Sunday, August 9, 2009

Tip Off Your Staff About Shortcomings

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.

No comments:

Post a Comment