The Tale of Two Teams

On our anniversary trip to Williamsburg we experienced two restaurants.  One experience was bad and one was great.

Upon arriving to Williamsburg we drove down to the Merchant's Square to look for a place to have dessert and coffee.  We walked into The Seasons, an Italian restaurant, and we were promptly seated.  The hostess placed us in a room with several tables and there were waiters working the room.  We sat there for 15 minutes and not one of the waiters came to our table to take our order.  They all made eye contact.  They all cleaned tables, collected money, took orders from other tables but not one came to our table and we had obviously not been waited on.  It was obvious they weren't concerned.  

You see at The Seasons the approach of their staff is "every man for himself".  The goal is to get your tips and move on.  The goal was not to please the guests in hopes to help the restaurant to be more successful.  After we got up and I had a talk with the manager we moved on to a coffee shop down the street for dessert and coffee.

The second restaurant was The Trellis.  We were quickly seated.  The manager came to our table for our drink order, he also took our food order.  Another wait staff brought us our bread.  A different waitress brought us our salad.  Another waiter brought our meal.  The waitress returned to get our dessert order. 

 The Trellis wait staff had a different approach than the Seasons.  The Trellis functioned as a team.  Their goal was to make our dining experience the best, even if it meant waiting on or serving another waiter's table.  The Trellis wants diners to return.  The staff at the Trellis wants their restaurant to be a success.

What type of teamwork is taking place in your church?  Is it every man for himself, looking out for "my needs" or is it a true team?  Is it the goal of the partners of the church to do what is necessary to make sure that guests have a great experience and desire to return?  Do the partners at your church see how they play a part in the big picture?

Do you pick up the piece of trash on the lobby floor even though that's not your ministry?  Are you willing to give directions to a guest even thought you aren't a greeter?  What are you willing to do to make the team a success?