Success Quote by Lee Scott

Corporate culture always shows up in the smallest job in the room. Lee Scott, speaking as a retail executive, is doing two things at once: elevating the greeter as a symbolic frontline role and quietly elevating himself as the person qualified to define that symbolism.

On the surface, it reads like management 101: the greeter is the first human contact, the brand made flesh, the vibe check at the door. But the phrasing gives away the real intent. “What sets the tone” turns a low-wage position into an instrument of mood management, a way to outsource hospitality and emotional labor into a single, smiling checkpoint. It’s not just customer service; it’s atmosphere as product.

Then comes the pivot: “and I’ve been on TV a little bit this morning.” That add-on is almost comically revealing. It’s status leaking into a supposedly egalitarian story. Scott frames himself as both culture custodian and public face, implying that his media presence validates the company’s priorities. The greeter sets the tone, sure, but the CEO sets the narrative. The subtext is control: we care about the greeter because the greeter is visible, and visibility is currency.

Context matters here: big-box retail has long leaned on friendly “welcome” labor to soften the edges of scale, surveillance, and relentless efficiency. The line tries to humanize a system by spotlighting the human at the door, while also reminding everyone who gets the microphone. It’s a pep talk that doubles as brand management.