Blood and 911

Get involved in your community.
 It's hard to explain the events of September 2001 and questions in the conspiracy group always surface but here are a few things that I know,  first hand.
I had blood drives every 8 weeks at the restaurant I managed in Pt. Charlotte, FL. I liked to donate and wanted my staff to join in. I chose paydays back when we issued actual paychecks to have the bloodmobile come. I sat inside with the checks and signature roster hoping that one or two might let the phlebotomist strap them down for a quick withdrawal of a pint. No pressure but I wanted it to be conducive for a successful blood drive.
We had been doing this for almost a year. And in the same time frame, we had been executing our service standards to a higher level inside the four walls.  I had amazing crew. The guest's dining experience was one of consistency to the point that they knew they didn't have to think about how it was going to be only about what they would have that evening.
Tuesday morning came and my kitchen manager called...turn on the TV . What channel? Doesn't matter.
We all remember where we were on 9/11/2001.

As the horrible images flashed across the screen, the update bar along the bottom asked for blood donations. Thursday was an 8 week cycle of payday and a phone called confirmed that the bloodmobile would arrive as planned on the 13th.

This isn't about rising to the top for a chance tragedy, this is about doing what is right, all the time. I could coax the tears if I shared the story of that day but that's our private memory, the staff and the community. We were consistently involved and there when we were needed.
We, as managers, don't realize the importance of what we do everyday, coaching the staff, establishing the systems, delivering on expectations, being involved in our community but we do it or try to at least move the needle forward.
The economy tanked. Fear in the markets ripped through the country like a California wildfire.
Why were we up 30% in September of 2001? Because the guests didn't have to think about how their dining experience would be in a world turned upside- down. They knew they could count on my crew. And this gave them the time they needed to absorb something that would forever change their lives. Consistency stabilized my market, my world, my staff's world. Promise them stability then deliver. You'll weather any storm.