“Our online negative feedback was down nearly 55% since my team and I began making it a focus of our weekly meeting four months ago,” reported a restaurant district manager I spoke with last week in New Orleans.

That is great news, but I asked him WHAT people were complaining about, as I believe that the VOLUME of complaints is far less important than the REASON for them.

We had a quick look online. During peak season, the majority of his negative feedback revolved around wait times for tables and speed of service.  However, more recently, customers were complaining about “rude staff” and (in some cases) “unhelpful/invisible management.”

I don’t know about you, but I would be willing to try a place out with a reputation for being not being “super quick,” but I am much less likely to subject myself to rude staff.

I suggested that in addition to counting complaints, he categorize them:

1. RED – brand damaging incidents that could cause readers to avoid visiting (People)
2. ORANGE – operational issues (Process)
3. YELLOW – things that MAY need tweaking (Style)

As a restaurateur, EVERY complaint I received was reviewed by my management team. Some warranted immediate action, while others were matters of opinion.

It is paramount that we know which is which,

We are now living in an era where being smart about social media is no longer an option.

Here is Barry Chandler with three tips on how to use social media to create a more genuine connection with your guests.

Onward and Upward!

I am on the road this week so I shot a video blog. Take a couple of minutes to see how I give myself a better chance to succeed each day!

From the Big Easy,

PS: I am doing a couple of talks today and tomorrow in New Orleans at Cheers. If you are there, make sure to come up and say hello!

For the first time in my career, I know that “working harder” will not allow me to achieve my goals. Working “extra hours” would be counterproductive – it would only run me down and take away from critical time with my family.

However, CHANGE does not come easy to me. In fact, it scares the hell out of me! The book Switch helped me turn a corner.

“Switch” helped me understand the mechanics of change and gave me a simple 3 step process:

1. Direct the Rider. Provide clear direction. What looks like resistance to change is often a lack of clarity. Specify manageable immediate steps in the right direction. Point to the destination and explain where you’re going and why it’s worth it.
2. Motivate the Elephant. Connect on an emotional level, to keep the Elephant moving forward. Shrink the change, so it doesn’t spook the Elephant.
3. Shape the path. If you want people to change, make the process easier.

This was an easy fun book to read filled with great stories and examples. I highly recommend it to anyone who is managing a team that needs to make some changes this year.

Enjoy and let me know what you think,

PS: I am doing a couple of talks next week in New Orleans at Cheers. If you are there make sure to come up and say hello!

The late John Wooden was arguably the greatest coach of all time in any sport. Winning 10 basketball championships in 12 years at UCLA and had an 88-game undefeated streak that ran nearly 3 years.

I attended his leadership camp last year in California where they use his techniques to train business executives.

We changed into the uniforms they gave us and were asked to meet at center court. Then, started off the same way coach started a season off:

We were asked to take off our shoes and socks and were then shown how to put them on properly!

I couldn’t help but feel silly and wondered if an 18 year old who had likely been playing basketball since they could walk wouldn’t have felt the same way…?

The lesson: Coach Wooden left nothing to chance and took his time to start at the START. Athletes who can’t put their socks on right get blisters that lead to missed practices and out of sync teams.

How about you?

Do you slow down enough during induction to teach your team how to avoid “blisters” in your business?

Some of the most costly mistakes of my career are a result of making too many assumptions and not starting at the start with my staff.

PS: Don’t miss Sean at the Irish Pub & Restaurant Workshop, today at 1:30PM in Washington DC, and Cheers Conference, Jan 24-25 in New Orleans!