In one of the training sessions we delivered yesterday at the JCI MetNet Conference in Atlanta, GA, we had participants out and about doing their own Circle Check of the hotel we were in. As we discussed the various aspects of the hotel that they checked on, and the faults they found, the natural tendency of course is to talk about the need to fix them immediately.
One of our participants brought up a great point, and asked if it wasn't possible to make a place too sterile or too "perfect". As we discuss in Trucker Management about being "exceptional" in your business space, a key component of that is being "consistent". And so, if your business or brand or image is not one of perfection, or your customers are not expecting (or even moreso, don't want) a pristine environment, then your Circle Checks take on a different flavour. You need to look much less at things that need to be "fixed" in a traditional maintenance sense, and more at things that are consistent with the expectations of your customers.
This was reinforced last night when we headed out to one of the midtown bars. The target market of this place was obviously 20-somethings, perhaps largely students, and the decor, staff dress, drink prices and selection and even admission policy ($5 for guys, no charge for women) reflected that. Once inside, we noticed that the ceiling wasn't finished - simply exposed beams and insulation. In many businesses, spotting this in a Circle Check might scream "fix it!". But, for this business, this absolutely fit. Here was a business that understood what was and wasn't important to their clientele in creating and maintaing their space. Scuffed wooden floors and exposed ceilings enhanced the business instead of detracting from it.
A professional office needs its exposed ceiling finished or fixed immediately..... a bar for 20-somethings doesn't.
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