Positive intent and being proactive

Many years ago, I worked in a country hotel. Occasionally, we had customers leave without paying for their food.

The owner took the view that it was really important that we didn’t let this happen. That might seem obvious, the loss of income would have been significant.

However, he went on to explain there was more to it:

He took the view that this was not done out of dishonesty, but more likely carelessness or distraction. He reasoned that these genuine customers would eventually realise their mistake but be too embarrassed to return. In turn, that would result in an even bigger loss of revenue.

Now, he could have just been putting that argument to us to ensure we reminded customers to pay rather than accuse them of stealing. Certainly that’s a useful standpoint.

But it’s got me thinking. We all make mistakes from time to time and some of those result in embarrassment and subsequent avoidance.

If you’v been negatively impacted by someone else’s mistake, ask yourself if there was anything you could have done to prevent it? A reminder, or a change in the way you communicate perhaps. Strictly, it’s not your responsibility, it is their mistake after all.

But if it helps both parties, isn’t it worth taking that extra step?