What BCBA’s Can Learn from Sam Breakstone

“If Sam Breakstone Weren’t So Demanding, His Sour Cream Wouldn’t Be So Good”

An old series of TV commercials tells the story of Sam Breakstone making sour cream. Sam is extremely demanding with his employees. He is constantly yelling at his staff. They are very frustrated with him. You can see an example here.

As silly as the commercials are, I love them because they capture a real-world conflict BCBAs face all the time. Like Breakstone, BCBAs also have a challenging goal—to make a significant difference in the lives of the people we serve. But this takes a long time; it is hard to continuously push for what is needed, especially when stakeholders are satisfied with what has been done so far. If you push too hard, like Sam Breakstone, staff will be frustrated. If you don’t push hard enough, the long-term results will likely be poor.

If Sam had been a better manager, he might have tried reinforcing the staff who were using the skills needed to make great sour cream, and then celebrating as the sour cream was Poogi-ing. But there is real truth in the tagline of the commercial: “If Sam Breakstone weren’t so demanding, his sour cream wouldn’t be so good.”

It is hard to stay focused on the long term when everything is going beautifully, sometimes even for years at a time. When no one is complaining and everyone is singing your praises, it is easy to become overconfident.

I think the Sam Breakstone commercials can teach us 3 important lessons:

When managing people, don’t be a jerk. You have to reward staff for working hard and celebrate results, even if it isn’t all the way to your final goal.
You have to know where you are going. Sam Breakstone was going for great sour cream. We are going towards making a significant difference in the lives of our clients. Having a clear focus is essential.
But you have to be demanding. Even when people are very satisfied, even when everyone is already praising the success, if you aren’t at the point where the behavior changes will maintain, it won’t matter in the long run.

If BCBAs aren’t so demanding, the long-term client results won’t be so good.

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to POOGI.