Young kids are looking for direction. Adults may think
they know everything. But both groups have at least this in
common: When they see that a leader is being serious with
them and is looking out for their best interests, and that following
what the leader says brings about success, they’re going to follow. I
make sure players understand that success starts with them taking
care of their own obligations. Don’t worry about what everyone else
is doing. Take care of yours, and when everyone’s doing that, the
team is taken care of, too. Then everyone sees how it pays off. They’ll
see that the hard workers are successful. They’ll be ready to work and
eager to put the time in. And for those who don’t? On my field, there
are consequences—running, push-ups, sit-ups. Eventually, some will
quit. That’s fine. If they’re not hard workers, you don’t want them on
your team.”—Bud Maddux, coach of the Thundering 13 of Lufkin, Tex.
I meet a lot of new people each day, sometimes for only a
minute or two, and my job is to be consistently helpful to
them throughout their stay. To do this, I always start by
greeting them very personably and engaging them in nice, uninter-
rupted conversation. I ask their name early and then use it at least three
times during the conversation, including always at the end. I also try to
learn some interesting fact about them—maybe that they like Italian
restaurants, or are here for their birthday. The pairing of the name
and the fact helps me remember both. I think it’s because they stay in
my memory as a real person, not just a name on a list. And I always
follow up, either in the lobby or sometimes by calling their room. That’s
another opportunity to use their name, which helps me remember
it longer.”—Victoria Edmond, lead concierge at the Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta
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Accordingtothecoachofthe
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AccordingtoaRitz-Carltonconcierge
44 / ENTREPRENEUR.COM / January-February 2018
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Accordingtoafuneral director
CALEB WILDEknows a thing or two about uncomfortable
conversations. For the sixth-generation funeral director
and author of Confessions of a Funeral Director: How the
Business of Death Saved My Life, his livelihood depends on
them. “If you go into these things and you’re not prepared,
it’s going to end poorly,” he says. But the real keys to success,
he says, are all about what you don’t do.
Don’t fill the air with chatter.
It may seem like a way to move the conversation forward,
but folks need time to process what they’re hearing. “You
have to be comfortable in silence,” Wilde says. “People
need time to collect themselves when they’re confronted
with something highly emotional.”
Be real, not clichéd.
Telling someone, “You’ll get through this!” provides you
with way more comfort than it does them. “It’s a way
to make ourselves feel comfortable in a hard situation
and avoid having to do the awkward work of listening,”
Wilde says.
Don’t front-load the conversation.
Relaying tough information shouldn’t be like ripping off
a Band-Aid, so ease your audience into it. Wilde says it’s
important to give people warnings of what’s to come, to
help them feel a sense of control at a time of chaos.
Don’t rely on humor.
“I do have a couple one-liners, but it depends on the
circumstances,” Wilde says. (Case in point: His Twitter
bio reads, “I’m the last person to let you down.”) Read the
room, he says, and use jokes with extreme caution.
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