Page 106 - The Voice of Authority

As coworkers alternately laughed and lamented Molly’s
comments and the wasted time in training her, I reflected
on the bigger issue: the issue of attention to detail and
commitment to accuracy in whatever work someone does.
Getting the right pills in the correct medicine bottle.
Adding the passenger’s name to the correct flight reserva-
tion. Adding the parenthesis in the software code. Putting
the proper lug nut on the car wheel.
So that’s what I asked about in the hair salon the fol-
lowing Saturday: Am I expecting too much for people to
care about getting the job done right—that if we teach e-
mail writing, our administrative assistant handling regis-
trations should know where the comma or semicolon goes
on the form?
The stylists on duty agreed and had their own story to
tell. A new-hire there had been working six weeks; on av-
erage, she’d called in at least two days per week, saying she
couldn’t make it in on time to meet her appointments for
one reason or another. The owner had had to cancel or
shuffle all her clients to other stylists. Her tenure there was
soon coming to an end for the same reasons—lack of
commitment, inattention to detail.
My point is not punctuation, but attitude. Attention to
detail reflects an attitude of quality, commitment, and
consistency communicated to customers. When some-
body says, “I’m not a detail person,” I start to sweat.
You’ll rarely hear this statement from chief executives.
They’re always “a detail person.” The issue is which details
merit their attention. They dive for details—the significant
details—because they know details can sink or save an en-
terprise.
Attention to detail creates an overall message—one
that’s either consistent or not. And that message commu-

94 The Voice of Authority