ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 8, 2007

I really need more than a week after an extended trip just to dig through the accumulated pile of mail and get re-acclimated. I am doing my best to get current ... but there is still a lot of work to do. Maybe next time I will just tell people that I am gone a week longer than actual and take the extra "stealth" time to get caught up before resuming the normal pace of life.

What I really need is administrative help so that everything doesn't fall to me. If you know of a sharp, fairly organized person in Western Washington ...

This issue will wrap up most of my major thoughts on our trip ... although the insights will continue to bubble up for awhile. The musings tend toward the philosophical, that is precisely what travel should do for you. I urge you to make it a point to get away periodically, slow down and just regain your appreciation for life. You ... and your business ... will be the better for it.

TRAVEL VS. TOURISM
The Gift of An Open Mind ... and An Open Heart
Two issues ago I went on a minor rant about travel, attitudes and life in general. That prompted several nice responses (and probably a few unsubscribes!) One that really moved me was this one from Matt Starobin of At-Your-Service Software in Bronxville, NY. Matt wrote:

You inspired me to write to my children, which, as always, is a way parents kick-start themselves! I forward #485 to them with these comments: This is really good stuff about jingoism, not getting out, and the benefits of exploring other cultures. If nothing else, it gets us out of our own foxholes, and opens our eyes to other possibilities. I never quite saw it that succinctly, but I believe it's true.

I realize that's why Mom and I tend to shy away from resorts as travel destinations, and prefer to rent a car and tool around. The best memories of our travels have been the local stuff! That soccer game in Spain; the restaurant in Italy where we were the only Americans; walking through PramPram in Ghana; the boat rides on the islands with the locals and their caged chickens; the wedding in Israel; the hole in the wall restaurants we love; the sea and mountains in the Cascades, etc. etc.

I think all this makes us more tolerant and appreciative of 'others'. No lesson here, just an epiphany for me! Keep traveling and exploring whenever you get the chance. Put the phones (cell and land line) down, close the laptops, and find a reason to explore. It doesn't need to be across the Atlantic. It can be a new neighborhood, a new routine, or simply a new person with a different POV or background.

IT’S ALWAYS ABOUT THE PEOPLE
Memories of Santorini
In the end, our most lasting memories of the places we visit always comes down to the people. On Santorini it was Spiros and his daughter Victoria at Taverna Loakosti and Lucky at Lucky's Souvlakis in Thira, both of whom you can meet in more detail in the Trip Report of our Greek adventure.

We fell in love with Papoos and Yaya (Grandpa and Grandma), two picturesque old characters we never really met but felt a real connection to. The stories we made up about their histories and relationship were probably better than the reality of it ... but you never know.

Then there was Maria, the hardware queen of Ia and her marvelously cluttered shop, the unknown fisherman who proudly adjusted his cap and posed for our cameras and Georgia, the tireless woman who runs the local market where we found the essentials of life (mostly beer and coffee!)

There were many more who touched us in small ways, of course, and we have found the people here to be extremely open and welcoming of strangers, not always an easy attitude to maintain in an area so dependent on tourism.

The other people we discovered were ourselves. Being away from our familiar environment forced us to stay loose, deal with unexpected events, open ourselves to new ways of thinking and brought a fresh perspective on our lives and each other. What's not to like about that?

All this is the real reason you have to get away periodically, recharge your batteries and rediscover your place in the world.

CREATING THE EFFORTLESS ORGANIZATION
The CEO Foundation Program
If you are ready to quiet your mind, relieve stress, restore balance in your life and discover how to tap your full potential, you owe it to yourself to take a look at the 2007 Foundation Program.

I am not going to beat you over the head with hard sell sales letters -- you get enough of that from others. The Foundation Program is totally different from any other educational opportunity you have ever attended, so it should be presented differently as well.

Rather than try to describe the program to you, I will just let past graduates tell you what attending this session has meant to them. Either you will be drawn to the results they describe or you won't. If you sense they may have discovered something that you would like to have for yourself, click here to find out more about the program. If not ... well, it is your life and your choice.

Hear what Phyllis Ann Marshall had to say about after attending the Foundation Program.

PS: Because I was gone for most of May, I have extended the $500 Early Registration Scholarship until June 15th. If you are thinking about attending this program -- and you should be -- now would be the time to register.

THE JUNE SURVEY
Technology has opened new possibilities for operators at all levels. POS systems, once considered an expensive indulgence, are now common. The Internet, cell phones, wi-fi, digital cameras ... all have (or can be) adapted to make restaurants more responsive to guests and easier to manage ... or do they?

This month we look at how operators are using technology in the interests of improving operations, service and profitability ... and how satisfied they are with it. As usual I will send a compilation of the responses to all who participate.

In the meantime, you can download copies of all past EHC surveys -- including the massive WOW Ideas collections.

Add your thoughts to the monthly survey.

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

I asked one of my servers to help me with an after dinner specialty coffee menu. I don't drink coffee so I was at a disadvantage and it was her idea in the first place. She gave me an hour after her shift (still on the clock but on time she would normally have given her family) and she had more ideas than I ever could have imagined.

We sorted through the ideas, combined it with my research and developed the menu. Far easier than either of us expected. The rest of the serving staff is now reviewing it and more ideas are coming in.

The value of being an independent is that you can move on a dime. Because of their involvement, they will make it successful. -- Bob Marr, The Buttermilk Café, Cobourg, ON

Somebody once asked me, "How can I make my staff feel like they are part of things?" I replied, "MAKE them part of things." Duh! I can't make you feel like you are part of it if you aren't. The wonderful thing about getting your crew into the decision-making process is that they will own the results. They get excited because they did it ... (and you get excited because you didn't!

Often the biggest lessons you learn from listening to your staff are insights about yourself and the unconscious judgements you make about others. Learning to listen to your staff -- and being intensely interested in what you hear -- will keep you grounded in reality.

Never doubt that the most critical -- and perhaps profitable -- management skill you can develop is your ability to truly listen.

So what did YOU learn from YOUR staff today?

I will continue to collect your answers to this important question ... and you can add comments as often as you want. Just click on the link above and contribute your insights for the common good (and your own as well!)

© 2007 Restaurant Doctor