There’s a Steakhouse in Downtown Dallas where you can get a really good steak. This in itself is not suprising. The USA is renowned for creating good steak dinners and Texas has to be up there amongst the best of them. So why mention one good steakhouse out of so many? Well, apart from the steak being Buffalo and not Beef, this story is not about the steak at all. It is about something far more important – the customer.
The initial customer experience is much like any other really good restaurant, with attentive staff, comfortable decor, clean table and cutlery. However the servers absolutely ooze confidence and are really happy in their work.
When asked what the attraction of the job is, the reply from my server was, “I don’t have any worries about the food and that leaves me to focus on other things that are really important to my customers”. The food is of extremely high quality with the best ingredients and a consistent process of preparation. The servers will describe each dish with pride and personal ownership which immediately gives customers confidence in the product.
But there is still something more that is different here. I can think of a number of restaurants with good food and proud servers. No, just watching the whole team bustling confidently around the tables and then the manager quietly visiting each table to enquire how everything is but really knowing what the answer will be.
The difference is about where each individual member of the team has chosen to position themselves. They are part of the process and they are experiencing the process as much as the customers are. The are creating the experience. In other restaurants with the good food etc. there is often just something else needed and this is probably about the team members being passengers.
A passenger focuses on the procedure and sets out to fulfill it. They communicate with customers because they are supposed to and will use the same technique will each one. A creator will set out to cause the situation and will respond to the individual personality of each customer, therefore creating a unique experience for each person.
So look at yourself in your job. Are you a passenger or a creator?
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