Regardless of what we write on our websites and marketing collateral,  the REAL story of our businesses is told by our staff and our customers.

I had dinner at a pub last night that was “Under New Management.” It surprised me how few details the staff actually knew about the management change, yet how quickly the staff and regulars offered up their version on “the facts.” The lack of official details created a powerful vacuum where rumors became temporary facts.

Now, I am not saying that every detail of every change must be provided to your entire team. In fact the “who, what, when, and how” are usually just details. But the “WHY” is a must. You explain it or they will fill in their own blanks.

It is no coincidence that most great businesses are run by great storytellers. If you want to own your message, YOU need to tell your story – every day in every way.

Writing from the road,

My career has afforded me opportunities that I never dreamed of as a child. The biggest accelerators on that journey were the mentors in my life, some of whom counseled me monthly, while others I never met in person but studied their work ardently.

These books shaped my career, and in turn my life. Eli Goldratt was one of those teachers and he passed away last week at the age of 64.

I remember reading The Goal on the Theory of Constraints (TOC) for the first time. It was the first time I had encountered a “business novel” and was amazed at how this teaching style made a complex subject so accessible (which is probably why it sold 5 million copies).

I encourage all of you to pick up a copy of The Goal as we all have bottlenecks in our businesses and in our lives.

Eli Goldratt passed away last week, but before he left us he wrote one last book entitled, The Choice.

Here is a passage from The Choice;
“I smile and start to count on my fingers:
One, people are good.
Two, every conflict can be removed.
Three, every situation, no matter how complex it initially looks, is exceedingly simple.
Four, every situation can be substantially improved; even the sky is not the limit.
Five, every person can reach a full life.
Six, there is always a win-win solution.
Shall I continue to count?”

I would love to hear which books have shaped your career/life?

Great service is rarely an accident. It is a learned behavior, and in most cases, a predictable outcome.

Generation Y learns best by watching and mimicking behavior. I hate to break it you, but they feel asleep 140 characters into your training manual or your 30 minute pep talk!

Businesses grabbing market share are demonstrating what EXCELLENT looks like SEVERAL TIMES A SHIFT (not just during the staff induction!).

OK, I know what you are thinking. “I don’t have time to greet customers, take orders, or make a salad with love!”  Yet, somehow the best operators in our industry (you know the ones, the folks who are busy on Tuesday nights) find time to DEMONSTRATE EXCELLENCE hundreds of times a shift. In fact, it is what they do with MOST of their time.

I was recently asked, “What if my managers are not EXCELLENT at greeting guest, taking orders or working the line in the kitchen?”

…I have very strong views on this, but before I comment I would like to hear from YOU in the blog comments. Clicking the button below will take you there…

From the road in Canada this week (check the dates beside to join me for an afternoon),

Restaurants and bars go bankrupt every day of the week. The thing is, they don’t go broke overnight. In fact, most give strong warning signs YEARS before the front door is padlocked shut.

Some common warning signs:

1. Owner’s passion is gone and he/she dreads walking into the building every day.
2. Owner’s time is consumed with “conversations of crisis.”
3. Owner’s long term vision does not extend beyond the end of the week.
4. Management no longer know what the mission of the company is.
5. Management lack pride and passion (now in complete survival mode).
6. Management fail to remove management/staff who are clearly hurting the business.
7. Staff loses all respect for the company leaders.
8. Staff see customers as an inconvenience.
9. Staff are unhappy and feel demoralized.
10. Customers stop coming.

All businesses cycle through peaks and valleys and temporarily suffer from some items on this list. Then they RECOGNIZE, RESPOND and RECOVER. If the conditions above have become permanent and/or you are experiencing multiple conditions simultaneously, your business is in trouble.

Remember: before you can RECOVER, you need to RECOGNIZE. Ignoring serious problems almost always leads to disaster.

Eyes wide open,