On the Front Lines of Service

Step Away From the Hostess Stand-The best host/hostesses I ever worked with were those that made it a point to step away from their desk to greet and interact with a guest. There is nothing more unpleasant for a guest than feeling they are interrupting the host while he stares at his secret floor plan or pretends to be writing down some important notes. 

Five Things to Do At The Front Desk: If you can't 86 your hostess desk completely then consider the following:   

• Have staff stand in front of the stand instead of behind. Make their station out front.
• Encourage staff to "step into" the guest as they enter-----that is--move toward the guest/party instead of having the guest come to them.
• Encourage the following: Hold doors open-make eye contact with all members of the party as they are welcomed-interact first with any children-and if they don't know the guest ask if it's their first visit.
• Minimize or eliminate any paperwork that is done at the stand during prime time.     
• Eliminate "leaners"--believe it or not the hostess stand will stand up all by itself. 

Manager as Leader-Taking the Lead During Orientation--One of the things we can do to help our managers develop into effective leaders is to have them focus on the importance of the orientation process. It is at this juncture that the manager has an opportunity to take the lead as it relates to what's important about working in that particular operation and for that particular manager/leader.

Orientation is not about handing out a book of policies and giving a person a tour of their workstation----it's about setting the standards, the tone, the focus of what it means to work in that store. It gives the manager an opportunity to act like a leader by telling the new associate their philosophy of success, their expectations and what's important to them as they develop and mentor those that will work for them.  

Consider, as the leader, sitting down with each new associate, one-on-one, and talking about your philosophy and the values of the company or organization. Then follow-up with another sit down in two to three weeks to check in on progress and re-enforce your personal concern for the new associate's progress and comfort level.  

Click www.ronyudd.com/popn040106htm to read about the 50 Free Speeches on Mentoring offer I am willing to deliver at any conference, to any audience or to any company that is serious about implementing a real life mentoring program. 

This month we continue to explore a tool we use called the Menu Gauntlet. It's a ten step checklist that we advise clients to put every new item through that they intend to add to their menus. The thought here is that if the item survives the ten steps along the menu gauntlet it will be strong enough to be placed on the menu and be a genuine contributor to the profitability of the operation. This month step five and six of the menu gauntlet:

Review previous steps in the last two newsletters: http://www.ronyudd.com/resources.shtml 

• Step Five-Ability to Produce-Can the item be produced by our staff in prime time conditions to the level of quality the we demand for our guests? Do we need some new training, a refresher, different equipment etc?    
• Step Six-Ability to Control-Can we control the raw ingredients during production and finishing? Have we put in place the needed controls that will deliver the margin we expect and have calculated? 

Next Month-Steps Seven and Eight of the Menu Gauntlet.

Sponsor Alert-The Leadership Cares Golf Classic will be held on August 2nd 2004. We are looking for sponsors that can get involved and help support our three outreach programs. We have many opportunities available. If you're a golfer or just enjoy great food and great networking we hope you can join us for this annual event: Click: www.ronyudd.com/golf_2004.htm

We will be having a Leadership Cares get together on June 14th in Washington D.C. We will be brainstorming a strategic plan for growing our programs. We would love to have you join us for this fun event. Yes---there will be great food. If you are passionate about helping young people drop us an email for details at: ron@leadershipcares.org

Are You Consistent in the Way You Deliver Your Personal Brand? Your personal brand is about you and how you are perceived by those you serve and work with each and every day. Your personal brand helps you stand out from others. This month--the importance of consistently communicating your strengths, authenticity and identity. For a moment ask yourself about how consistently you are delivering the message of you. 

• Are your actions aligned with who you are and what you are trying to project?
• If your employees or guests were asked to describe you in one word would they give one answer or 37?
• Do the people you interact with come away with a positive feeling or are they glad the encounter is over? 
• What specifically about yourself do you think you're projecting when interacting with others? 
• And the real measure---are you consistently genuine (being yourself) when you interact will others?