Driving Innovation & Transformation | Programs & Products | Making Others Shine Brighter
Do you know about the coffee pot story? It goes something like this. People love coffee at the end of their meal. In a busy restaurant, a server, let's call him Bob, rushes to get some coffee for his customers. He nearly empties the coffee pot. Thinking about what the boss said, the customers are the most important thing; he puts the coffee pot down and rushes to his table. The next server, let's call her Suzy, is also in a rush. She is equally busy with equally important customers. She, too, needs fresh coffee for her important customers. But, she can't fulfill her mission because she has to wait three to five minutes for the new pot to finish brewing. Everything in business is a chain. Everyone plays a role in that chain. Don't be like Bob. Think of the next person down the chain. How can Bob achieve seemingly contradictory goals? Well, this time, it's Suzy. But next time, Bob may be the one faced with the empty pot. So, if everyone acts like Bob, all suffer. Making a coffee pot takes 30 to 45 seconds of setup and three to five minutes of idle time while the machine does its thing. If everyone takes less than 60 seconds in the moment, it saves everyone time and pain down the line. Have you been in Suzy's shoes? Photo by Skyler Smith on Unsplash
