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Seabiscuit or Secretariat: What Supplier Horse Would You Ride?
Seabiscuit or Secretariat: What Supplier Horse Would You Ride?
The result of a recent supplier partner evaluation was to “keep riding the same horse.” In response, the supplier emailed back, “Thanks. I'll try to be Seabiscuit.” To which I replied, “Well, actually, I was hoping more for Secretariat.”
Truthfully, I was trying to be clever, but it did get me thinking about what should be at the core of an ideal multifamily vendor relationship.
On one hand, I've always been a fan of Horatio Alger stories, so the appeal of Seabiscuit, the undersized underdog who comes to the rescue and becomes an unlikely hero when he's needed most, is palpable. On the other hand, who doesn't like the idea of working with an “unflawed hunk of beauty and beast”, a sure thing at 1 - 10 odds who wins races by an unimaginable 31 lengths.
I recently learned the fact that broke the tie. Secretariat's necropsy (i.e. horse autopsy) revealed that his heart weighed 22 pounds, or two and a half times the size of the average horse’s heart.
The heart is the source of stamina and endurance, both of which are needed to complete lengthy and difficult tasks. But more importantly, “heart” is the origin of tenacity, fortitude, and pluck—traits that manifest themselves in caring and going above and beyond what is expected, or even thought possible.
As much as I'm a sucker for the unlikely hero, in the end, my vote goes to Secretariat—and suppliers with the huge hearts.
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