ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - January 16, 2004

Super Summit 2004 is in the record books ... and what an amazing couple of days it was! We ate and drank well, challenged some old ideas, argued, collaborated, shared experiences and generally re-thought, re-invented and renewed. I think everyone who participated left with a fresh perspective on their operation ... and themselves.

I only wish that all independent operators understood the incredible value of taking time for this sort of reflection. For the first time, we recorded the entire two days and after we edit in the relevant slides, the package will be available on both audio and video.

Politically Incorrect?
Several subscribers wrote to comment on my "politically correct" holiday message in last week's EHC. Paul Ficalora's note is representative of what most had to say. He wrote, "Please tell me your "One Last Wish For The Holidays" was a joke. Otherwise what is our country coming to?"

It was ... but [Paul's] question still stands. The message is an illogical extension of where all this politically correctness could take us. I think it is interesting to note that if you try to offend nobody, you end up offending most everybody.

Take a chance. Make a statement. You may upset a few people, even make a few enemies ... but if you aren't willing to risk that, you probably won't make many friends either.

The Folly of Fear
Do you feel less safe now than you did before 9/11? Does the world seem like a more dangerous place?  When you are scared, it reduces your sense of well-being and quality of life. You will do anything -- and allow anything -- that promises to restore a sense of security.

... but are you really in more danger? There are now, always have been and always will be terrorists and terrorist incidents. But just because there are terrorists about does not mean that you are in some exaggerated state of personal danger. In the year 2000, your chances of being killed in a terrorist attack in the US were exactly zero. The same in 2002 and 2003. Even in the tragic year of 2001, the odds of an American dying in an act of terrorism in this country was 1 in 100,000.

By way of contrast, in 2001 you had a greater chance of dying from the flu or pneumonia (1 in 4,500), from suicide (1 in 9,500) or riding in a car (1 in 6,500) ... but nobody freaked out about the possibility of being killed on the way to the grocery store. The suicide rate alone means that YOU were a greater threat to yourself than any terrorist.

So what is my point here? Fear is debilitating ... and usually unnecessary. We create the same sense of insecurity when we foster a climate of fear on the job -- fear of being fired, of being chewed out, of being ridiculed. Fear of being embarrassed in front of peers. All these are manipulative old-school tactics designed to keep the troops in line. Not only do they not work over the long term but they are totally destructive to a happy and productive work environment. If you want to feel safe, don't blindly buy into the messages of fear that pepper us every day. If you want a highly effective organization, don't allow fear in any form to exist under your roof. As Roosevelt said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

Good News and Bad News
The good news is that I have implemented a new chat room/bulletin board where it will be easier to find items of interest. It will also be simpler to administer, meaning that I can delete old items and improper postings. I now also have the ability to permanently bar anyone who posts advertisements, obscenities or inappropriate messages ... and I will do it. Be on notice.

The bad news is that to do all this, I had to lose all the items on the old bulletin board. If you had a hot question that was still unanswered, please re-post it.

I hope you find the new format helpful. To visit the new Restaurant Doctor forums, click here

The Perpetual Question
What did you learn from your staff today?

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