This
Restaurant Owner Issued an Outstanding Response to the New York Times
You've worked long and hard at
your job. Few people know this industry as well as you, and others are quick
to praise your abilities and accomplishments.
Suddenly, the unspeakable: A well-respected
colleague bluntly attacks your work, your passion. This person implies that
you've lost more than a step, and wonders (out loud) how you could have
possibly fallen so far.
How will you respond? Will you defend
yourself vigorously? Maybe go on the attack, seeking well-deserved revenge?
Wait. There's another option you may not
have considered. It's not an easy one, but I promise it will yield the best
results.
Accept the
criticism, and try to grow from it.
What's EQ got to do with it?
When
you exercise emotional intelligence, you demonstrate
the ability to recognize and understand your emotions, and to use that
information to guide decision making.
Whether a successful entrepreneur or a loyal
employee, criticism is never easy to take. You've invested blood, sweat, and
sometimes tears in your work; it can be extremely difficult when someone else
comes in and tears down what you've built.
But the truth is, criticism is often rooted
in truth--even when it's not delivered in an ideal manner. When you receive
negative feedback, there are two choices: You can put your feelings aside and
try to learn from the situation, or you can get angry and let emotion get the
best of you. One method is proactive, the other is reactive.
Guess which one will benefit you in the long
run?
Don't
get me wrong: I'm by no means excusing criticism that's bitter or overly
severe. I've written extensively about the need to make sure you deliver critiques constructively, and with the
recipient in mind. (Not to mention the fact that sincere
and authentic praise should outweigh negative feedback.)
But
when we are on the receiving end of criticism, whether it's delivered ideally or not,
it's invaluable to consider the following:
·
Putting my personal feelings aside, what can
I learn from this alternate perspective?
·
Instead of focusing on the delivery, how can
I use this feedback to help me or my team improve?
Thomas Keller and The New York Times
Recent events involving Thomas Keller, one of
the world's most famous chefs and restaurateurs, illustrate the preceding
points perfectly.
Keller is a world-renowned chef, with fans
that span the globe. He's won various awards for his work, published multiple
bestsellers, and is reportedly the only American chef to have two separate
restaurants receive the ultimate recognition of three Michelin
stars simultaneously.
But
Pete Wells, the lead restaurant critic for The New York Times,
recently made headlines when he published a harsh criticism of Keller's New York
eatery Per Se. Wells described his three dining
experiences at Per Se (between fall and winter 2015) as "respectably dull
at best to disappointingly flatfooted at worst." He pulled no punches in
describing dishes he sampled as "random," "purposeless," "rubbery,"
and "flavorless".
So how
did one of the most recognized chefs and restaurant owners in the world respond
to getting bashed by the same newspaper that named Per Se "the best
restaurant in New York City" just four years earlier?
He apologized.
In a statement that you might describe as
both humble and inspiring, Keller accepted responsibility for Per Se's poor
performance and promised improvement. (You can read Keller's full
message at the end of this post.)
Here's an excerpt:
"We are not content resting on what we
did yesterday. We believe we can do better for ourselves, our profession, and
most importantly our guests. We have the opportunity, the tools, the self-motivation
and the dedication to do so.
When we fall short, we work even
harder."
Before you dismiss Keller's statement as
insincere or a simple PR move, consider how difficult this action is in
reality:
Take a
slice of humble pie, accept criticism from an individual who has never been in
your shoes, and apologize. (In contrast, other owners have responded in a
fashion that could be described as more...aggressive.)
Putting it into practice
So if
your natural response to negative feedback is to say, "Who is he or she to
criticize?" or "Man, what a jerk," remember: You're missing
opportunities to grow.
Instead, the next time you're on the
receiving end of tough criticism, try to swallow your pride and learn from
the experience.
Doing so will only make you better.
Here
is Thomas Keller's full reply, via his blog:
To our guests:
At all of our restaurants, in our kitchens
and dining rooms, we make every effort to provide you with the best possible
experience. We consider it our professional responsibility to ensure that every
one of you feels special and cared for. To us, it is imperative that we improve
and evolve every day. We constantly examine ourselves, our menu, our service,
and our standards.
Regretfully,
there are times when we do not meet those standards. The fact that The New York Times restaurant
critic Pete Wells' dining experiences at Per Se did not live up to his
expectations and to ours is greatly disappointing to me and to my team. We
pride ourselves on maintaining the highest standards, but we make mistakes
along the way. We are sorry we let you down.
We are not content resting on what we did
yesterday. We believe we can do better for ourselves, our profession and
most importantly, our guests. We have the opportunity, the tools, the
self-motivation and the dedication to do so.
When we fall short, we work even harder. We
are confident that the next time you visit Per Se or any of our other
restaurants, our team will deliver a most memorable experience.
-- Thomas Keller, Chef / Proprietor
BY JUSTIN BARISO
http://www.inc.com/justin-bariso/how-emotionally-intelligent-people-handle-criticism.html?cid=em01016week05a
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