By GREGORY SMITH
Business Columnist

As Yogi Berra once said, "It all starts at the beginning." Most managers want to do the right thing. But occasionally they go about it the wrong way. How many times have you heard your boss say, "Don't bring me a problem unless you bring me a solution!" Question: What if the solution to the problem is beyond your control? Isn't the identification process half the solution? Managers listen up and pay close attention. Ibelieve most employees want to do the right thing. It is management,s job to remove the barriers and obstacles that keep employees from performing at their best. However, unless there is a system in place, they will take the path of least resistance. They will look the other way, ignore the problem. Unfortunately, the problem only gets worse causing bigger frustrations down the road. I emphasize, it is the boss' job is to fix and remove the problems, not the employee. RitzCarlton Hotels provide exceptional service. One reason they do so well is they take problem solving and defect removal seriously. The process they use to remove defects improves everything they do and saves them millions of dollars each year. Maybe that is part of the reason why they have been voted as one the world,s best hotels. At these world class hotels, fixing problems and improving service doesn't happen by accident. They have created a non-stop problem identification and solution process. The process begins at a comprehensive employee orientation program. All employees receive training and must pass an exam with a 100% or take the course over again. Among other things, employees learn about the Internal Defect Form (IDF). Any employee noticing a deficiency or defect during the workday writes up an IDF. All forms are forwarded to the hotel Quality Office for consolidation. The Quality Office tracks them and sends them to the appropriate department for action. Department managers and Quality Coaches take action to either improve, repair or replace the defect. Ritz-Carlton hotels have been in a nonstop race to eliminate all defects. In 1992, 30 percent of their customers experienced a defect during their stay. In 1995, only 6.4 percent of their customers experience defects. Doing it right, the first time is more than just a philosophical discussion. Mr. Horst Shulzte, the CEO, points out that in 1994 they increased sales by $75 million using 500,000 less man-hours. They did it by eliminating defects, rework and unnecessary steps in their key processes. What have you done differently in your business this year? What changes have you made lately? Are you still operating using the same management policies and techniques handed down prior to the industrial revolution? Well, it may be time to breathe new life into your organization. Here are a few suggestions on how to improve service in your business. Put managers and staff into the field to work with frontline workers frequently during the year. Reduce regulations and policies by 50%. Paint a mailbox red and centrally place it so people can deposit all dumb rules and regulations needing revision or elimination. Form a team to evaluate each nomination. Celebrate with a bonfire burning all the policies and procedures no longer needed. If you haven't already, start an employee orientation program as well as an education and training program for everyone in the business. Ask your workers frequently, "What can I do to make your job better, easier or more productive?" Then do it. Conduct frequent, unannounced recognition/award celebrations for workers. Give employees permission to disagree with management. Capture the creativity of people and have contests for the best idea of the month. Start new ways to evaluate performance by allowing subordinates to evaluate their superiors and/or use a 360-degree evaluation. Reengineer most of your inspectors and auditors. Give them new responsibilities such as, internal consultants, customer service representatives, helpers or instructors. Develop processes to identify and eliminate barriers and obstacles. Tremendous improvement comes from small changes. Remember that it is management's job to remove barriers and obstacles, so people can perform the best at their job. Free by e-mail/fax: If you would like a free article on how to keep your business and life on-course please fax us your name on your letterhead or E-mail us with the words, ,,Keeping On-Course to

770-760-0581/greg@chartcourse.com.

Gregory P. Smith shows business owners how to build productive and

profitable work environments that attract, keep and motivate their

workforce. He speaks at conferences and is the President of a management

consulting firm called Chart Your Course International located in Conyers,

Georgia. Phone him at (770)860-9464 or send an email at

greg@chartcourse.com. More information and articles are available at

www.chartcourse.com.

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