When The Boss Is Gone…

The names in this blog have been changed to avoid calling anyone out!  🙂 My wife and I are creatures of habit when it comes to lunch.  We like to go to the same couple of places in in town.  So often, the people that work there know our order.  This is really true of a specific fast food burger joint in Coshocton. They do a tremendous job and know “just how we like it.”  As I walk to the counter, the lady will greet me with a grin and say, “Your usual?”  They do a great job of making us feel special each time we go in. My wife often orders something similar too.  Her “regular” order comes in a box and is available only with regular fries.  When this option first came out, Amy asked if she could switch it out for curly fries…but the team there was not allowed.  This particular meal only came with regular fries.  Ok. But here’s the cool thing.  Often, the ladies will deliver the meal with a “surprise” for my wife.  They will sneak in the curly fries, “just for her.”  It not only makes her happy, but it inevitably makes her feel special too.  And what did that cost?  Exactly nothing. Recently though, they brought out her meal with an apology.  “Sorry.  We had to bring the regular fries.  The boss is here.” Now THAT is funny.  So the employees, who are rock stars, when left to their own device are willing to go above and beyond to delight the customer.  But when the boss is in town, they have to stop.  That is SO interesting to me. How many of us are doing that to our employees?  As leaders, we sometimes set up policies and procedures to ensure that the lowest common denominator doesn’t ruin the guest experience.  But how many times are those rules keeping your rock stars from improving it? Just some “food” for thought. If you want to make sure you never miss an update, make sure to sign up for our VIP newsletter here!  Oh…and if you just want to shop for some sweet promo, click here.