5 Things You Don't Want Your Guests to Hear

I read this great email from Mark Waltz and the Wired Team from Granger.

I bet this culture doesn't "just happen" and "happen overnight."

Over you you, Mark

1. “That’s Not My Responsibility”
This comment may cause team members to feel as though they’ve covered themselves, but the guest doesn’t care who is responsible. The guest merely wants the question answered or the request filled. The risk of dropping the ball increases each time a request, question or need is passed on to another person.

2. “I Don’t Know.”
If a team member doesn’t have an answer, he or she must be resourceful enough to find it. It’s OK not to know an answer; it’s not OK to leave it there. The team member must take the initiative to find the answer. “I don’t know” must always be followed up with “but I’ll find out.”

3. “No.”
Yeah, but sometimes the answer is “no.” Why would we not say “no” if the answer to a question is “no”? Simply because, when you’re the guest, you expect the answer to be “yes.” You want to be satisfied. When you hear “no” without an alternative or an explanation, you’re unsatisfied.

4. “They,” “Them,” and “You Guys”
Everyone wants to appear competent. When we don’t have the answers or the rule is difficult to explain, the temptation to blame someone else is tremendous. It can be difficult for people to recognize this temptation in themselves. But when the team member says, “They said” or “It’s up to them” or “You guys had better,” he or she is communicating a lack of ownership. When guests overhear this language or pick up on this attitude, they doubt the church itself.

5. “I’m Just A Volunteer.”
I always ask sales associates or clerks, “How are you?” It’s amazing how many times they respond, “I’ll be doin’ much better when I can leave this place! Only two more hours to go.” Too many people are unhappy working day after day in the same, grueling job. That should never happen in the church. Those who plug in to a ministry should do because they fully embrace its mission and vision. If they do, no one will ever hear these words from them.