Kristy Grant-Hart (kristygh@sparkcompliance.com) is the Managing Director of Spark Compliance Consulting in London, and author of the book, How to be a Wildly Effective Compliance Officer.
If you’re ever lucky enough to stay in a Ritz-Carlton hotel, you may think it’s the plush towels and comfy bedding that make the place so special, but it has more to do with service than with swimming pools. The Ritz-Carlton hotels franchised a policy called the 10/5 Way, which has made all the difference for their brand.
The 10/5 Way is simple. When a guest is ten feet from a Ritz employee, the employee is to make eye contact and smile. When the guest is five feet away, the employee is instructed to smile and say “hello.” Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and Ochsner Health System’s staff also know the 10/5 Way makes a difference. Sam Walton required Walmart greeters to smile whenever they were within ten feet of a customer. It was part of what made the company so successful.
Shawn Archer, author of Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change, tells the story of Ochsner Health System. The company formally trained more than 11,000 physicians and staff to smile and say hello according to the 10/5 Way. According to Archer, many doctors were skeptical, saying things like, “I don’t have time to waste on this silly HR initiative. I’m busy saving lives.”
What happened? Over time, the smiling behavior became contagious. Humans are naturally wired to mirror each other; usually, when someone smiles at you, you smile back. The instruction to smile not only changed the culture at Ochsner Health but dramatically improved patient outcomes: Patients that experience warm and positive environments are much more likely to follow their treatment regime and return for checkups.
Why not institute the 10/5 Way yourself? Make eye contact and smile when you’re within ten feet of a colleague. When you’re within five feet, say hello. Studies have confirmed that the best doctors aren’t those with the fanciest degrees, but those who know how to connect with their patients. To be the best compliance officer you can be, learn how to connect with your colleagues. A smile and a quick hello will do just that.
