I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that this week I picked up two books both of which were published in the 90's and both of which just 'blew me away.' I am embarrassed because as consultants, we are meant to be at the 'cutting edge' of business thinking, and here I am reading books that are nearly 10 years old. But, I am a firm believer that a truly good idea never really gets old. Both books provide wonderful lessons in excellence.
"I have always looked at it this way: If you strive like crazy for perfection - an all-out assault on total perfection - at the very least you will hit a high level of excellence, and then you might be able to sleep at night. To accomplish something truly significant, excellence has to become a life plan." Charlie Trotter. (Taken from the book: "Lessons in Excellence from Charlie Trotter;" by Paul Clarke; Ten Speed Press; 1999)
Clarke notes further that "At Charlie Trotter's every evening, as a matter of course, Trotter and staff speak with customers before they're seated, during dinner, and as they are leaving. They ask not just the conventional "Is everything OK with your meal?" but very specifically what needs to be changed and improved."
I have never had the pleasure of dining at Charlie Trotter and so intrigued, I visited their website. Apart from the standard plaudits stating that Charlie Trotter has "established new standards for fine dining," (which one would expect from someone who has a philosophy of striving for perfection,) what truly appealed was the inclusion of their Guest Satisfaction Survey. Three questions in particular stood out - "How would you rate the rest of the service staff? Do you plan to join us again and if not why? How could we have improved your experience?"
It appears that almost 10 years on, Charlie Trotter and his team are still asking their customers more than the conventional questions.
The second book was "The Power of Alignment - How great companies stay centred and accomplish extraordinary things" by George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky (John Wiley & Sons; 1997). I recently reviewed this book on Amazon and believe that it is as relevant today as it was when first published. But I raise it here because it supports the practice so ably executed by Charlie Trotter. For example, in discussing how companies can be "horizontally aligned" (i.e., alignment between customers and processes), the authors suggest that there are a number of opportunities where companies can delight their customers. Opportunities, they argue, occur in three phases of the customer relationship, namely before you deliver, during the delivery, and after delivery.
Speaking and listening to your customers is one of the fundamental tasks of any leader and company that wants to execute with excellence. When you read of how 10 years ago, Charlie Trotter and his staff religiously spoke with their customers before, during and after their meal and then you see that, 10 years later, they are still asking their customers how they can improve and how they can make their dining experience more pleasant, you realize that execution excellence is a lifetime plan.
The last word from Charlie Trotter: I enjoy the poetry of action and leadership and running a restaurant. You have to be critical of what you do every day, to analyze it and be willing to push it further."
ian
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