Three lessons I learned from the DeMoulas Market Basket that any up-and-coming tech operator can take with them to the bank

My dad, and my mom, and my sister, and half of my cousins worked at Market Basket. And while my brother and I didn’t work in the markets, we caddied and worked at Indian Ridge Country Club, owned by the DeMoulas’.

My dad and Artie DeMoulas were close friends, and I know for an absolute fact that a lot of my personal values and success can be traced back to the way they approached life, and how that impacted my dad and mom. Their “blue collar in a white collar” attitude and their respect for work are amazing. Their culture is special and unique, even legendary (remember the Market Basket walkouts of 2014 in support of Artie). Their slogan, “More for your dollar,” is far more than a slogan. It is being part of a family whose loyalty runs deep.

I’ve included a few lessons I learned from my mom and growing up in the MB family:

Lesson 1: “Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”

This was literally a Mantra that Artie’s dad, “Mr. D” lived by. My mom and dad lived by that mantra. It ties into Market Basket’s slogan which IS and HAS BEEN forever… “More for your dollar.” They are known for their affordable pricing. They are at the opposite end of the spectrum from Whole Foods. Yet, if you ever go into the Chelsea 36-register Market Basket… you’ll see that affordability is not at the detriment of customer service. Their employees are top-notch. They are the most helpful and the kindest. And they work hard. MB is the most efficient supermarket I have ever seen throughout the USA, even under one of the tightest operational budgets.

In tech, the best companies I’ve seen know how to put capital to work in the right places, efficiently. They spend on talent and talent development (I count my blessings on how lucky we are in tech to make the type of money we do in this industry + healthcare + perks + vacation benefits, etc). The best tech companies save in areas that do not tie to serving their team/people/talent and customers. They push the importance of understanding their P&L, budgets, and assets/liabilities. They take care of their pennies…. and the dollars take care of themselves.

Lesson 2: “Never stand with your hands in your pockets”

Artie would visit The Ridge from time to time. Business meetings. Checking in on things. Etc. When he showed up, we all knew to not only be on our best behavior but to be on our ABSOLUTE BEST behavior (if you know what I mean). This guy was someone you wanted to make sure everything was perfect for because that’s what he expected of his employees… in service of his customers.

One day while working at “The Ridge” I was standing at the top of the driveway leading to the bagroom waiting for members to drive up and help them with their clubs. Dave Lane, the Golf Pro at the time, came up to me and said: “Durkin. What are you doing with your hands in your pockets? How are you supposed to help our customers with your hands in your pockets?” I’ll never forget it. It was a moment I realized that I should approach customers (and all people) with hands and arms open, proactively. After all, if I look closed off… why would anyone feel comfortable approaching me for help? They wouldn’t. They would handle their clubs on their own. Lesson learned.

In your own career… you have to proactively serve your customers. Never wait for someone or something to come to you. Go and get it. Reach out to help. Never stand with your hands in your pockets.

Lesson 3: “Pitch in.”

Be willing to pitch in wherever, whenever to help your team.

At Market Basket, it’s very common for an employee at Market Basket to work many, many jobs throughout their career. Many get hired as a bagger. Many start working the register. And then they move throughout the org. Into grocery. Maybe into one of the departments: meat, deli, produce, or dairy. Maybe into the back office, or to management. But when the snow apocalypse comes… when Super Bowl Sunday comes… when Thanksgiving comes… everyone rolls up their sleeves and gets to business. They are able to be player/coaches, and actually play at a high level.

Engineering leaders and managers who still write code 10-20% of their time earn the respect of their teams. Product leaders who still know how to build shit earn the respect of their teams. Yet, there are times in Boston when I’ll meet a tech person who thinks that they are purely meant to manage and not able to roll up their sleeves. It’s rare b/c anyone who knows me knows I don’t have much respect for someone who isn’t willing to get dirty (or even worse, who isn’t capable), but occasionally it happens. To these people, I rarely lean in to help. Why? Because I can’t help them. Winners don’t value these people. And I like winners.

My favorite kind of fellow Operators are people who do not think anything is below them. They are able to lead, manage, and execute. At a high level. Especially during the chaos. And they don’t complain about it. They get to work.

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The Market Basket family is a tight, loyal family. They have a particular culture and do things in a particular way. And I’ve benefitted from that particularness from stories from my mother and seeing a lot of my family in the markets. Their lessons can be applied far beyond the aisles…