Do you want your staff to correct shortcomings? Then let them know you do care about your standards.That point came to mind with a story told to me by Lou Rosenberg, a niche retailer now retired after a successful career in New York City. Lou owned a shop on Madison Avenue in Manhattan that created custom handbags for clientele that included, along with many others, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Barbra Streisand:
"One evening a number of years ago, my wife Flora, my two daughters and I went for dinner at a nice restaurant. After our dinners were placed on the table, I asked the waiter for water for all of us. The water didn't come. I called the waiter over and asked again. He said he'd bring us water, but he didn't. I noticed that at other tables, customers were being served their wine and liquor, but for us, no water. So when I paid the bill and prepared to leave, I took out of my pocket two pennies and put those on the table. My daughters were shocked. 'Daddy,' they said, 'why are you leaving two pennies there?' I told them, 'I don't want the waiter to think I forgot the tip. I want him to know that is the tip.'"
The two pennies were a message to the waiter. Would the waiter understand? Maybe not that one time, but if it happened a few times, my guess is that yes, the waiter would understand. Was the criticism given in a confrontational way? No, and avoiding confrontation should be a guide in correcting the shortcomings of your staff.
There's much more to a manager talking to an employee than a patron leaving a tip for a waiter. But the importance of starting with recognizable feedback is the same.
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