As we headed to our first stop I told Paul that I was hearing a humming noise coming from the rear wheels. He had not heard it before because he was always driving and the radio was always on. Lara was hearing it also so it wasn't just me.

I told Paul he should get it checked out as it could be that the tires are out of round or it could be worse. The next day Paul called to thank me for letting him know there was a noise. It turns out the car needed two rear tires as they were out of balance and they had worn unevenly.

You are probably wondering what this story has to do with bars and liquor stores. Think about it, how often do we go about our jobs doing the same thing day in and day out.

We see the same displays, the same products, the same staff, and the same salespeople every day of every week. We hear the same noises from the compressor or heating unit, the same stories from your customers. After awhile we become numb to the sights and sounds around us.

How can we react and make changes when we can't see or hear what is happening right in front of us? We need to have other people tell us what they see and hear.

When you see an MMBA board member in your store, think of them as your eyes and ears. Our goal as board members is to see that every municipal liquor operation succeeds.

I know I don't always see or hear everything that is happening in our stores so I would welcome someone coming to our stores to see and hear what I don't.

Paul took my advice and checked out the noise.  If he hadn't, he might have blown a tire and crashed. I know I don't want to crash, do you?