About two decades ago I was meeting with a couple of my front-line managers who were doing some second-round interviews for a customer facing role that we were hiring. There was one candidate that had shined really well in my initial engagement with her, but the feedback from my front-line managers was “we are not sure she would be good at multi-tasking.” This was a common turn of phrase in many working cultures, but it was a mindset that I was determined to adjust.
I asked them both, “how does one multi-task?” They were both quite surprised by my response, so, I asked again slightly differently, “Can we as humans really give our full attention to more than one thing at the same time?” They took a moment to think about it, we conversed about task switching, and other concepts, but in a few brief moments their mindset shifted. What they really wanted was a candidate that could really lean into customer needs, listen closely, and empathize with them, and they wanted quality resolution and workflow efficacy. They reflected on their own efforts to “multi-task,” and agreed that mentally, this was a challenging thing to do, and moreover to expect. In the years following this conversation, Agile and Scrum started to pick up speed, and brought with it the proof points that single task focuses produced not only better outcomes more aligned to customer needs, but faster ones, too.
Putting our labors aside, I believe that the personal connection with people when they enter our “splash-zone” is priceless. I find personally that making eye contact not only allows me to absorb the conversation more meaningfully, but it also resonates with a strong connection.
Our present circumstances are broadly against all of us being truly present when all of our devices, our schedules, our tools and technology are pulling at us for our attention. We are apt to miss those precious moments to connect with the people right near us. I want to shift that, and share a space that prioritizes presence. Whether this comes in the form of decidedly not offering online ordering, hiring and training a team that has a heart for hospitality, or relentlessly aiming higher to learn the names of all our guests. A goal most of our team shared with me during interviews as the thing they looked forward to the most, getting to know the people walking into our shared space.
At The Perch our priority is people, our guests get our attention first.
Why does The Perch exist? It exists to stimulate intentional presence. Yes, it’s a speciality coffee and board game cafe, but we wanted to create a shared space for people. People are precious, and I want to be present with them. I look forward to getting to know each of you, and each of you are invited!
Jacob