President Roosevelt Admits To Killing His Grandmother, Premium Chef Aprons, And Little Red Wagons In Children's Hospitals: Why Listening Is A Superpower...When Followed By Action
The 3-Word Quote: “Listen With Intention”
Welcome back!
1.
In the 1950s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt admitted to killing a relative.
In fact, he repeated this grisly admission multiple times at a White House function.
"I murdered my grandmother this morning," he said.
He said these words to multiple guests.
The life of a president is undoubtedly stressful, but the job is also filled with routine and regulation.
This routine and monotony include White House dinners and social functions where the President hosts various groups and dignitaries.
As part of these presidential dinners, guests often go through a receiving line. In line, the guests greet and shake hands with the President.
The lines are often long; the greetings are usually short.
And from many accounts, they are boring - especially for the President and the hosts.
So, according to an account published in the early 1950s, FDR came clean and admitted his crime.
At this gala, President Roosevelt shook hands with dozens of people, and the guests greeted him with cheery greetings.
And in return, he greeted them with the gruesome admission that he killed his grandmother.
2.
The job was low-level, but she took it anyway.
She took orders from the head chef, always responded, 'Yes, Chef,' and tried not to screw anything up.
It was not glamorous, but she was learning how to become a head chef.
The hours were exhausting, and the pay was low.
But she took notes about everything, dreaming about what she would do once she was in charge.
Except the notes and ideas were not about food.
She did love food, but her notes and plans were to create something other than spectacular food.
All her notes and plans were about improving the aprons that all the chefs wore.
She described the aprons as:
"...made of flimsy paper masquerading as fabric. They were so basic they often didn't adjust around the neck, or have a useful pocket, for our tweezers, pens, or sharpies. Or if they did, they tore off with the slightest tug."
The aprons made the chefs’ jobs slightly more complicated, and they fit like hospital gowns.
So, she dreamed of creating good-fitting, high-quality, functional aprons while making food.
Her ideas, plans, and dreams would have all died in her notebook.
Except one day, the head chef marched into the kitchen and told his staff he had someone who was going to make aprons.
The chef asked if anyone on staff wanted to buy one.
Ellen Bennet spoke up.
But she didn't want to buy an apron.
She told the head chef that she owned an apron company.
She couldn't believe she spoke up.
Because Ellen Bennet didn't actually have an apron company.
Not only did she not have a company, but she also didn't have any materials, tools, or ideas for starting one.
But she did have her notebook.
So Ellen told the head chef that whatever the price was for the aprons, she could make and sell them cheaper.
She also told the head chef she would make them faster than the other apron company.
Surprisingly, the head chef responded to her, "OK, alright, cool."
And Ellen had her first order for 40 aprons.
Ellen Bennett had no idea what to do, but she was resourceful. She scrambled, researched, sewed, and finally created 40 aprons in four weeks.
There were issues and setbacks, but her finished aprons were functional and beautiful.
They were aprons made for chefs by a chef.
Bennett then started Hedley and Bennett, a company that makes aprons and kitchen gear.
Today, it is a multimillion-dollar company, and her aprons are now worn by some of the world's most famous chefs.
3.
Hopefully, you have not had to visit a children's hospital lately.
But if you have, you have probably noticed that most of them have a collection of shiny red wagons.
Hospitals use the wagons to shuttle kids from rooms to receive tests, go to other appointments in the hospital, or go for a quick ride.
They are a simple solution that gives the kids a slight sense of fun in a place that often isn't.
But for the most part, the wagons were strictly utilitarian and not designed for hospital use.
However, in 2019, Radio Flyer, a wagon manufacturer, and Starlight Children's Foundation collaborated to design a wagon made exclusively for hospitals.
Called the Hero Wagon, this ride shuttled children like the old wagons.
However, the new Hero Wagon had a few upgrades.
The new wagon featured medical-grade fabric, which surrounded the wagon's body to provide a safer ride and make it easier to clean and disinfect.
The mesh fabric also included a spot for an IV to attach securely. The wagon also folds for storage.
The wagon was also easier to wipe down and included a spot for young patients to place a picture of a loved one during the ride.
The newly designed Hero Wagons now provide a little fun by shuttling kids around in 100 cities.
The Takeaway:
So how are FDR's shocking admission, chef aprons, and Hero Wagons all connected? In short, all are related to an essential but simple lesson - listening is critical.
Franklin D. Roosevelt did not kill his grandmother or any relative.
The story of admitting this crime first appeared in The Complete Practical Joker in 1953. the anecdote has been repeated many times over the years.
What is most interesting is FDR made up this story to add some interest to the long and dull White House reception lines.
But he also used his confession to prove to others that no one listens carefully.
And he was correct. He told many people that night that he killed his grandmother, and no guest replied in horror.
Perhaps those in line were in awe of the President, or maybe no one was listening carefully.
But one Wall Street banker heard Roosevelt say that he killed his grandmother. The banker responded, "She certainly had it coming."
Someone had listened, and it delighted the President.
And Ellen did what the banker at the White House did - she listened, too.
She listened to what chefs wanted and created it for them.
She lost money on her first order, but she knew that chefs wanted a stylish, adjustable, functional apron that they would be proud to wear.
She listened, and then she delivered.
The Hero Wagon evolved in the same way. There had been wagons at hospitals for 20 years before the Hero Wagon.
However, the designers spent 1,000 hours interviewing doctors, nurses, patients, and parents.
A thousand hours - interviewing and listening.
The creators listened to ensure the final version of the wagon was helpful to everyone.
Surprisingly, listening can be hard work. To listen intently, you have to care about what people say.
The banker cared what FDR had to say - even if it was outlandish.
Ellen Bennett and Radio Flyer cared what their customers had to say, and they took action - and delivered what people wanted.
But before you can take action and deliver, you first have to listen.
3 things before you go:
watch: someone in a Halloween costume? No. And apparently this event is common. See here and here.
read: my son is enjoying his college football team being undefeated so far (go IU). He just told me he was going to have the ticket office print his tickets for him - I guess he’s not the only one who wants paper tickets.
listen: love when the audience takes over the singing (3 minutes into the song)
Thanks for reading!
-Jeff