{"id":4428,"date":"2019-02-15T11:47:50","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T17:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/?p=4428"},"modified":"2019-02-15T11:47:50","modified_gmt":"2019-02-15T17:47:50","slug":"fire-your-center-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etereman.com\/remanu\/2019\/02\/15\/fire-your-center-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Your Center Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nI know that\u2019s a strong title, and an unfair one without qualification. I promise I\u2019ll explain in detail just after I tell you about my last trip to Chicago.
\nMy wife and I took our two older daughters to Chicago for two nights of fun in the city. We interacted with the trendiest brands \u2013 we stayed at the Waldorf Astoria, dined at RPM, took spin classes at SoulCycle, and went to see Hamilton. And fun it was!
\nIt was also a learning experience. I learned the importance and the power of a single employee. I learned that no matter how much you spend on marketing, advertising, brand management, social media, whatever\u2026your front-line employee can make or break your success.
\nHere\u2019s what happened:
\nFirst, the hotel. When we arrived at reception there were two lines \u2013 one short, one long. I stupidly chose the short one. You know why the line was short? The front desk employee at the head of my line was unhelpful and apathetic, while her counterpart at the head of the long line was amazing. He took the time to really welcome each guest, to ensure their every preference and need was met, and to explain all the great features of the hotel. He then shook each guest\u2019s hand, came out from behind the desk to hand them their keys, and walked them to the elevator.
\nGuess what? When we got to our room, it wasn\u2019t even what we had asked for. I went back downstairs and gladly stood in the long line.
\nThen we went for dinner. RPM is well-known Italian restaurant that probably doesn\u2019t need me to say a single good thing about the food (it was some of the best I\u2019ve had). Anyway, it was our waiter that had us talking for days after. He was Johnny on the Spot the entire time, working backward from our target departure and timing the delivery of every single dish on our table with perfection. And, he was funny. If this guy left RPM and went to work at another restaurant, I\u2019d follow him there.
\nThen we went to Hamilton. Can\u2019t say enough good stuff about the show. Go see it. Take your kids. Take your friends. No lessons here, except maybe not challenge your foe to a duel.
\nThe next morning, we went to SoulCycle as a family. SoulCycle is a high-end spin studio with a cult-like following and supposed $1.2B valuation. My kids came up with the line, \u201cfamilies who spin together win together.\u201d I thought it was cute, so I joined them. I\u2019m not really into spin studios. I\u2019m a cyclist. I don\u2019t do the woo-woo, motivational classes\u2026I just want to work hard and sweat. But I had heard about this brand for long enough I wanted to see for myself what it was all about. And you know what? It was surprisingly worthwhile. The instructor was a ten. He pushed us to our limits and had us motivated to work all the way through 45-minutes of heart-pounding, bass-thumping, sweat-producing spinning. It was way harder than I thought it was going to be, and way more fun. We left on fire. So much so that we signed up again for the next day, and we told many of our friends about how great it was.
\nWe went back\u2026new day, same business, new instructor. She was a five at best. Not worth my time or money, and certainly not worthy of referrals. It was at this moment that everything clicked: your business is not what you say it is, it\u2019s what your people make it.
\nIt\u2019s your business<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s your brand<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s your reputation<\/strong>.
\nIt\u2019s your people<\/strong>\u2019s jobs to make your standards and your promises a reality.
\nIt\u2019s your job<\/strong> to hire and coach the right people.
\nAnd it\u2019s your front-line employees (you know, the ones who interact with your customers) that matter most. The guy or girl at the desk (in our world, likely a counterman or a center manager) control your destiny.
\nSo, how\u2019s your center manager? What qualities and attributes do they possess?
\nMaybe a better question is, what qualities and attributes do you wish <\/em>they possessed?
\nMake a list of everything that\u2019s important to you:<\/p>\n