The other day, I ran into Starbucks to get something for my wife. She wanted a Brulee Latte.
It was the end of the day and the more seasoned baristas were letting the new guy make what appeared to be his very first drink.
I thought to myself. "Great. Lucky me."
The guy took a long time but I'm glad he did. The reason he took so long was that he was making sure he did everything exactly right.
He double-checked the mixture to make sure he had the right number of shots. He carefully distributed the whipped cream to make sure it was done correctly. He tried shaking the large-grain sprinkles on to three different ways before he found a technique that got the right amount out of the shaker.
By the end of watching him make the beverage, I thought to myself "This guy's going to be alright."
Sure, it took him a long time to make my drink but it would have taken even longer to make it a second time after I sent it back for not being done correctly. He avoided that extra cost immediately but there's an even more important benefit to the way he went about making that drink.
The next time he has to make a latte with sprinkles, he'll use the technique he learned making the one I bought. As a result, he'll be a little faster. He'll carefully apply the whipped cream in the same pattern but he'll be able to do that a little faster, too.
Maybe he'll keep double-checking the number of shots a few more times but, eventually, he won't need to do that, either.
Maybe he'll keep double-checking the number of shots a few more times but, eventually, he won't need to do that, either.
Every time he makes a drink, he'll make it just as accurately as the first time but he'll be able to do it a little more quickly. Eventually, he'll be fast and good.
If he'd focused, instead, on getting some sloppy splash of liquid out the door, he probably would have taken longer in the short run and it's doubtful that he'd get any faster or more accurate in the long-run. Had he made that choice, he would have flunked out of Starbucks.
I doubt Starbucks is this guy's ultimate career path - although it may be. Yet, wherever he goes, I'm sure the kind of decision making he exhibited that night, making that first latte, will serve him well.
Bon chance, barista whose name I didn't think to catch.
If he'd focused, instead, on getting some sloppy splash of liquid out the door, he probably would have taken longer in the short run and it's doubtful that he'd get any faster or more accurate in the long-run. Had he made that choice, he would have flunked out of Starbucks.
I doubt Starbucks is this guy's ultimate career path - although it may be. Yet, wherever he goes, I'm sure the kind of decision making he exhibited that night, making that first latte, will serve him well.
Bon chance, barista whose name I didn't think to catch.
