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I worked up quite an appetite at the gym late this morning. Luckily there is a great little diner just 2 doors down in the same strip. I’ve always enjoyed great food and friendly service at the Sunrise Skillet, but today was a little different, as service was a tad slow. Honestly I was preoccupied perusing my smart phone and barely aware of the time. Eventually my waitress, Britt, came to my booth, empty handed, telling me that she was paying for my lunch because she forgot to put in the order.
It’s always nice when things go precisely as they should, but it’s not realistic to think that mistakes will never be made. What impresses me is the manner in which people deal with their mistakes. In this case Brittany owned her screw-up, she really felt bad about it, made no excuses, and was willing to dip into her pocket to make things right. Brittany earned my loyalty for life. No way was I going to let her buy my lunch. After a little back and forth over who’s paying, she reluctantly took my credit card.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all businesses had the same integrity and work ethic as this age 20-something waitress?
Amen brother! What a delightedly person she must be!
In this day and age when no one takes responsibility for anything they do and it seems everyone is a victim, people like Brittany are a true breath of fresh air!
My wife and I rarely eat out anymore since the service is so spotty and the food, even at better restaurants, is never guaranteed to even be hot, forget good!
Luckily for us, my wife is truly a fantastic cook and I am known as “The Breakfast Food King,” and “The Blackstone Grill Master!”
What makes the Blackstone different from a regular grill? Why do you prefer it?
The Blackstone Grill Master! Sounds intriguing, I may show up at your door for Sunday brunch!
We had an experience with Sherman Williams years ago. We were having professional painters paint the third story turret of our Victorian house a color that matched the light grey which was on the house when we bought it. As it was a large house with attached family room, garage, and a large shed, I was planning to paint the rest of the house and buildings over several years.
Anyways we had tried several small samples of colors on the house to see what was the closest match. We then went back to Sherman Williams and obtained 10 gallons of the paint. The painters were told that the color was a close match to what was present.
We had already planned a week long vacation with our children before the painters were able to get us in on their schedule so we decided to continue with our plans.
We were aghast when we returned to a pea green section of the house. We brought this up with Sherman Williams and they discovered the person that tinted the paint did not do it manually rather than the new computer system. They said they couldn’t pay to have the house repainted but arranged with the painter for a credit in the cost of repainting our house.
They admitted they screwed up and made it right and over the next 2+ decades continued to have our business as we redid the entire house.
As to why the painters continued to paint the horrendous green color when we told them it was to match the light grey 🤷♂️
I felt funny reading this post. I have had generally good experiences with the integrity of people. It seems that as soon as these same kinds of people get into some kind of organization, collectively the integrity disappears. Just previous to looking at HD I viewed this YouTube video:
https://youtu.be/SC2eSujzrUY?si=BQOInGjpU_YnEFYd.
“How One Company Secretly Poisoned The Planet” It is the story of Teflon and DuPont.
Thanks for this, Dan. I agree 100% that it’s not the lack of mistakes but how you handle them that’s key.
Jonathan mentioned a bad experience with a couple of workers during his bathroom project who denied responsibilty for a screw up that was clearly theirs. Not long ago we did a complete kitchen remodel and were fortunate to have an opposite experience.
Our general contractor was so honest that he would point out little mistakes that we likely would never have noticed, take full responsibility, and then fix them. He earned our never-ending respect.
This was a great story, Dan, thanks for sharing with us. Chris
It’s tough to live or work in an environment where perfection is expected, and a joy to be among people who recognize that perfection is impossible. I hope we all follow both Brittany’s example, and yours, as we interact with others today.
Great story Dan. don’t expect perfection from anyone – Lord knows I fall far from that perch. I admire Britt’s honesty and would love to dine at her establishment.
I worked decades in an environment that required a DOD security clearance. I learned very early that everyone makes mistakes occasionally. The best thing to do was to immediately self-report to the security team. They were always professional and tried to help resolve any outstanding issues. If you tried to hide the issue, that’s when it got dicey. I mentored every new hire I could to immediately self-report the inevitable violation. It kept your record, and your conscience, clear. It’s the cover-up that always gets you.
I couldn’t agree more Rick. As a junior officer in the military, I made several embarrassing mistakes and found the best way to handle it was to immediately inform the boss, take responsibility, and also provide a solution to the problem.
I remember learning a lesson as a junior officer that I still believe to be true:
Bad news doesn’t get better with age.
+ 1
I was legal counsel. When sometimes an employee told me about a mistake and my approach was to help him working out a solution but telling him to inform his boss asap and to tell boss that he already is working with Legal on a solution.
Same when I made a mistake….
Win-win. You know she took responsibility, she gets your loyalty. Bet she prioritises your order next time.
In contrast what if you’d been passing through and in a rush but super hungry? Hard to know how we react in all circumstances but could be lose-lose. We can all try to be more zen.
Owning your mistakes is far superior to the alternative — trying to dodge responsibility or even blame it on others. Either royally irritates me. When we had our bathroom recently remodeled, the two installers of the glass shower enclosure left us a note on a piece of paper towel. Problem is, they wrote the note using a Sharpie, and part of the message ended up imprinted on the new countertop. Elaine did a little internet research and was able to get it off with hairspray. But meanwhile, the installers disclaimed all responsibility, even though it was obvious what had happened. It’s rare that two grown men have looked more pathetic.
Hairspray to remove a Sharpie stain? What a surprising and economical tip. Thanks to both of you.