Word-Of-the-Week #857: Solution
January 7, 2021 by Susan Clarke
Solution – the act or process of solving a problem.
How good are you at solving problems? Do you want to ignore them and hope they’ll just go away? Or are you willing to confront the problem and work at coming up with a solution?
This week brings another profound piece from long time friend and fellow speaker Bill Marvin, The Restaurant Doctor.
No Whining
Those who have been with me for awhile know I’m a firm believer in having as few rules as possible. Standards, yes. Rules? Not so much. 
But there’s one rule I think is worth having and enforcing: No Whining. The policy might read something like this:
“It’s just a fact of life: there are always issues we need to address, and some people will get upset when these situations exist. The question is what you do about them. As the saying goes, “You’re either part of the solution or you’re part of the problem.”
When you see something needing correction, it’s your responsibility to bring it to the attention of someone who can fix it. When you do that, you’re being proactive and a supportive member of the team. You become are part of the solution.
However, if you see something in need of correction and you DON’T bring it to someone who can fix it — or worse yet, if you waste any time at all complaining about it to someone who CAN’T fix your problem — you’re working against the best interests of the company, your co-workers and ultimately, our guests. You’re just whining and making yourself part of the problem.
There are precious few issues beyond our collective power to resolve … but ignoring problems or whining about them only makes everyone’s work tougher. If you stay focused on finding solutions we’ll get along fine. But we don’t tolerate whining nor will we put up with anyone whose actions demonstrate they’re not part of the solution.
There will always be problems of one sort or another in a business like ours. How you deal with them is your choice to make. Choose wisely.”
This week’s focus is on being part of the solution. If a situation arises do you bring it to the attention of someone who can fix it? Or better yet do you work on coming up with a solution?
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