During the Euro trip with my wife recently across Austria and Switzerland, I chanced upon a charming little Colombian restaurant and learned one of the biggest business lessons. The place, right off the city centre on the other side of the river, was one of those small family-oriented restaurants with just enough space for two or three tables.
The moment we entered there, the whole family greeted us with big smiles and, soon after, began playing music and dancing Salsa with us, creating one of our most beautiful memories from this trip.
This experience made me wonder how a tiny restaurant like that in Austria became the top five in the city, competing with elite high-level and Michelin-rated restaurants.
In my opinion, the secret sauce was in the intention behind the work — which was clear: Serving. And in the case of this restaurant, their way of serving was to share the family Latin vibes of fun and joy. So, in a way, it was not just a restaurant; it was a space of joy expressed in the form of a restaurant.
So, the difference is in the intention — the intention to serve.
Now while this might sound wishy-washy or an odd concept for entrepreneurs and business leaders to fully grasp, I guarantee you that it is not, as this is what business is, and should be, all about.
In simple non-academic terms, business is the name we call the structure that organises the exchange between humans. And money happens to be the symbol for that exchange. Now, in the same way we think of a flag as a symbol of the country, holding its honour, story, and dignity (although in truth, it is no more than colours and cloth), the same goes for money. It is the paper we agreed upon as the “symbol” of exchange and kept it more organised and efficient through the structure of “business.”
If that is the case, and it is, then people are paying money to any business based on one promise: A beneficial exchange. Now, that brings us back to the power and importance of the intention behind the business, be it to serve or to take.
If it is there to serve with care and excellence, then it is aligned with the original meaning behind the concept of business. And if it is there to take, by just making money (even if it is not said bluntly), then it is instantly deviated from the spirit of business and will shift directly into survival.
That does not mean trying to say money and profit are not important. Yet it is a question of where the business and its leaders are operating from. In other terms, remind them mentally and emotionally on a consistent basis: “WHY” they are in the business in the first place. The rest of the operations and strategies will follow with more ease when there is clarity about the intention of serving.