What is operational excellence?
Operational excellence has nothing to do with the title on your business card or the size of your account. Operational excellence is not about how much money you make or the culinary school you attended (Shoutout to the CIA grads). Operational excellence is a philosophy, an attitude, a state of mind. It is up to us to decide what that will be.
Here is an example, as the Corporate Executive Chef I spend a lot of time traveling and living in hotels. One night, after driving all day, I arrived to my hotel and was informed that my room was not ready for me to check in. Exhausted, I waited another hour before my room was ready. The front desk attendant did all she could to hurry the process- to no avail. Once I made it to the room, I quickly fell asleep.
The next day when I returned to my room there was a note on my table apologizing for my inconvenience the night before. It stated "Mr. Cuffee we apologize for the delay in servicing your room, please accept these extra pilllows and assortment of herbal teas to aid in your relaxation."
This person demonstrated operational excellence. She quickly recognized the problem, created a solution, assumed personal responsibility, and made a professional decision; wow-ing her customer (me) in the process. Her solution didn't cost extra money- only time. The hotel has plenty of pillows and serves herbal tea daily. She took the time to ensure those items were in my room and included a hand written note along with it. This employee exhibited operational excellence.
What will you do to delight a customer today?
Chef Marcus