Employee Engagement, Athletic Attitude, and Breakfast Sandwiches
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 by Frank RocheBREAKFAST SANDWICHES
“I gotcha.”
Those words started my day today. When I go to Cosi, which is a premium convenience restaurant, I’m happy.
“I gotcha” is what the man who makes the breakfast sandwiches says when I walk in. I’ve been going there for a while, and he remembers that I like — egg and swiss on a toasted sesame seed bagel. I know that might not seem like a lot, but this is at a restaurant in a major city with hundreds — if not thousands — of people streaming through daily. I’m just one of the huddled masses. But not there. I feel welcome.
I’m sure that guy doesn’t get paid any more money for saying “I gotcha” than if he just ignored me for five minutes like what happens at a lot of big city convenience restaurants. (That includes Starbucks, by the way, which used to be more personal, but is now more about running people through the line.) So what makes him say, “I gotcha”?
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Engagement. (Yes, I think that word is stupid, but it’s shorthand and you all know what I’m talking about.) They guy cares about his job. My guess is that he’s earning an hourly wage, which in this service economy era with horrible customer service, it’s a rarity. But not at my Cosi. Several people there pay attention. I drink decaffeinated coffee — a little room for cream, please — and I get it every time. Same with the egg bagel. Every time.
I won’t go anywhere else.
What would it take to get employee engagement like that at your shop? Here’s my take: We hire too much based on resume and academic credentials. But I tell you, as a small business owner, I’d rather have one person who cares than 10 people who have great paperwork and an I-don’t-care attitude.
ATHLETIC ATTITUDE
Would you ever take a chance on a guy who says “I gotcha” to do a professional job? I know that’s tough, but would you? Would you ever consider that you can teach technical skills, but you can never teach desire? In sports it’s a known issue: Get good athletes with a great work ethic and you can teach them the subtle skills. Get a great athlete with a bad attitude and what do you end up with? Nothing but problems.
I don’t think you can “make” lackadaisical employees be more engaged. Sure, you can do things to get people to be more motivated to work for the organization. You can set up teams and get people to cooperate. But it’s a bit hollow to take bad and disaffected talent and think that you can make them “engaged.” Give me a team full of “I gotcha” people and I’ll make a winner.
I GOTCHA
Think about the best team you were ever on. What was it that made it that way? Was it because you got paid the most? Was it because you had the resources? Was it about how the team was structured? Or was it because you worked among a group of people who had desire and talent? People who you could count on every morning to say, “I gotcha.”
John Windsor
Aug 28th, 2007
Awesome post, Frank! It’s a pleasure to read your writing.
Frank Roche
Aug 28th, 2007
John, thanks so much…it was an enjoyable experience this morning and top of mind as I wrote this post. funny how it works, isn’t it? Sometimes better writing comes out quickly rather than with a lot of thought
rick
Aug 28th, 2007
You have a lot of intriguing and thought provoking ideas. Clearly in 25 years working in various professional service firms, it is the motivated and caring employees that are the best. I agree that we rarely hire on that basis and virtually never as a primary criteria with the idea of training on the technical competencies.
While you cannot teach people to care about their work, the work environment can destroy an employee’s motivation.
Frank Roche
Aug 28th, 2007
Rick, I’m going to do a follow up article about this tomorrow…I still have some to say about the topic. I agree that we rarely hire for that trait. You can’t teach coachability and desire…maybe there’s a business scouting model out there…wanna start a new business?
albert
Aug 29th, 2007
oh man do i love being a regular and having the people at places i frequent often know me. down in DC, where i went to school and drank many a drink, i was a regular at a bar on M Street and when i walked in, the bartender would start pulling a Guinness without a word. it was the best.
Frank Roche
Aug 29th, 2007
Albert, it’s part of being in the club…it’s a great feeling, whether at a pub or at Cosi. It makes me loyal to the place, which is what all the “engagement” mumbo-jumbo is supposed to result in — business success. I can imagine that it would be easy to blow me off, instead that one guy does it right…and it matters to me.
Chuck
Oct 10th, 2007
i just want to thank you for the nice comments you said about the cosi rittenhouse squad. i have been commuting five days a week from new jersey for over a year now just to be a part of our great team, and it’s nice to know it doesn’t go unnoticed. i also agree with your logic pertaining to the “i gotcha” attitude compared to the resume. Someday, when i own my own restaurant, there is no doubt that i will be hiring a bunch of “i gotchas”
Frank Roche
Oct 10th, 2007
Chuck, that’s great leadership too, that you’ve got going. It’s hiring right and showing the way. There’s definitely something going right with your shop, and I can notice it even when new people come on (the reality in retail). Good leadership combined with good hiring and some expectations sprinkled in and you get it. I’m a happy customer of Cosi Rittenhouse, and it’s more than the very good food. It’s about the people. Congrats on that.