Doing the things right or doing the right things?
I saw this question recently in a leadership discussion group that I follow. The conversation was that some thought it was most important to do things right otherwise your operations fall apart. The other side said that being flexible and doing right by the guest was most important. Otherwise you will lose their business. I think if you changed one word in the question and make it a statement, it fixes everything.
Do the things right and do the right thing.
Do the Things Right
It’s very important for us to do the things right. It’s the key to a consistent positive experience with our guests. Doing things right also keeps our costs down in labor, keeps us in line with laws in the work place and helps keep morale in the right direction. Don’t recover your store for a week and see what happens to guest experience, how your team feels and how inefficient you become. Not one piece of your business will be good if you fail to do things right. Doing the right things is very scripted. There is a plan in place (or policy) to keep us consistent.
Do the Right Thing
Doing the right thing is often unscripted. A team member must feel both empowered and be instilled with a sense of purpose in order to feel comfortable here. One of our leaders in Orlando is a great example of how this looks on a larger scale. His team donated a large amount of candles to a church so that they could host a candle light vigil in the city due to the recent tragedies there. Unscripted and unexpected? You bet. Jim felt empowered to step up and he knows our purpose. The decision was easy. Empower your team to own the guest experience and instill in them our purpose
Jim’s team did the right thing by helping the church. He also did things right by partnering with his corp team and area stores to get the product in correctly and efficiently. Changing the or to an and in the question makes all the difference.
Make a better tomorrow.
-ZH