Inspirations—More Than a Cup of Tea
When you walk through the front door of Inspirations Gifts, Décor and Tea Room, you immediately sense the peaceful and elegant atmosphere. You can browse the gift areas or sit down to enjoy one of Inspirations’ signature trios and flavored tea, but most of all you sense the attention to detail.
Larry and Tamara Rhoads opened Inspirations in February 2005 in order to “encourage faith, family, and friends.” The tea room serves 800 to 1000 guests each week.
The following year, the Rhoads opened the Two Hearts Inn bed-and-breakfast. “At Two Hearts Inn we focus on providing married couples a unique getaway experience where they can relax, renew, and rekindle,” Larry said. “We keep our focus on who our target customers are and how we can best serve their needs.”
Communicate Your Vision
Each morning before Inspirations opens, the Rhoads hold a five-minute meeting with most of their staff. They discuss the month’s character quality and cover other important issues. For example, on the Tuesday after spring break, Larry thanked the team for their extra effort during an especially busy week.
Alertness—being aware of what is taking place around me so I can have the right responses—is important for everyone at Inspirations. “We constantly are watching, listening, and asking our employees and customers, ‘How was everything?’” Larry said. Then, each employee must know how to respond to needs as they arise.
Give Attention to Details
Mr. and Mrs. Wotring visit Inspirations every Tuesday for the “good food, service, and atmosphere.” He is a retired minister and marriage counselor; she is a retired educator. The experience they enjoy is no accident—it results from careful preparation and character-based service.
Larry gives personal attention to guests in an effort to ensure each has a good experience, and Tamara sees that every plate that leaves the kitchen “looks like it’s ready for my mom.”
Each server must be alert to the needs of other servers as well as their customers. Servers help one another make tea, and kitchen workers sort dishes at busy times so that servers can focus on their guests. This teamwork provides quality and consistency, which contributes to the relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.
Stay Alert to Needs
Larry remembers when server Emily Blaess noticed a guest feeling unwell. Blaess had a coworker call emergency services while she stayed with the guest. “Apparently the lady had a reaction to a change in medication, resulting in symptoms similar to a heart attack,” Larry said. “The husband called back later in the day, wanting to thank us for the special care we gave to his wife.” The server’s alertness to the situation and quick response helped alleviate a potential crisis.
Building Character Brings Success
For businesses to succeed, employees must be alert to customer needs and take the right actions to meet them. Those “who develop alertness to serving others will greatly improve their future success,” Larry said. Alertness promotes a culture that benefits the individual and the company.
Find the Right People
Larry stresses the significance of having employees whose character reinforces the company culture. To help him select the right people, Larry has prospective employees fill out a basic application and a character-based application. These forms help Larry conduct the interview and discern the applicant’s character.
“We look for a desire to serve with a desire to learn,” Larry said, “everything else pales in significance.”
Questions with Larry Rhoads:
How do employees practice Alertness?
We constantly are watching, listening, and asking our employees and customers, "How was everything?" We truly listen and care. We commonly ask, "Are you here for a special occasion?" or "Is there something else I can get for you?" or "What can we do better next time?"
We try to let customers know we hear their concerns and are committed to improving in the future.
With Two Hearts Inn, we focus on providing married couples a unique get-away experience where they can renew, rekindle, and relax. We keep our focus on who are target customers are and how we can best serve their needs. The occasions normally involve wedding nights, anniversaries, birthdays, and gifts of encouragement. People seem to really value what we provide.
What are some benefits of alertness?
Young people who develop alertness to serving others in a business setting will greatly improve their future success. Being able see what is taking place around them is the only way they will be able to have the right response.
Too many young people today focus almost entirely on themselves instead of seeing the needs of others. After all, most successful businesses see a need and seek to meet that need.
Hiring for Character:
The topic of hiring for character is covered in the Character First! Advanced Implementation Seminar. Learn more about the seminar or how to register for an upcoming seminar.