5 Management Lessons from a Simple Sunday Brunch

5 Management Lessons from a Simple Sunday Brunch
By Sean Alexander

It was about two weeks ago. Sunday Brunch with a friend, al fresco, at Clyde's of Reston, in Reston Town Center (just west of Washington, D.C. in Northern Virginia). Sunny; a pleasant breeze; the plaza's Italianate fountain gurgling, bubbling, bringing smiles to faces and joy to hearts. A perfect day. Then the food arrived. Cold eggs, cold French Toast, cold sausage; and that was just my meal. My friend's expected cheese topping had gone missing. Certainly not a disaster, but enough to bring unwanted clouds to an otherwise beautiful day.

Then the restaurant, which we have frequented for two decades, swung into action: apologies all around, food—all of it—swept away, more apologies. Shortly thereafter, new food arrived; hot, cheesed, perfect. More apologies. "Would you like a dessert?" More apologies. "The entire meal is on us, Sir. Yes, the wine, too." The sun came out again; angels sang. Perfect.

Is there any wonder why we keep going back? This restaurant, part of a local chain, knows what Results are all about. Yes, of course, they want every meal to be perfect. But what restaurant hits perfect every time? And yet, when simply everything goes wrong, they find and deliver perfect anyway. In twenty years, this has happened, maybe, four times; less than 1% of the time—not such a bad record. But the way they handle these situations, every time, is the same. There is never a question as to blame; never an excuse, never a hesitation; just action and results.

Action and Results! It doesn't seem like that should be so hard to deliver. Yet, time and again, retail stores, restaurants, wholesalers, projects far and wide fail to deliver on that simple promise. Deliveries are late: "Well, we've been very busy." Products are crushed, mangled and destroyed: "Are you sure it was delivered that way?" Dates are missed: "I've been so busy lately…and the kids, don't even get me started!" Is this any way to run a business? Short answer: No. Long answer: Hell No!

So, where's the failure? I think we can find it in one vital area: Management.

Do you remember the old saw about bad management? "The bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle." So it goes for problems large and small within any organization, any endeavor, any project. We don't get to be let off the hook just because we've spent the last twenty years flattening our organizations. That was desperately needed, but it hasn't relieved management of its responsibility to, well, manage. Yes, management today is more guiding and coaching than ordering and directing. But the direction of an organization is steered from the bridge, not the deck. If the people running the ship (those on and below deck) aren't doing what they need to do, the way they need to do it, then of course they are to blame. But the greater blame lies with the managers (those on the bridge) who did not hire right, did not teach right (if at all), and are not guiding right. This is a failure of management.

Nonetheless, it's not easy. Heck, if it was easy we'd all take on that mantle of management. But it isn't easy. It's complicated, complex, courageous work. That's why so few try, and fewer still succeed at doing it well. Clyde's has consistently reached for perfection, even when it slips briefly from their grasp*, by insisting that their front-line servers and managers know how to take care of the Customer; especially, when everything falls apart. I don't have to have seen the endless hours of training, coaching and guiding that permeates their system to know that it's there. I see it when the waiter (Casey) doesn't hesitate for even a second to remove the unwanted food. I feel it when the manager (Nicole) shows up, seemingly out of nowhere, to assure us that our replacement meal has top priority. I remember it when they ensure we are satisfied, even enthralled, as we take our leave, nary a cent spent (except for the waiter's tip; after all, I'm not a cad). Most restaurants think they are in the business of serving food. The smart ones, like Clyde's, know they are in the business of serving enduring experiences. Achieving that Result takes them from ordinary to extraordinary; from failure to perfection.

* It was Robert Browning who said, "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?"

Five Management Lessons from Clyde's: 1. When failure strikes, urgently, ruthlessly strike back. Action beats meditation. 2. Own the problem. Never attempt to shove it back to the Customer. 3. Apologize. Then apologize again. It's not just good manners, it's good business. 4. Train. Coach. Guide. Repeat. Forever. 5. Fully engaged management teams consistently steer organizations to deliver a never ending supply of enduring experiences.

Management, Action and Results: inextricably intertwined and inescapably essential. Vital elements of The Vital Edge.

To Your Vital Success,

Sean Alexander

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Sean Alexander is President of VitalThought, a boutique consulting company that focuses on Results-Based Management. His monthly ezine, The Vital Edge, helps executives, project managers and team members discover project and personal success with results-based strategies and tactics. If you're ready to energize your projects and yourself, investigate the possibilities at www.vitalthought.com.