It was 40 years ago a customer gave me a Teddy Bear in appreciation for our WORKING IN CONCERT. I immediately named him Grizz. Then, realizing he has a name, I could not leave him home. He had a name , he became my friend. I then carried him to work in a small back pack. He came to work with me every day for 37 years. I carried him to meetings internally and to customers. 

I treated customers as colleagues. I tried to learn their wishes and desires for the fragrances they wanted to develop. I did not make selling a fragrance to them my priority, I wanted to 

WORK WITH THEM IN CONCERT, as a friend to help them achieve their needs. Through this desire of mine most customers accepted me as a partner not someone they had to buy a fragrance from.

So one day we were invited to receive a profile from a very important customer. At that time I just been given a new supervisor and he told me not to bring Grizz. He was against my bringing Grizz to customers. At the meeting the customer asked where Grizz was.  I told the customer I was not allowed to bring Grizz anymore. She immediately called my new supervisor and said, “if Grizz cannot attend the next briefing, then there will be no briefing for your team.” 

I REALIZED THEN THAT TO WORK IN CONCERT IS; ACCEPTANCE, THOUGHTFULNESS, APPRECIATION, HONESTY, RESPECT AND COMPASSION. YES, GRIZZ DID GO TO THE NEXT MEETING AND TO ALL FOLLOWING MEETINGS 

TAKE CARE, STAY WELL, ALWAYS STAY HEALTHY. HAVE FAITH. THANK YOU.

Categories: PERSPECTIVES

ron winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad has been a Perfumer and teacher for 46 years. As a perfumer, Ron has been able to express the world he sees through a rainbow of olfactive and emotive visions. As a teacher, Ron has helped others to see fragrance through his own multi sensorial lens.