The Most Important Person in Your Business Is Not You

Who do you think is the most important person in your business?

If you said you, the owner, I understand why. 

It feels that way most days. 

But I do not think that is true and neither does Virginia Trioli.

She spent almost 40 years in Australian journalism and wrote a list of 27 things she had learnt. Right at the top she said the most important person at the ABC is not the managing director and not the chair of the board. It is whoever is sitting at the front desk.

That person knows everything, can get you in anywhere, or keep you locked out of the lot. They are diligent, discreet, and good humoured.

I read that and thought about every business I have owned.

The people who actually run your business

When I ran Aquaduck, I could stand at the front and take a bow, but I was nothing without my team. 

The crew who greeted customers. 

The reservations team answered the phone. 

The guide who made a family laugh so hard they told everyone they knew.

Virginia said presenters are nothing and she used capitals, NOTHING, without their producers. She said you do not see them on air but you should know them.

For me, that is exactly how a business works. 

Your customers see the product or tour. They do not see the person who fixed the booking at 6am so the tour could run at all.

The moment I understood this

There were a lot of times with my young family and my husband also driving the Aquaduck, that it was not convenient for me to work school holidays and weekends with the team.

However I made it a priority over Christmas and Easter. I wanted the team to know I valued them. I wanted them to see the owner turn up on the hard days, not just the easy ones.

Because here is the truth. 

Your front desk person, your best guide, your booking coordinator, they can leave. And when they go, they take the thing your customers actually loved.

Do you know your quiet stars?

So here is my question for you. 

Who is the person in your business that everything quietly runs through? The one who never gets the credit but holds the whole thing together?

You know exactly who I mean. Now, when did you last tell them?

Three things to do this week

1. Name your front-desk person, the one who really keeps things running. Write the name down.

2. Tell them, out loud and specifically, what they do that matters. Not a generic thanks. A real one.

3. Look at how you would cope if they left tomorrow, then fix the gap before it becomes a crisis.

The most successful tourism businesses I know are not run by one hero owner. They are run by a team who feel valued and stay. That is your real competitive advantage.

If you want to build a team that feels valued and stays, call me at 0491 729 043 for personalised advice and support.