Last week, I followed three middle-schoolers into a McDonalds. They asked for three water cups. Nothing else, just the cups. Sadly, awful lot of soda is stolen this way in the thousands fast-food restaurants across the US every year.
But the red-headed young lady behind the counter was ready for them. She said, “Okay, I’ll give you the cups. But I need a pinky promise from each of you that you’ll only drink the water and not the soda.” Then she extended her hand and each of them dutifully extended theirs and made a pinky promise with her.
Then she upped the incentive. If you really want some soda,” she said, “I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll sell you one drink and give you three straws. How does that sound?” They said they’d think about it. She gave them the cups and they headed for the soda fountain.
“A pinky promise?” you might be thinking. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.” I’d never thought about it in this context either, but it worked. She didn’t threaten them. She didn’t say, “I’ll be watching you.” She just appealed to their sense of honesty.
Over the years, I have become a keen observer of the diversity of ways people deal with customers and co-workers. I’ve been amazed at some of the creativity involved. Truthfully, I don’t think that most of them think what they’re doing is all that creative. This red-headed young lady is a good example. But it works and that’s what counts.
Unfortunately, we are living in a world of relativism where right and wrong are not clear cut as they used to be. Young people grow up hearing messages like, “The soda should be free because the guy running the restaurant is rich.” When this happens, employers have to be evermore vigilant about protecting their businesses. One way this happens is through those on the front line who recognize that things like soda theft can end up being part of a business’ death by a thousand cuts.
Will strategies like pinky promises work in every situation? Of course not. But if we, as leaders, instill a sense of fairness and justice in our work culture, those on the front-line will find creative ways to instill it in customers. You can’t really create a policy for stuff like this. If you did, employees would be overwhelmed with idiosyncratic rules.
The better approach is to teach them how the business operates, including the true costs involved. When they begin to understand this, they will naturally become more attentive to issues like soda theft.
What do you do the instill this kind of ownership in your culture? Put your ideas in the comments. We all need to help each other. I’m Bob Wendover.