Words of Widsom

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Two Kings

Two Kings. Both are royal. Both are majestic. Both are worthy to be given every good thing and served with excellence. One of the kings is “King Joseph Smith” and the other is “Joe Smith”. It is obvious who King Joseph is when he enters a room. His clothes, jewelry

The Power of Strong Habits

It all begins with a thought. Thoughts turn into words, and words turn into behaviors, and behaviors turn into habits. In fact, anything we consistently do will become a habit. Napoleon Hill wrote that “Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that”. It generally takes anywhere from 3-4 weeks of

The Power of a Well-Timed Nudge

*This article was graciously contributed by Mr. John Wood, who is the HR Recruitment Manager at the luxurious Shore Lodge Resort. “Nuggets” are those actionable points of execution that set one service experience aside from all the rest. That special occasion when an authentic connection is made between the service

The Missing Link

It always begins like this: “Bryan, what do we need to do to create a strong service culture?” Or “How can our leaders inspire excellence from their team members?” Please notice the we in the first question and the our in the second question. Inevitably, the client and my team discuss key pieces like

Three Tips to Create a Memorable Experience For Your Customers

Could it be? Is it even possible? What are the chances that every touchpoint is memorable? Each team member is engaged. All leaders act as though they are not just managers, but rather CEOs of their respective departments. Vince Lombardi famously said…. The real leaders live and breathe that philosophy.

Exceptional Service: Is It Truly About Chandeliers, Crystal Glasses & Marble Floors?

Just like the word “clean”, everyone has their own understanding of what exceptional service is.  Clean for me may be very different from clean for you.  The same is true of service.  To deliver exceptional service, it is important to begin with a clear picture of what it actually is. Exceptional means unusually excellent…not

Shake Shack Logo

Shake Shack

During a recent day-trip to Baltimore, my family decided to have lunch at Shake Shack. While the team obviously shows great care in selecting quality ingredients and preparing delicious meals, the service is what stands out. It was lunchtime, so the place was packed. Yet, it took us less than

Hundreds or thousands of people - Aerial - Forming "Strong Man"

Where are the STRONG Leaders?

What does it mean to lead? At least two conditions must be met. First, you must have a clear destination in mind. Secondly, at least one other person has to be following. If no one is following, then you are not leading. As John Maxwell once wrote, “if you think

Motivation: What Moves You?

What motivates you? What moves you? What inspires you to be more than you usually are? People oftentimes ask me questions like that. The truth is, several things motivate me. For the purpose of this article, I will only focus on two. #1: I am motivated by seeing people treated

Graphic of a person standing on a bar graph

Leaders are Lifters

(This article is dedicated to: Doug Brooks, Charles DeFoucault, Carter Donovan, Jim McManemon, Diana Oreck, Theo Gilbert-Jamison, Angela Hornsby and Horst Schulze) The best leaders are lifters. Plain and simple. They know how to lift the hearts, hopes, esteem and performance of their staff. If you are my leader, then

Heart of the House

Here is what I believe: You are either serving the customer or you are serving someone who is. Simply put…Everyone’s job exists to do something for someone else. Therefore, everyone’s job is important, needed, and relevant. The Dalai Lama once said, “If you think you are too small to make a difference,

Service Excellence: I Can’t Imagine a World Without

If a grocery store can win a Forbes 5-Stars rating, this store would be it. It’s one thing to be exceptional, and it’s another to be consistently exceptional. MOM’s Organic Store in the Washington DC Metro Area is just that; Consistently Exceptional. I can honestly say that every business can learn from