"Why" is "What" Matters
My nine-year-old daughter wrote a restaurant review this year for her favorite restaurant, Joe's Stone Crab, located in the heart of Chicago. Through her teacher, we received a very nice email from the manager at Joe's, who said they shared my daughter's letter with the ENTIRE STAFF before their shifts started ... and asked us to let them know when we planned to visit Joe's.
After a year of social distancing, we decided to start branching out to restaurants this spring break and went to the city to visit our favorite place to eat.
We let the manager know via email we were coming and we had a simply amazing experience from start to finish! From our server, to the manager, to the head of the restaurant, and every staff member in between, we were so humbled by the treatment that truly made our beautiful daughter feel like a such a VIP.
What really struck me though, was the impact our daughter's heartfelt words had on the staff at Joe's. If you read her review below, she does an amazing job of writing WHY Joe's is such a special restaurant. EVERY staff member talked about a specific part of her letter that struck a chord with them personally. The manager even had a tear in his eye talking about what her letter meant to the staff in such a challenging year.
I share this because, of course, I am very proud of our daughter. I share this to promote Joe's Stone Crab and their wonderful food and service. I share this mostly, though, to remind all of us how important it is to always put the WHY ahead of the WHAT. Joe's does not just sell steaks, seafood and wine ... they create an experience that makes people happy ... that connects people with their family and friends ... and that makes memories that last a lifetime.
That is WHY people come to Joe's. That is WHY people have so much pride working at Joe's. That is WHY Joe's is one of the most successful restaurants in all of Chicago.
I was just looking forward to a great evening at Joe's with my family this week, especially after such a long year. I certainly got that, but our daughter reminded me of one of the most important life lessons at the same time ... your "Why" is "What" Matters.
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Abbott
3 年Love this Vahe! Your words and your daughter’s. Lovely.
Cardiologist | MBA | Director, Cardiology and Pulmonology | PhD Student
3 年That’s so cool! I loved your daughter’s review. What a little star ??
Founder / Chief Executive @ LaFleur Leadership Institute
3 年Those that know how and what to do will always have a job. BUT those that know WHY will always be their boss. Great letter
Special girl! Great example to share with our kids. Miss you tons!
Content Creator l Storyteller l Public Relations l Employee and Executive Comms l Social Media Expert l Bucket List Obsessed
3 年Wow!!! What a brilliant young girl!! Wise beyond her years. The WHY is so critical. I think she may have a future career in PR ahead of her ??