One of my favorite shows is “Restaurant Impossible” with Robert Irvine. More and more I realize that the show’s success and the reason I enjoy it is the simple message he beats like a drum- The only way is forward.
Why is this so important? In the restaurant business, you cannot rest on your laurels. People gotta eat every day and a restaurant’s reputation is on the line every day. From a service perspective, this is true for every business– every single day.
The people who own these restaurants almost invariably have failed to take a simple, fresh perspective. Would you eat here? Can you see that you’re making money? (Symptom: you have more cash this month than last month) and do you enjoy working here? Are you proud to work here? Are you willing to confront employees with bad attitudes who are a drag on your productive staff? If not, how do imagine these prolems will go away?
They bring Irvine and his team in and a miracle happens-they confront their underlying issues, do some redesign and voila–a cool looking workplace and people who can solve problems, calculate their bottom line. They are restored to reality.
The only way is forward. Like sharks, businesses move forward or they die. Praise quickly. Forgive easily. Punish fairly. Decide, when necessary. Then come to work tomorrow and make your reputation all over again.
Pen & Inc Communications 