I was recently listening to a leadership podcast while I was on a run and was struck by the conversation the guest and host were having about an experience the guest had at a restaurant. At this restaurant he asked for an fried egg to be added to the burger he ordered but the manager wouldn’t oblige. The manager had reasons for not providing the egg. They were running a special where lots of eggs were required but the guest couldn’t believe this $.33 egg was going to be a deal that kept him from spending $500.00 a month as a regular at this establishment. In fact, he went next door to Whole Foods who made him a specialty pizza with a fried egg just the way he wanted it to describe the kind of business we should be running as opposed to his experience at the restaurant. His point was very valid and his reasoning was sound. A $.33 egg should be something they could have provided and for a business it seems like a no brainer however, the solution or reasoning behind why this happened seemed to be a little simplistic to me.
The guests assumption was that the culture created in the restaurant was not conducive to doing the right thing by the customer. This may be true and for a leadership podcast I think what they were trying to convey is good but I also think understanding who we hire is especially important in being able to create the kinds of culture we want to create in our jobs and businesses.
If I had to guess the manager at the restaurant was behaviorally someone who like to get things right. She knew the number of eggs they had on hand, understood the demands a menu special creates and yet did her best to make the customers experience a good one even offering to pay his entire bill. Her attention to detail might even be one of the reasons she attained the managerial job she had but I don’t think her personality assessment would reveal a person who is people oriented. Most likely she was task oriented and detail oriented but not great at understanding people. Perhaps this person was not doing the right job for this restaurant. She may still be very valuable because of her attention to detail but a person who is more people oriented might be a better fit for the customer experience? Who we hire matters and understanding who we are when we look for work is also important when it comes to job satisfaction and our own happiness in our work. Do you know yourself?