Last evening I sat in a tiny restaurant in New York’s financial district enjoying a quiet and simple meal. The service at Fresh Salt was outstanding and the food was pretty good too.
But the other customers left something to be desired. Well, really only two of them were at issue.
At first, just the one spoke, loudly and animatedly. He used the F-word at least 3 times in each sentence. After some time listening – you couldn’t help but hear every word – it became evident the speaker was the employee and the other fellow was the boss. The boss had brought his employee to a bar to discuss performance issues.
The boss finally lost it when the employee said that he – the employee – does most of the work. The boss, then began using the F-word multiple times in each sentence.
The room was noticeably disturbed by this conversation.  Customers were stealing glances at each other. I became annoyed by the utter lack of creativity.
If you can’t find other words to express yourself, other ways to communicate your passion and meaning, then just stop talking.
So, I stepped up to them and told them that if I was the boss I’d fire them both because neither was creative enough to use something other than the F-word thrice in each sentence.
They both walked out. The room gave an audible sigh.
The lesson here is one for my children. The ability to communicate is crucial in any job, so if you cannot speak in a creative, clear and comprehensible way, why should I employ you?
The lesson regarding employee management is for another post. If the manager considers himself such a close friend to the subordinate that they can discuss performance issues over alcohol, the reporting structure is broken. This manager needs training to build the skills necessary to excel as a manager.
I will give you that alcohol likely had something to do with their lack of language prowess. But it is still not an excuse.
Just 24 hours in New York City and I’m chock full of great new stories! I love this city!
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