Your “Bad Sunday” Might Be Their Only Sunday.

Many moons ago we had a campus that was – as the kids say – on the struggle bus (do the kids actually say that? Discuss.).

It seemed that just about anytime I dropped by for a visit, something was off: the First-Time Guest Tent hadn’t been put out. A skeleton crew was non-existent. A door handout hadn’t been picked up, and therefore wasn’t available to hand out.

I’d often inquire of the Guest Services Director why these things were so (or rather, not so), and the answer was often the same:

“You just caught us on a bad weekend.”

In a sense, I get it: volunteers don’t always show up. Staff members don’t always remember. Details get overlooked. But these weren’t one-offs, these were a pattern.

So one weekend, in a pique of frustration, I said, “If these things are happening every time I show up, this is not a bad weekend. This is your weekend.“

Here’s the problem with “bad weekend” mindsets: we don’t necessarily get a do-over with our first-time guests. If we fumble the first visit, if they don’t feel cared for or expected, they may not return. Their second weekend could have all the potential to be a great weekend. But if the first one is lousy, the second one may never happen. As leaders, we often assume a future opportunity that won’t actually materialize.

Will Guidara says it like this in Unreasonable Hospitality: the restaurant you are is the restaurant they are reviewing.

It might very well be a bad Sunday. But it could be their only Sunday.

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photo credit: David LeBron