David & Goliath

(SUMMARY) David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

Underdogs, Misfits, and The Art of Battling Giants. The title truly summarizes "G-Well's" newest and highly anticipated book following his best sellers The Tipping Point and Outliers.

Embracing their handicaps, identifying their strengths and focusing on their desired outcomes are what the most successful people have done to triumph over their genetic/inherit disadvantage.

Now is the best time for a small business to compete with a big business. Create a product/service that you're truly passionate about, hone your skill to become the authority in that field, tell a purposeful story and broadcast to your network. Be committed to the niche market and they will spread your brand to their networks.

Don't worry about the old adage Location, Location, Location. If you have the right product/service your audience will find you. Be proud that you are small, nimble, resourceful, innovative, decisive and yet impactful. The current network revolution does not handicap small businesses, only your conviction does.

In hospitality, having the best leaders is your differentiating factor. Therefore attracting top talent, usually a shallow pool in every industry, is paramount.

Here is how:

1) They value a company that thinks differently, allows autonomy, embraces change and welcomes input. Your start-up can provide this environment.

2) An opportunity to help grow a business from ground up is more appealing than joining a behemoth that stays the same. Remember, a large company's strength is also its weakness.

Be the sling in your segment that slains the giant.

"Unexpected Delight"

A volunteer at Pantry at the Delancey who described pickled raisin jam as an "unexpected delight" truly summarized our two-day experience in Seattle. Passionate innovators providing a unique product with uplifting service seem to be Seattle's standard - it's the home of Starbucks, Nordstrom, Microsoft/Bill Gates, and the EMP Museum.

At Inn at the Market, driving hotel guests to their destination is part of a service that is usually reserved as a lovely surprise. Since they are a small hotel, the staff double as doormen, valet, bellmen, concierge, room service and driver. So when they have time, they will drive you in the hotel's new Range Rover instead of hailing you a cab.

Eating at Bar Sajor (part of the Dillan Restaurant Group) was a true delight. Aside from the unique attention paid to every detail in the room - from the extraordinary food and plating to an attentiveness to each individual table - servers bid you farewell by saying "thank you for joining us today, let me know when you want to return so we can take care of you!"

A passionate cab driver who has been driving for over 20-years shares with us a rich history of Seattle (home of the "graveyard shift" and "skid row") and some delightful stories, unexpectedly.  An Amtrak ticketing agent happily and patiently helped transfer weight from one luggage to another so they wouldn't exceed the 50 pound limit. Delightful!

When surprising your guest at every turn is part of the business model, being an unexpected delight is a noble goal.

The Lumineers

To round out our Portland trip, The Lumineers played at an old hockey arena downtown. Headlining to a crowd of six thousand, you quickly recognize after hearing the opening acts that the difference between good and great is clearly obvious.

Each "Lumineer" is wildly talented and capable of playing multiple instruments. They take turns in showcasing their unique skill and together they create an uplifting live show. "Whole is greater than the sum of its parts" is even more rewarding when every band member is highly and equally creative. They raise each other's talent by holding a high standard for the group and only accepting the best from each other.

What if a restaurant was composed of highly skilled and equally talented members on a team where the Sous Chef, Bar Manager, Sommelier and Dining Room Manager were cross-trained and could switch roles at any given time? They'd hold each other accountable to constantly raise their individual skill level and create a high-positive work environment.

Be grateful for people who spend money to experience your talent, reward them by providing the best product/service possible and exceed their expectation at every chance because you only have one opportunity to make an indelible impression.

Bravo The Lumineers, you've made me a fan.

Feast Portland

Portland is my kind of town, inviting and warm.  Friendly people on the streets who smile to say hello, outgoing staff in retail stores and hospitable servers in restaurants. They are proud of their town.

We're here for Feast Portland - a three day food festival celebrating west coast chefs, local food and Oregon wine country - sponsored by Bon Appetite Magazine.   We've enjoyed many events including Sandwich Invitational, Cookbook Social and High Comfort, where over 70 chefs from west coast and a few east coast - Andrew Carmellini, April Bloomfield, Stephanie Izard - created comfort food classics.

The Feast team was exceptional, well-organized, outgoing, passionate and omnipresent. Volunteers were always "full hands in, full hands out" by keeping the outdoor and indoor venues incredibly tidy at all times. Emily Crowley (Director of Feast Portland) was always visible, available and smiling.

We definitely have enjoyed the Feast Portland, thank you.

White & Black

A black face-towel hides the dirt when you wipe off make-up while a white apron exposes the smallest tomato sauce stain. What we don't see, we think we can get away with.

Polishing cutlery and glassware are normal tasks for servers, and are clearly visible to customers in the restaurant. A manager checks the set tables before and after service to measure their work.

What about small incidents that we don't notice repeated over time? For example when a customer is greeted with "no we're fully booked", a dirty menu, linen napkin that lints, or "not my department". Referred by Seth Godin as "little cuts", these are not emergencies so they are not brought to the attention of Managers but become the root cause of a business to fail.

Dig deeper than the surface, paying attention to the small details will separate your business.

"Love-of-the-Game" Clause

Michael Jordan was the only athlete who had it in his contract, it allowed him to play basketball whenever and where ever he wanted - exhibition games, scrimmages, or pick-up on any street corner. This was the highest paid athlete at the time who asked for the impossible. But for MJ, this was non-negotiable.

Doing things that are unpopular but committing to your "why" is what strengthens your brand and separates you from the competition. This focus will keep you jumping out of bed everyday, high-fiving the lampshade and running to work.

Litmus test every business decision with the "Love-of-the-Game" Clause and notice how you'll start to only work with clients (i.e. staff, customers, boss and yourself) that you really want to work with.

Now revise your contract with the new Clause.

The Trust Edge

(SUMMARY) The Trust Edge by David Horsager

To differentiate yourself from a crowded marketplace, building trust is your greatest competitive advantage. We know this to be true because when you breach trust, it will cost your company billions of dollars. Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Mario Batali-Joseph Bastianich and, most recently, Domino's Pizza are just some examples.

In David Horsager's book, the 8 pillars of trust - all are equally important - includes:
1) Clarity - being clear with your intentions and message
2) Compassion - put your customer's/client's needs before your own
3) Character - do what is right not what is easy
4) Competency - become an expert in a field by continual learning
5) Commitment - identify values/skills that are important to you and master them
6) Connection - magnetic traits include gratitude, humility and authenticity
7) Contribution - of course, you cannot build trust with your customer/client without desired results
8) Consistency - good or bad, be consistent

David uses Caribou Coffee as a company that exhibit all 8 pillars to build a strong brand - only #2 to Starbucks - and a loyal following. Caribou Coffee has a foundational acronym that drives their success, it is as follows:
B - Be excellent
A - Act with urgency
M - Make a connection
A - Anticipate needs

How can trust help grow your business?

Standing Out

A Senior Executive of a luxury hotel calls the last two hours of service the perception hours. This is when guests notice inconsistency or gaps in service. Staff members are usually reduced by this point, off the floor completing side duties, exhausted and frustrated while their managers have gone home. As a result guests receive less service, bathrooms are untidy, restaurant/hotel lobby are unruly, and in spite of the guest's condition (sober or drunk), this is their last impression (even subconsciously with drunks).

He stays to the very end to ensure that the last 10 meters of the race is won by checking all the service boxes. In turn, his team learns and is empowered to carry the baton next time.

Great philosophy sir!

L'Idiot

In Steve Martin's romantic comedy LA Story, a popular upscale restaurant determines where you are seated and the level of service based on your financial statement. When Martin's character Harris orders the duck dish, the maitre'd replies in a snobby french accent; "You cannot have zee duck, you can only have zee chicken!"

During Toronto's ten day International Film Festival, many restaurants and hotels put on their best faces by increasing staff and managers to impress guests and increase media impressions. As a big supporter of Toronto hospitality and TIFF, I indulge and celebrate their efforts.  The city really comes alive!

But why does all this effort and good intention stop when the festival is over and visitors leave?

Shouldn't providing hospitality excellence be consistent regardless of who you are and when it is?

Start thinking about building long-term relationships and stop focusing on short-term transactions.

P.S. Restaurants owners and staff who complain about Winterlicious/Summerlicious should stop participating or stay home, seriously.

Habit Series #3

Read intro to Habit #1 to understand concept and objective.

Habit #3: GOALS
The first thing they teach you in racing school when spinning out, focus on where you want to go NOT where you don't want to go. Similarly, surfers will teach you to point the surfboard in the direction where you want to head towards.

This is how setting daily goals work as well. In the morning, write down top three goals you want to achieve for the day, personal and professional. Throughout the day, cross them off as you accomplish. At night, review the list to see how you can do better.

Do this for 40 days in a row to create a habit. 

1st day of School

Not so much the institution I'm praising but the emotion of the first day, anticipating how you'll present yourself to friends/class mates, sharing summer stories, starting fresh and setting new expectations.

Though the extreme weather system no longer define the seasons, the school system remind us the quarters of an year; first day of school, Christmas holidays, spring break & summer holidays.

This would be a great benchmark to review your goals, coarse correct, and follow up. 

Some things I don't want to change and this is one of them.

Enjoy your first day.