As Yogi Berra once said,

"It all starts at the beginning." Most managers

want to do the right thing. But occasionally they go

about it the wrong way. How many times have you heard

your boss say, "Don't bring me a problem unless you

bring me a solution!" Question: What if the solution

to the problem is beyond your control? Isn't the

identification process half the solution? Managers listen

up and pay close attention. Ibelieve most employees want

to do the right thing. It is management,s job to remove

the barriers and obstacles that keep employees from

performing at their best. However, unless there is a

system in place, they will take the path of least

resistance. They will look the other way, ignore the

problem. Unfortunately, the problem only gets worse

causing bigger frustrations down the road. I emphasize,

it is the boss' job is to fix and remove the problems,

not the employee. RitzCarlton Hotels provide exceptional

service. One reason they do so well is they take problem

solving and defect removal seriously. The process they

use to remove defects improves everything they do and

saves them millions of dollars each year. Maybe that is

part of the reason why they have been voted as one the

world,s best hotels. At these world class hotels, fixing

problems and improving service doesn't happen by

accident. They have created a non-stop problem

identification and solution process. The process begins

at a comprehensive employee orientation program. All

employees receive training and must pass an exam with a

100% or take the course over again. Among other things,

employees learn about the Internal Defect Form (IDF). Any

employee noticing a deficiency or defect during the

workday writes up an IDF. All forms are forwarded to the

hotel Quality Office for consolidation. The Quality

Office tracks them and sends them to the appropriate

department for action. Department managers and Quality

Coaches take action to either improve, repair or replace

the defect. Ritz-Carlton hotels have been in a nonstop

race to eliminate all defects. In 1992, 30 percent of

their customers experienced a defect during their stay.

In 1995, only 6.4 percent of their customers experience

defects. Doing it right, the first time is more than just

a philosophical discussion. Mr. Horst Shulzte, the CEO,

points out that in 1994 they increased sales by $75

million using 500,000 less man-hours. They did it by

eliminating defects, rework and unnecessary steps in

their key processes. What have you done differently in

your business this year? What changes have you made

lately? Are you still operating using the same management

policies and techniques handed down prior to the

industrial revolution? Well, it may be time to breathe

new life into your organization. Here are a few

suggestions on how to improve service in your business.

Put managers and staff into the field to work with

frontline workers frequently during the year. Reduce

regulations and policies by 50%. Paint a mailbox red and

centrally place it so people can deposit all dumb rules

and regulations needing revision or elimination. Form a

team to evaluate each nomination. Celebrate with a

bonfire burning all the policies and procedures no longer

needed. If you haven't already, start an employee

orientation program as well as an education and training

program for everyone in the business. Ask your workers

frequently, "What can I do to make your job better,

easier or more productive?" Then do it. Conduct

frequent, unannounced recognition/award celebrations for

workers. Give employees permission to disagree with

management. Capture the creativity of people and have

contests for the best idea of the month. Start new ways

to evaluate performance by allowing subordinates to

evaluate their superiors and/or use a 360-degree

evaluation. Reengineer most of your inspectors and

auditors. Give them new responsibilities such as,

internal consultants, customer service representatives,

helpers or instructors. Develop processes to identify and

eliminate barriers and obstacles. Tremendous improvement

comes from small changes. Remember that it is

management's job to remove barriers and obstacles, so

people can perform the best at their job. Free by

e-mail/fax: If you would like a free article on how to

keep your business and life on-course please fax us your

name on your letterhead or E-mail us with the words,

,,Keeping On-Course to

770-760-0581/[email protected] .

Gregory P. Smith shows

business owners how to build productive and

profitable work

environments that attract, keep and motivate their

workforce. He speaks at

conferences and is the President of a management

consulting firm called

Chart Your Course International located in Conyers,

Georgia. Phone him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at

[email protected] . More information and articles are

available at

www.chartcourse.com .