Mike from Simplenomics gets the waitress from…
Mike Sigers over on Simplenomics asks the question, “Can A Restaurant Hostess Cause Bankruptcy?” He goes on to explain with a story of a front-liner from hell who could be any front-liner in any business.
Front-liners are those people we put out there between the world and our business. They’re the sales associates, counter jockeys, cash-wrap-riders, salespeople. They’re the smiling clerk who sells you coffee at your Quickee Mart of choice. They’re the sullen high-school emo kid at McDonalds who never look at you when they take your order. Front-liners are our interface with the places we do business. As employers, they’re the folks we hope will represent us with the same level of enthusiasm, excitement, and positive attitude that we think we bring to the table. Or at least that we hope we bring to the table.
The example Mike gives is a nightmare. She really doesn’t do very much right in his example. And she’s the company’s front line. She’s their representative to the world. Is it her fault for being erm… less than wonderful? Is it the fault of her training? Was she maybe never properly trained? Is it the fault of the manager who is obviously not in touch with how she is doing things. Where did the break-down happen? That’s important. It’s not enough to notice that she’s doing something wrong.
The important part is to figure out WHY she’s doing something wrong and figure out a way to convince her that it’s in her best interest to do it right in the future. Any idiot can fire problems, and she is, right now, a problem for that business. But a real manager can identify where the problem came from, where the breakdown happened. The grinding noise of bad brakes isn’t the problem. That’s the symptom. Turning up the radio doesn’t fix the problem. It just hides it. Firing her won’t fix the problem if the problem is the trainer or the manager or the co-workers who hide and leave her to do all their work.
So, can a hostess cause bankruptcy? Sure she can. But it won’t be her fault by itself. Go read the original article. Then, if you feel like posting, nag him to figure out where the podcast is he was talking about. I want to hear the rest of the nightmarish meal. I’ve got a morbid fascination with the train-wreck now.
