ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - July 29, 2005

I am in transit to Clearwater, Florida today. Tomorrow I will present a full day program to the Florida Chapter of the Club Managers Association. Then it is a late afternoon flight back to Seattle.

On Tuesday, Margene and I are off to New York City where I am presenting at the New York Pizza Expo. Then we will drive to Vermont for a few days to visit family. Nothing like a summer road trip!

TRAINING AS PUNISHMENT
A CHART conference (Council of Hotel & Restaurant Trainers) is always good for a few smack-in-the-head insights. Here is one that you should pay attention to.

What is it that causes you to initiate some new training program in your operation? If it is usually response to a breakdown in service or any other action of your staff, they may come to think of training as punishment. "Here comes more training. We must have screwed up again."

Training that is perceived as punishment is doomed to failure. The trainees are defensive from the get-go and the general tone of the program is negative rather than positive.

This is not to say that action should not be taken to correct deficiencies. Of course, you must do that. The trick is to make sure that you have an on-going training program even when everything is working perfectly. If that is the case, then training becomes part of the daily routine and a path to better and better performance.

SUPER SUMMIT REVISITED
“Just when I thought that I was out, they pull me back in." That was the lament of Michael Corleone in the final "Godfather" movie ... and I can relate. After the second session of the Super Summit in June, Robert Kausen and I thought we were done for awhile. But the alumni have been pressuring us to do it one more time. Some of them want to attend the program again. A few want to bring family members. Several want to get more of their key people up to speed before we start the ongoing support program ... and the two-day basic program similar to what we did in New Orleans is a pre-requisite.

We resisted, but they insisted.

Since follow- up makes more economic sense with a larger group, we finally relented and agreed that if there is enough interest to make a fall program feasible, we are willing to offer it ... but with one big condition: NO BIG PROMOTION CAMPAIGN. I have no energy for sending out repeated sales pitches for an event that has already been well-explained and whose impact, even in the early stages, is apparent.

There are three good reasons to keep this a closely- held secret with minimal promotion:

1) If you are not already convinced that we are offering something truly different here, you are never going to get it and beating you over the head repeatedly is only likely to irritate both of us.

2) There isn't much I can tell you about this year's Super Summit program that you don't already know.

3) Our best promotional material comes from those who have completed the program anyway.

Final details are being worked out as we speak, but here is what we know about the program right now: It will be held the second week of November in Nashville. Tuition and scholarships are the same as April and June. We will not be offering Phyllis Ann's Kick in the Concept Tour this time.

This is the last time you will see this program at these prices.

I should warn you that if you pass on October, you will not have access to this material again until we put another basic session together sometime in 2006, most likely in June. At that point, it will be re-branded as the Leadership Development Project and the cost will be about twice the price we are offering in November ... as befits the program results. It's your life, it's your money ... and it is entirely your choice.

If you want to take us up on this opportunity, complete the online application. We are only accepting 36 people into this final program and when the seats are filled, that will be it until at least next June.

THE JULY SURVEY
Last chance! This month we are checking in to see how your year has gone so far ... and what adjustments you plan to make in the second half to meet your goals.

While the answers to questions like this may not mean all that much to you, the process of writing out a few short answers will force you to think about where you are, what direction you are heading and what you will have to do to get there. These are the essential jobs of leadership.

For my part, the answers will give me some direction for the balance of the year as far as content goes. The more I know about what you are looking for, the more I can provide information to help you get there. That is an essential job of a consultant. Let's both of us get to work!

Click here to add your thoughts to the July survey.

THE PERPETUAL QUESTION
What did you learn from your staff today?

At your suggestion I took a field trip with my two best servers to check out a competitor moving into my area. This was the first time I have talked to them since [the Super Summit in] New Orleans. Our numbers have been very good so I just assumed that everything was under control.

After a few minutes of conversation I learned that my greeters were not doing their jobs but were instead sitting at a table and watching the patrons. I also learned that it was not uncommon for a server or greeter to finish a cell phone conversation before taking care of a patron. Needless to say, my best servers were frustrated and ready to quit.

This is just a small portion of what I learned that day. [The power of listening] has really opened my eyes. -- Scott Reutner, Matties, Elko, NV

My perpetual question is really a lot deeper -- and a lot more important -- than it may sound. Scott attended the Super Summit in June and picked up an appreciation for the importance of listening. As was true with Zach's comments last week, if Scott hadn't thought to ask (or if he had not really listened to what was said), he would have looked at the numbers, thought that everything was fine ... and the restaurant could have lost several of their best servers.

The answers you get do not have to be life-changing, but just the fact that you ask ... and really listen ... will do more to improve the climate in your operation than anything else I can think of. If you have ever worked for someone who didn't listen, you know what I mean. Now just don't turn into someone like that yourself!

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question. Just click on the link below and contribute your comments for the common good.

What did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

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