The Hardest Thing to Learn to do in Business

This one is hard.  Really hard.  In fact, this may be the single hardest thing to in business, and in many ways in life.  The concept is certainly one I struggle with every day on both a small and large scale.  It is a natural tendency to want to run from your problems.  Or, if not run from, at least ignore and hope they will go away on their own.  As we all know, problems rarely disappear on their own.  What we need to do is embrace our problems and figure out how to actually run towards them.  Taking this mindset allows us to take control back, and to start making real progress.

I heard the quote this week from Brandon Steiner on the #askgaryvee show.  Brandon Steiner is a sports marketer, speaker and author.  He told a fantastic story about a time early in his career that he bounced a check written to Yankee legend Phil Rizzuto.  “The Scooter” was rightfully pissed.  But, Brandon didn’t hide in embarrassment, instead he went on offense.  He spent the next 3 years doing nice things for Phil.  He found him business opportunities, he introduced him to others who could help him, he sent him presents.  He always went above and beyond to find ways to make up for the time he screwed up.  Cut to 1994 when Phil was inducted into the baseball hall fame and needed and agent.  Who do you think he called?  You got it, Brandon Steiner.  You can watch or listen to the episode on either of these links https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqPPuhBMMGM or https://soundcloud.com/garyvee/askgaryvee-261-brandon-steiner

Obviously, there are big problems, crises and emergencies that arise in business and in life that leave us no choice other than to confront them head on.  In some ways, these are the easy ones.  When the fire is raging, there is little choice other than to put it out.  The sneakier problems, are the ones that can be avoided if we choose.  A good example that managers encounter and often avoid is the difficult conversation.  It doesn’t really matter what the conversation needs to be about.  What matters is that it is easy to avoid this conversation because it is uncomfortable.  Whether this conversation is about the behavior of a problem employee, the performance of an average employee or the attitude of a once exemplary employee, all of these conversations are unpleasant.  No manager really wants to have these conversations, and it is far too easy to avoid them.  But, this is precisely where we need to force ourselves to run to the problem.   Handling any of these situations head on is the job of an effective manager.  In fact, the thing you find yourself avoiding is probably the thing you most need to do.

As restaurant managers, I know you have all had experience trying to win back unhappy guests.  Doing this is not always easy, and is often unpleasant.  But, I am sure you have all had experiences where you succeeded, and the guest has gone on to become a great friend and regular.  There is really not much better than when it works out like this.  At the same time, I am sure you can all recall situations where you let a server or a host deal with a situation instead of you.  You know, the dreaded, “just buy them dessert.”  We need to do our best to avoid this at all costs.

As we have talked about in other posts, own your mistakes.  We all make them.  Don’t hide from them, run towards them and do your best to make them right.  There are also going to be times where you need to disappoint someone.  Maybe you can’t deliver on something you had promised.  Maybe you can’t deliver on something you would really like to.  Either situation is best faced head on with proactive honesty.

The same dynamic plays out in all types of relationships.  It is no different in a marriage, or a family, or with kids.  Figuring out how to run towards your problems is a game changer.  Lastly, I know you have all felt that feeling of relief after you have finally done something you really didn’t want to do.  Sometimes it is hard to believe that you had agonized and stressed over something for 2 weeks or 2 months and then you just handled it in 10 minutes.  It feels good to get those problems handled.  Learn to run to them, and your stress level can plummet.  This week, try to tackle something every day that you have been avoiding.  Find the things on your to do list that you have been avoiding and do these first.   Have a needed sit down with one of your team members.  Do you owe an apology to a friend or family member?  Make the call and say you’re sorry.  This week, run to towards your problems and feel your power.  Have a great week!