Ritz-Carlton Leadership Quote (Part 2)
“People liked to be served… but invisibly.”
- César Ritz
I’ve been reading about the guiding principles of Ritz-Carlton in “The New Gold Standard: 5 Leadership Principles for Creating Legendary Customer Experience Courtesy of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company” written by Joseph Mitchelli.
Even though César Ritz’s own hotel ventures were short lived, he is credited with influencing luxury hotel design and service standards that persist to this day.
Do We Really Accept Others?
One of my favorite things at Chick-fil-A is when someone comes in that is clearly living on the streets. This is a great opportunity to serve someone who needs to be served. They usually come in the morning or later in the afternoon. Often asking for a cup of ice water. I’ve seen their faces light up when they are given food or a team member takes a 32 oz cup and fills it up. I think usually they are expecting a small “free water” cup that maybe holds 6 ozs.
I know that is only the Grace of God that allowed me to be blessed with everything I have in life. It’s by his Grace that I am not on the street. It is a miracle that when Laura and I got married that we didn’t end up in super deep debt… or worse… on the streets.
That’s a story for another day.
I always wonder if I am TRULY accepting of others? What does it mean to see & welcome others as Christ sees them? For me, I struggle more with the gray area… the people who clearly take advantage of the Chick-fil-A system – those that demand special attention or photocopy coupons or ask for lettuce/tomato/cheese on a sandwich but refuse to pay for it “because they got it for free once before.
How should I treat them? I should I be more accepting of them?
(7) Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.
(Romans 15:7 ESV)
