our own system

Bruce Buschel published the first half of his 100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do.  It’s great reading (and insightful learning…).  And while not universally applicable to our healthcare service world, there are some beauts with transferable resonance:

1. Do not let anyone enter the restaurant without a warm greeting.

9. Do not recite the specials too fast or robotically or dramatically. It is not a soliloquy. This is not an audition.

15. Never say “I don’t know” to any question without following with, “I’ll find out.”

27. For red wine, ask if the guests want to pour their own or prefer the waiter to pour.

41. Saying, “No problem” is a problem. It has a tone of insincerity or sarcasm. “My pleasure” or “You’re welcome” will do.

46. Never acknowledge any one guest over and above any other. All guests are equal.

My view is that we should arm healthcare workers with organizational values, their application as a guide to communicating and serving our patients.  Step-by-step behavior doctrine is too controlling in a wildly varied world.  That written, there’s something about a “things you shouldn’t do list” that bites a bit harder in our disciplinary-focused work ecosystem.

Lucky for us he publishes the second fifty this week (using predictive URL technology: here’s a guess at what the link may be, will update with exact when it is published).

Update: Here’s the link to part deux.