I often talk about attention to detail in greating great documents -- not obsessing over minutia, but almost the opposite ... combining key details simply and effectively, to create a better whole. It's not a new idea -- perhaps just different than the typical way of working with software. But, why not give it a try? It's what a talented cook does, or a good decorator, or a creative gardener.
Consider dinner, for example. Last night, I made a broiled chicken breast salad and it was fantastic.
Taking just a minute yesterday morning to put the raw chicken into a bowl of white wine combined with a pre-made marinade enabled it to cook much faster last night (when I started, starved, to make dinner at 9pm) and it tasted much better than if I had skipped that detail of marinating it. And, a drizzle of the warm marinade and juices at the end of cooking made a perfect, instant salad dressing.
Without that one little step, I would have waited longer for an inferior dinner that would have gotten the job done, but certainly wouldn't have been a dining experience. Just the same, a bit of planning on your document ... just a moment of thought ... can make so much difference. Think I'm stretching the metaphor? Consider that any success can be found in the details ...
Recently, this type of essential detail has been showing itself around me in the detail of service and the success it breeds. In fact, this article is being prompted by the second example of fantastic service that I've experienced in the last week ...
People love to rag on the mega-company Starbucks and what they think it stands for. But this morning, I stopped at Starbucks on my way home from the gym (as I often do) and something happened. My coffee was bitter, so I asked the woman at the counter if it was the bottom of the pot. It was a fresh pot, she said, completely without judgment or question - as she immediately dumped the entire pot into the sink and poured me a fresh cup from a fresh pot, apologizing to me for the wait.
Starbucks is successful for a reason -- it's all in the details.
Last week, among many great experiences spending time with people in Redmond who I see too rarely ... I went to the same excellent restaurant two nights in a row. If you're in Seattle and haven't been to Cascadia, I highly recommend checking it out. I was with some of my favorite humans on both occassions, so I would have had a wonderful time at Taco Bell :) ...but this restaurant was really something. The food was terrific, as was the wine list ... but something happened at the end of my second visit that will have me back there every time I'm in the Seattle area.
It was pouring rain -- horizontal sheets of rain, to be more accurate -- at about 11pm, when we were leaving the restaurant. The cab that our waiter called didn't show ... so the restaurant's wine director stood outside in that awful weather, probably ruining his suit, to get us a taxi. It was no small feat and took several minutes. And, the thing is, people who do things like that never think they've done something remarkable -- which is a good part of what makes it remarkable, in my opinion. Once again, my guess is that this restaurant is successful for a reason and the reason is in the details.
Have a good holiday weekend everyone ... enjoy the details...