Keeping Your Cool
Last weekend my husband and I joined some high school classmates in Madison, WI and stayed at the Hotel Ruby Marie, a bed and breakfast owned by one of my classmates. He also owns a German restaurant/bar, the Essen Haus, and the Come Back In, a casual restaurant, all buildings adjoined a few blocks off capitol square. While we were having dinner outside the Come Back In on Friday evening my husband commented on how much effort it must take to keep everything running on an even keel and not get stressed out. Well, little did we know how we would get to see Bob go into action–calmly and confidently. About a half hour after that the hotel manager came over to say that the hot water heater had gone out and she wanted to confirm the service to be called. Bob confirmed her decision and we continued on with dinner. About an hour later a repair truck came. Ultimately, Bob went over to the hotel and found out that the hot water unit was not only broken, but their back-up unit had been out for some time and they hadn’t noticed. Neither unit could be fixed and after working until midnight they decided a new unit was necessary.
Here’s the good part. Bob was calm and collected during the whole process. When we went up to our room about 10:30 p.m. he was sitting alongside the clerk while she looked up manuals on the internet. They had alerted all the guests that there was no hot water and may not be any until the next day. There was a note at the desk in the morning for guests about projected time for the water to be back on and update notes were posted throughout the day. All the guests were patient and it gave us something to laugh about. I tried not to scream too loud when I took my quick cold shower Saturday morning.
Throughout the weekend we observed Bob as he efficiently and calmly worked wherever needed in the kitchen, with the guests, and in the hotel. He gave us a detailed historical tour of all the old buildings and how he had built his business. He calmly interacted with his staff and never demanded anything of anyone or even asked for special favors. He said many times that he was “just a farm boy,” but I know that it takes perserverance, leadership, and hard work to build a business that has not only offered a terrific service to his customers, but it positively changed the neighborhood over the last 25 years. He may not admit it, but his “farm boy” values are what brought him success in Madison, Wisconsin.
