I recently received a generous gift card to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. I figured what better place to take my special girl for Valentine’s Day than to a great steak house for a nice romantic meal. I was totally impressed with the entire experience. It started when I went to the website – it was an excellent layout and easy to follow. Then I received a confirmation email that made me feel like they were looking forward to our visit.
The hostess and waiters (Scott and Brad) were extremely polite and professional. Jeanne ordered an appetizer and offered me a taste of her French onion soup with her spoon. Our waiter, who I did not think was near us, soon appeared with a spoon so I could share her soup – impressive service. When the party near us vacated their table I was impressed with the attention to detail as the waiters set the table. When our salads came the waiter placed our plates in exactly the same way so the cut tomatoes were in the same position in front of us, again incredible attention to detail!
Jeanne ordered Chicken Louisanne and I ordered a steak. When our waiter brought my steak out it was SIZZLING! The smell, the sight, the sound, and the taste were GREAT! I love their bread pudding (I’m convinced their bread pudding will be in heaven) but I was too full to eat it so our waiter got us an order to go. As we left the restaurant they had a bowl of mints by the hostess station. As we unwrapped our mints we discovered these were not the cheap ones – these were the good buttery ones. Again, they demonstrated attention to detail in the seemingly little things. From start to finish it was a great experience.
As I reflected on our visit I thought of the church – what type of experience do we provide for our guests? What can we learn from our visit to Ruth’s Chris for our church experience? From our website to the benediction is it an experience where people have a genuine encounter with God? Do we pay attention to the little but important details that yield big results?
February 16, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Rick,Colin Powell agrees with you…check out #5:In his grip,SlickColin Powell’s principles of leadership described in the book include the following:1. Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off. 2. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership. 3. Don’t be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world. 4. Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard. 5. Never neglect details. When everyone’s mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant. 6. You don’t know what you can get away with until you try. 7. Keep looking below surface appearances. Don’t shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find. 8. Organization doesn’t really accomplish anything. Plans don’t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don’t much matter. Endeavors succeed or fall because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds. 9. Organization charts and fancy titles count for next to nothing. 10. Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it. 11. Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission. 12. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier. 13. Powell’s Rules for Picking People: Look for intelligence and judgment, and most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done. 14. Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate and doubt, to offer a solution everybody can understand. 15. Part I: Use the formula P=40 to 70, in which P stands for the probability of success and the numbers indicate the percentage of information acquired. Part II: “Once the information is in the 40 to 70 range, go with your gut. 16. The commander in the field is always right and the rear echelon is wrong, unless proved otherwise. 17. Have fun in your command. Don’t always run at a breakneck pace. Take leave when you’ve earned it: Spend time with your families. Corollary: surround yourself with people who take their work seriously, but not themselves, those who work hard and play hard. 18. Command is lonely.
February 15, 2011 at 11:23 pm