be gleaned from the efforts these organizations make to create desirable and productive work places.

(And, no, The Schnur Consulting Group did not make the list. After all, would we want to be a member of a club that would have us as a member? I think not. Besides, we're a tad short of the 1,000 employees required. Maybe next year.)

So what can be gleaned by perusing the top 100 list? About the same things as our research revealed on what attracts top talent to an organization and helps retain them for a significant period of time. Namely:

• A strong sense of 'community' is important to many -- and pays off in sustained, long-term profitability

• A shared purpose -- better yet, a cause -- helps drive performance beyond what people might otherwise produce at work

• Leadership of high credibility, actively in touch with their people and willing to sacrifice for them, creates value

• An on-going investment in employees (e.g., training, development) improves performance and is highly attractive, especially to those newer to the world of work

• A relentless focus on customers -- indeed, putting the customer first -- clarifies priorities and can be a catalyst for streamlining processes

• Being treated as a responsible adult (e.g., more concern for productivity than for standard work hours) differentiates top performing companies from all others

• Good pay. While not a motivator, pay must be considered competitive.

• Benefits that promote a healthy lifestyle (e.g., on-site food services, incentives for fitness, subsidies for day care, sabbaticals, etc.) help to support a company's values -- especially those that say, in not so many words, 'We need you healthy and secure.'

Our research indicates that when these attributes are combined, the cost of attracting top talent is significantly lower, as is their turnover rate. Not surprisingly, companies considered to achieve the above qualities typically outperform their competition, deliver superior returns to shareholders, and, importantly, are able to sustain profitable growth. The companies with the above attributes get it: Top talent in a supportive, flexible, customer-centric environment drives value creation.

An intuitive conclusion. One, though, that's a bit more difficult to execute. (Ah, but that's why we're here.) And there's never been a better time to transform your organization's culture into one that is attractive and conducive to top talent. We're talking about a process that produces tangible results, including, among others: productivity gains, elevated service quality, process improvement, and faster time-to-market. Performance gains most companies desperately need right now.

And that, I assure you, is not some David Copperfield kind of crap. (Sorry. I couldn't resist.)