On the eateries we run
When people come to you for help, what do they usually want help with? More importantly, how to be situationally prepared, present and available?
I am interested in both questions above: I regularly ask the first question to people that I want to know better. The second question is a deliberate practice that I wrote up in this post. A five minute read. Or seven, if you’re a slow reader.
I have two extensions of my living room in my Berlin ‘hood. One of them is Bar Milano. Hands down the best place to have Negronis and aperitivi. A couple of years ago, they started doing this thing that was so mind-blowingly simple, it has held the bar (pun intended) for all upcoming places I’m about to patron.
This act inspired how I model my attention-and-energy level with my work relationships for that sweet spot of healthy balance.
The act? Bar Milano permanently reserved a few tables every night for their Stammkunden or loyal customers.
I know I can walk in any night, and get a place. I earned that privilege by showing up most weeks, becoming a regular, taking an interest in what they do outside of Bar Milano, noticing when someone got a haircut or new hair colour. There in dark winter nights, sitting outside on balmy summer nights. Squeezed at the bar corner on busy nights, spread over a cozy table with friends. There is always space for me. And for you, when you’re with me.
Practice #1. Know your Stammkunden or loyal customers. That enticing table on the corner with the Reserved plaque, that Walk-Ins enviously eye as they walk in. So who always has a table with their name on it? This is different for everyone. For me, in my current position, this is my manager, and everyone in the Experience team that I lead.
My manager has a habit of switching off in the late afternoons and then returning online later at night. Learning this, I scan via responding to her later-in-the-evening emails within minutes of receiving it. If she responds within minutes, then I would engage further.
I have a free table for you. Or would you prefer a seat at the bar?
We worked out our signalling and would switch channels from emails to Teams chat to talk urgent topics without uttering the words “urgent” or “important”. I heard your signal cut across the noise and I’m on my way.
Like how Rubber ducking is our late evening analogous ritual to “last call before the kitchen closes”. I wait patiently as she thinks out loud and makes decisions.
Same with the people on the team whose happiness and well-being, productivity and growth I’m responsible for. They know they can walk in and get a table. Or a seat the bar. For as long or as brief as they want. Depending on what they need.
One of the nicest things a team member told me recently was, “We know you will drop everything to come to our aid. We know you got our backs. The other teams don’t have this with their managers, and I feel sad for them.” Leaders, managers, don’t drop the ball and be there for your people!
Practice #2. Be generous, and selective, with The Walk-Ins. While some tables are always reserved, some tables are always free. You never know who’s going to walk through the door one evening. In my current position, I have peers from various areas of the org and they come looking for advice and direction, for ideas and validation, for a laugh and a few giggles. So I’d say half my eatery tables are Walk-Ins.
It’s not about having time, it’s about making time.
Attention and time are precious. My inner introvert starts to suffer after many interactions with people, so to manage my own energy, I learned to be selective.
Waiting between 5 to 60 minutes before responding is a good filter method. Often problems are solved by the time I get back to people; most of the time it’s an ill-placed bit of information that people seek. Also, if I’m the only person in the organisation who knows this piece of information, then I’ve designed the organisation or practices wrong.
At the same time, I want to be generous with my time. Who knows what other means they’ve exhausted before they come to me, and what other things are going on in people’s lives that bring them additional stress.
For my favourite types of problems, the people problems, the dynamics problems, the ones that require presence and time, we set aside a quiet time to converse. I assess the situation and offer alternative timeslots, or downright drop everything to help someone solve this one challenge they have. Sometimes it’s not even to solve a problem; sometimes people just need someone to listen to what they have to say.
Practice #3. Run a tight ship in your Kitchen. In my eatery, my job is to keep the people in my team engaged, productive and happy.
As your manager, dear designers and researchers, my job is to launch your careers.
So hell yeah, if my superstar head chef throws down their apron, and quits, I would run after them and ask them how we can make it work. In the same vein, I’d approach them and figure out what’s wrong if they’re stuck with the same repertoire and stopped experimenting with methods and stopped inventing new flavour combinations.
I have a family table for everyone to gather around before, during and after their “shifts”. Family meal, game plan, talk about new menus, inject inspiration, run a test kitchen, exchanging ideas, learning from one another.
An army of bright, curious, creative, engaging and talented individuals well-equipped to take on whatever challenges the universe throws at them.
So I end with this image from Bar Milano and their criteria for what constitutes loyal customers. What’s yours? Who do you drop everything for, when, and why? Who do you make time for?
