Follow the one inch rule

Don't let small mistakes undermine your good work

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.
This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
tip is to complete your work with care all the
way to the last ditch. Paying attention to small, visible

(00:26):
details means you won't accidentally undermine the good work that
you have done. Today's tip, like another this week, comes
from Will Guidara's book Unreasonable Hospitality, The Remarkable power of
giving people more than they expect. Guidara was a co

(00:47):
owner and the general manager of the restaurant eleven Madison
Park and worked with Danny Meyer of Union Square Cafe
and Shakeshack fame. Guidara shares what he learned from the
restaurant business to offer insights about excellence in any context.
Guidara's one inch rule calls for attending to every single

(01:11):
step required to get an excellent dish to a diner.
If you start with a delicious recipe that has been
perfectly cooked and thoughtfully plaited, that is not enough. The
server still needs to carry it carefully to the table
and place it in front of the diner gently, so

(01:32):
that no garnish slips out of place and no sauce
touches anything it shouldn't, the server takes care with the
dish right to the very last inch. At his restaurant's
Guidara and his team focused on the one inch rule
literally to make sure the garnishes arrived still in place.

(01:55):
They applied the one inch rule figuratively two. As he explains,
the one inch rule was a reminder to stay present
and to follow through all the way to that last inch.
He offers getting the music and lighting just right and
bidding guests goodbye as examples of following the one inch

(02:16):
rule metaphorically. This one inch rule has applications in other
fields as well. Sometimes people focus so intently on production
that they don't attend to delivery, or they work so
hard on the difficult parts of their work that they
neglect excellence in the simple parts. It matters that your

(02:38):
PowerPoint deck is clear and compelling, but it also matters
that your delivery is focused and polished. You are not finished.
When you have prepared an excellent deck, you also need
to present with excellence too. You need to be sure
your audio visual tools are working, because an excellent deck

(03:00):
that can't be seen isn't in fact an excellent deck,
and since the point of an excellent deck is usually
to achieve a result, like getting someone to agree to
what you're proposing. If you are sloppy or surly because
you stayed up too late making that perfect deck, there
is going to be a problem. All the details matter

(03:24):
down to the last inch. It matters that your home
is decorated beautifully for your party, but it also matters
that when you open the door to greet your guests,
you are present and not frazzled. And really the experience
starts before that. You want to make sure your guests
are able to park somewhere where they don't have to

(03:46):
walk through the mud to get to your door. Think
about their experience down to the last inch. When you
abide by the one inch rule, you make sure that
all your work to the last moment, it reflects the
same high level of care. Now to be sure, people
can go overboard with anything, including this one inch rule,

(04:10):
there is no need to obsess over the details of
parts of your work that don't matter or that just
waste people's time. I would also note that in order
to pay attention to that last inch, you have to
get to the last inch, meaning you are not so
obsessed with perfecting a recipe that it never gets to

(04:30):
your diners. As in all things balance, but if you
have done a great job on something, you don't want
to undermine your hard work by being sloppy with the
final details of delivery. If the sauce on the meat
has slopped onto the amazing salad, the salad isn't going

(04:53):
to be enjoyed the way it was supposed to be.
So best to carry the dish carefully and place it
on the table carefully so it can be truly enjoyed.
In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and

(05:13):
here's to making the most of our time. Hey, everybody,
I'd love to hear from you. You can send me
your tips, your questions, or anything else. Just connect with
me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at Before Breakfast pod

(05:34):
that's b E the number four, then Breakfast p o D.
You can also shoot me an email at Before Breakfast
Podcasts at iHeartMedia dot com. That Before Breakfast is spelled
out with all the letters. Thanks so much, should I
look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

(05:56):
production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the
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favorite shows.