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Last week, my wife Karen and her friend decided to take a trip to the beach for some rest and relaxation. She likes to go after Labor Day when the crowds have gone and things move at a slower pace at the beach, shops and restaurants. Room rates are lower and tickets for entertainment are usually less expensive as well.
When she returned home, I was talking with Karen about the trip and she shared with me about an incident that happened while they were away. During the drive to the beach, Karen stopped to put gas in the car. Across the street there was a fast food restaurant and no other eateries were nearby. They decided to go in and grab a quick bite to eat for lunch. Karen was standing in line waiting to order as the restaurant was busy at the time. She told me she couldn’t help but watch the “General Manager” as he motivated his team during the busy rush. The GM was also working as hard as the employees to get the people through the line and served as quickly as possible. While they worked behind the counter, the GM complimented the staff and even joked with some of them in order to support their efforts to get the job done. Karen shared with me that she was very impressed with him as a manager. After finishing her meal, she went up to the counter and asked to speak with him. He came over to her and she shook his hand, introduced herself and told him that she witnessed his excellent management skills and that she wanted the phone number for his boss so that she could call him/her. Karen did just that…she made a call to his boss immediately after leaving the restaurant to express what an awesome job this man was doing and that he should be recognized and rewarded. She had to leave a message on his voicemail.
The next day the manager’s boss called Karen back. She then proceeded to share with him how the manager of this restaurant location treated his staff and what an excellent motivator he was for them. They had respect for him as he worked just as hard right along with his employees.
The boss was very pleased that Karen had called him to share this news. He told her that he doesn’t receive calls like hers and that when he does get a phone call that it’s usually a complaint. The boss said it’s great to hear how the manager is doing from a customer point of view. His boss operates several locations and cannot be there so he depends heavily on his management team.
The boss told Karen that her voicemail message was great to hear and asked her for permission to play the recording back to upper management of this nationwide fast food restaurant chain during their next regional meeting as they don’t often get calls like hers. Karen explained that we have a trucking company and that she has worked in the hospitality industry for years. She understands and knows what great customer service and management skill look like and she wanted to let them know that this man deserves to be valued in their company for his outstanding work.
In our business, we meet and work with people every day. So many are doing an excellent job however many people are never recognized for the great work they do. If you come across someone who really stands out to you and they are going the extra mile…you should make the call to their boss to let them know.