Enlightened Hospitality

Bill’s TAKE-AWAYS from 

Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business

by  Danny Meyer, HarperCollins Publishers, 2006   Read in May 2011

                  

I’m not a restaurateur but Danny Meyer writes in such a way that it’s easy to see his business principles.  I’m grateful when writers do this. I’m always eager to learn about things I haven’t a clue about. Danny makes it easy.  What follows is not a compilation of my full notes but some of my actionable Take-Aways from his book.     See his Company!

1. “Hospitality is the foundation of my business philosophy.  Virtually nothing else is as important as how one is made to feel in any business transaction. Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side.  The converse is just as true.  Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you.  Those two simple prepositions for and to – expresses it all.” From page 11.

“Hospitality is how the delivery of that product makes its recipient feel.  Service is monologue – we decide how we want to do things and set our standards for service.   Hospitality, on the other hand, is a dialogue.  To be on a guest’s side requires listening to that person with every sense, and following up with a thoughtful, gracious, appropriate response.  It takes both great service and great hospitality to rise to the top.” From page 6

As I read this I heard Seth Godin in the background.  It’s brilliant but often overlooked. No matter what it is we are bringing to the table: selling a product or providing a service or training, Meyer’s point holds true.  I’ve learned to keep the end in mind before I start out (see the orchard in the apple).  As Meyer conveys his adventure and core values, this is clearly articulated.  It all depends on what we want to do with those who hear us/receive from us.

Though hospitality is not what drives my company, I see Meyer’s foundation very applicable.   As I meet with clients, am I presenting something for them or to them? Do they believe I am on their side? What can I do in my next meeting to change that to be so?  Maybe we’ll both be able to walk away from that meeting with buy-in that can boldly and encouragingly get us both where we want to be.

2.        Along those same lines, Meyer writes toward the end of his book, in his  Virtuous Cycle of Enlightened Hospitality pages 237-238 regarding valuing his employees and asking the question

“in that transaction, did I present myself as an agent or a gatekeeper?  An agent makes things happen for others whereas a gatekeeper sets up barriers to keep people out.”

Am I taking the time to evaluate, asking myself this same question?  If I can be perceived as my colleagues/clients agent, then not only can our working relationship soar, but so can the work….what they want me to do for them and what I have a passion to do and see done.

3.       “Know Thyself: Before you go to market, know what you are selling and to whom.  It’s a very rare business that can (or should) be all things to all people.  Be the best you can be within a reasonably tight product of focus.  That will help you to improve yourself and help your customers to know how and when to buy your product.”  From page 12

I’ve witnessed so many people, including myself, give lectures or lead meetings where this did not do occur!  Knowing what we have to offer and to whom it can be useful coupled with knowing our clients (who they are and are not) can lead to ever increasing effectiveness.

4.       “Develop 100% employees whose skills are divided between 51-49 between emotional hospitality and technical excellence.”   A 51%er is an employee which has 5 Core Emotional Skills:

1.       Optimistic warmth (genuine kindness, thoughtfulness, and a sense that the glass is always at least half full)

2.       Intelligence (not just ‘smarts’ but rather an insatiable curiosity to learn for the sake of learning)

3.       Work ethic (a natural tendency to do something as well as it can possibly be done)

4.       Empathy (an awareness of, care for, and connection to how others feel and how your actions make others feel)

5.       Self-awareness and integrity (an understanding of what makes you tick and a natural inclination to be accountable for doing the right thing with honesty and superb judgment) From page 143 

I hear Jim Collins’s Good to Great framework of hiring the right people as I read this.  Starting with the right kind of people, as Meyer articulates, is essential. People can acquire skills but their sense of ethics, respect for others and character is what they bring to the table prior to taking a job.   These are the people I need to be seeking for.  These are the people I want to work with.

There’s lots more from Danny Meyer from his story.  It is an excellent read and inspiring.  I’ll pass my copy on to the first who asks … spread the good around a bit!