ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - July 6, 2001

I am in Dallas for a week at the National Speakers Association convention. While I am here, I plan to hook up with Max Hitchins, Aussie marketing guru, for another Management Insight Series program. Look for it in August.

SLOW DOWN -- YOU'LL GO FASTER
A few weeks ago, I did a minor rant on the theme of Slow Down. Know Less. Learn More. I received a number of gratifying responses to that message, one of which I would like to share with you since it takes the theme in a slightly different direction. With thanks to Mike Jensen, Director of Marketing and Admissions at Life Care Center of Reno, here is what he had to say:

Just thought I would share with you something similar that I would tell new staff when they would get hired: "Slow down -- you'll go faster!" They would always ask me what I meant and I would tell them to let me know when they figured it out. I would repeat that phrase as soon as a server started heading for the weeds or was making mistakes, and my old staff would smile and relax and the new staff would look at us kind of funny...until they figured it out.

When you slow down and take an extra second at the window to be certain that your tray is set correctly or pause for an extra beat at the bar to make certain the drinks look good or take a moment at the station to be sure you have everything the table needs, then you are doing it. If not, you usually end up in the weeds and need to call for help.

When the new servers would catch on they would come up to me (sometimes with a full tray) and smile and say "I got it!! You were right!" and then continue toward the table, no longer making mistakes that would cost them time and money. "Slow down -- you'll go faster" basically is the old saying "Do it right the first time" . . . but it is more beneficial when your staff figures it out for themselves.

A note from the Doc:
There are two key ideas here. One about slowing down to get more done and the other, perhaps equally as important, about planting a seed and allowing (nay, requiring) your staff to figure things out for themselves. This is not a concept that people can effectively pick up intellectually, so lecture is not the way to impart the understanding and insight they need. Since people don't argue with their own information, once they get it on their own, they've got it for life! This approach also gives them credit for being intelligent adults!

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