We just got out of church and food was on my mind. I wanted Chipotle, but that was at least 20 minutes away, the boys were rowdy, and the idea of bringing them inside anywhere did not have the best appeal. I wanted something quick, easy, and with a drive through. Guess where I ended up? Yup, you guessed. Through the drive through line at McDonald’s. I knew McDonald’s would not satisfy like a Chipotle Burrito, but I would be home soon, lunch would be done, and I could move towards the next task.

When I arrived home, I started to disassemble the bags, separating the food for each person and finding that I was shorted a salad and in its place, we got a 4pc chicken nugget. Now we all know that’s not a bad trade, dipping a chicken nugget in some BBQ sauce definitely has its appeal over a salad some days, but it was not what I ordered. They had a made a mistake, and affected my experience. If I drove back to the store, they would have easily switched it out, apologized and “made it right.” But has it been “made right?” I had to do extra work, they lost revenue, and my experience was changed. Is McDonald’s still the quick, easy choice, if I make return trips to get things right, or need to double check my order before I leave; isn’t that their role in this transaction – to make sure I get what I order?

I am no stranger to mistakes in our own company. We, under my leadership, have done some silly things, that have lost us money, delayed project deadlines, and caused us to re-do partial or whole projects. Of course, we “make it right” but it’s never fully right. We have tarnished our reputation of doing things the best, for being the best run, for delivering exceptional client experiences. The extra work gets us back to where we should have been the first time. Any reputable company will take ownership of their mistake and fix it, but the best companies just have fewer errors. They have operations and systems designed around delivering the best the first time, not the second round. To be the best-run business, we need to be working on getting things done right, on-time, every time – and it starts with me. Not about what I want, but what is best for our client. Making sure my work and leadership are based around how to build the best company.

Heard. Watched. Read. 

• “Do not take the slights of the day personally – or the exciting rewards and recognition’s either, especially when duty has assigned you an important cause. Trivial details like the rise and fall of your position say nothing about you as a person Only your behavior.” – The Daily Stoic, Ryan Holiday. July 23rd.
• “There is no win in comparison.” – Andy Stanley
• “Don’t build a business because you want freedom. Build a business because you want to run a business.”  – Jeff Goins
• “When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, reason like a child, think like a child. But now that I have become a man, I’ve put an end to childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13-11