January 2008 | Vol. #5

Best Wishes for a New Year

A warm welcome to you!

Benjamin Franklin once said, "Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every New Year find you a better man." Franklin not only shares a wish for a new year but he also captures the essence of human growth. In the hectic nature of our lives, we frequently overlook the importance of consciously striving to be as my father once said "a better person than I was yesterday but not yet the person I hope to be." May this year be marked by great interpersonal growth!

The Three Simple Steps of Service

One of my great growth moments recently occurred in Atlanta, Georgia when I spent four hours in the presence of Horst Schulze, co-founder of the modern day Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. Horst has dedicated his life to elevating service to a professional level and championing that service should never be confused with servitude.

Specifically, Horst shared the origins of the motto of The Ritz-Carlton (We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen) by noting that he left his hometown at age 13 to live and apprentice as a busboy at an upscale German hotel. During the train ride to the hotel, his mother warned him that he would be serving "ladies and gentlemen" and they were important people. She reminded him that he was of a class that could never stay at the hotel where he would work. This message of inferiority was echoed by the hotel manager who advised Horst that he would have to fight against the jealousy he would develop toward those he served.

But the young Horst Schulze noticed that service excellence transcends class barriers. Horst realized that the Lady and Gentleman guests of the hotel all wanted the maître'd to visit their table. The maître'd, who came from the same background as Horst, had elevated his social status by a passionate commitment to service excellence. This excellence was reflected in the way that the maître'd treated guests and colleagues, his impeccable presentation, his command of multiple languages, and his knowledge of wines and items on the menu. Horst's observation of the maître'd led him to craft a statement that now serves as the motto of The Ritz-Carlton - "We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen."

What is your passion for service professionalism? What can you do to elevate the way you serve family, friends and customers? Allow me to offer a simple template which, if applied consistently, helps us all to be more effective servant leaders. This template is referred to as the three steps of service and involves:

1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the person's name.

2. Anticipation and fulfillment of each person's need.

3. Fond Farewell. Give a warm good-bye and use the person's name.

Ok, I didn't say it was rocket science, but think about it. How often do we seek our children out when we come home and give them a warm and sincere greeting? How often are we served by a business but then forgotten long before a fond farewell? Just a thought for your growth in 2008!

Resources

The Podcast

The FREE 3 to 5 minute weekly podcast The Starbucks Experience is available streaming online or available for download at

http://www.josephmichelli.com/publications.podcasts.html

The Book

Although the new Ritz-Carlton book entitled The New Gold Standard will not be released by McGraw-Hill until the summer of 2008, it can be pre-ordered:

The New Gold Standard 5 Principles for Creating a Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

Thanks for reading/listening and for all your support. I'll visit your email box again soon!

Lest I forget . . . I offer a fond farewell.

Joseph