𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑳𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒊𝒔 𝒀𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝑩𝒊𝒈𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 This is capitalism at its most distilled: produce value, or be replaced. Harsh? Sure. But fair? Absolutely. The mistake most companies make is setting the bar at “good enough” instead of “exceptional.” 𝐈𝐟 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥—𝐛𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞. This restaurant gets it: every bad hire isn’t just a neutral presence; it’s an active liability. Want to win? Stop treating performance reviews like therapy sessions. “Years back, I got to know the in-house trainer and coach for the waitstaff of an upscale, pricey restaurant. I sat in once on her 90-minute meeting that occurred before every shift, every day, at which the previous day’s results were reviewed in detail, waitperson by waitperson, table by table, somewhat like the Monday-morning-after film session endured by football teams. To hold a prime-time position at this restaurant, the waitperson had to average no less than $9,000.00 a month in tips to hit $100,000.00 a year, or they were ejected and replaced. The trainer/coach/supervisor told me: “If they aren’t good enough to make $100,000.00 a year in our environment, they’re costing us at least that much because it means they are failing at giving our customers the kind of exceptional experience we’ve crafted and failing at selling appetizers, wines, and desserts—and they need to go work somewhere else where they are a better fit. We can’t afford having them here.” - Dan Kennedy