I flew to see my two daughters and their families. One picked me up at the airport and asked if I was hungry, which I was. We drove to a small, “hole in the wall,” restaurant that sells kabobs. I was assured that it was one of the best places in town. The people in the restaurant used high quality ingredients and did high quality preparation. When we arrived, the place looked like any other “hole in the wall” restaurant. Yet the place was packed with people. I was told that it always busy.
I began to search for the success formula. When a restaurant or any organization is successful, it means someone is doing something out of the ordinary. Someone is doing something that requires discipline that others are not willing to exert. So I asked myself, what am I getting here that would make me want to come back.
In the end the differentiator seemed simple, really good food at a reasonable price. This told me that the people who run the place must consistently discipline themselves to avoid the regularly occurring temptations to compromise on quality of food and on quality of preparation. Because of their discipline they create an expectation and the expectation causes customers to return over and over.
Reflection
- What do people want from you?
- How can you meet their needs in a way that exceeds normal expectations?
- What will happen when you do?
- How could we use this passage to create a more positive organization?
Bob, I sincerely love how you can take an experience like going out for a bite to eat into an insightful and valuable learning lesson. Thanks for continuing showing us how to extract greatness! Mary
Sorry — I meant “continually showing us”