The lost art of reading
A famous quote by Former Lord Chancellor Francis Bacon states “Reading Maketh a Full Man”. Truthfully, that is an incomplete version of the quote that actually says “Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man”. Bacon, both a philosopher and statesman, was born in 1561, died in 1626, and his words still ring true 394 years later!
Reading is a very important characteristic of ‘a full person’, and unfortunately, one that is becoming quite difficult to find! Kindly note I am not talking about ability to read, but rather the resolve and practice to read something in its entirety before making a conclusion and acting upon it.
Let’s take some simple examples that occur in the sphere of Hospitality.
Example 1: You are at work and going to order some lunch. Because you want to eat at your desk, you fire up your trusty food delivery platform app, place an order and clearly state “PLEASE INCLUDE A FORK AND SPOON” in the ‘Additional Notes’ section. Your rice and curry is delivered in double-quick time, piping hot and fragrantly delectable. But something’s missing. Where’s the cutlery? You ask the delivery rider; he shrugs his shoulders and says that he just picked up the already-sealed parcel as it was from the restaurant. You call the restaurant only to receive a cursory apology, “sorry, we didn’t see the notes”.
Example 2: You are planning a repeat stay in a hotel of your choice at which some rooms face breathtaking mountain views. You book via e-mail, clearly stating your preference for an ‘UPPER-FLOOR, MOUNTAIN-VIEW ROOM’ and receive a standard confirmation via e-mail. Upon checking-in at the hotel, you are shown to a lower-floor room that overlooks the car park. When you ask the Receptionist what happened, she apologises saying that “she didn’t see the request note in your e-mail”, and eventually after you have wasted some time at the reception, offers you a room on a slightly higher floor offering a partial glimpse of the mountain.
This ‘did-not read’ syndrome is prevalent across all spheres of business. Plenty of people don’t get it (I mean read it). Despite sending a report to them with the desired points you will find them asking you “why didn’t you include point XXX in the report”. On pointing it out, the typical response is “Oh, I didn’t see that…”
What really gets my goat are those who have the temerity to call me after I have already e-mailed the required information to them and ask as to why they haven’t received it. The simple reason is, they haven’t checked their e-mail. Reminds me of the ‘Post Turtle’ - that I’m certain everyone has met sometime in our lives. (Go on Google it and see what I mean).
Technology was supposed to make our lives easier, not lazier! Growing up in the nineties I vividly recall that if I wanted to read something new that wasn’t in my bookshelf, I had to ask my mother to drive me to the bookshop if she was free to do so. If I received a letter from a friend who was living overseas, I carefully pored over it taking time to absorb the details and picture the situations described. Today, we have a book of faces, an entire library and potentially the central mail exchange in that little 6-inch rectangle we carry around with us during our entire day (even into the washroom), and yet... we still don’t read things properly and understand them fully!
Maybe it’s time to slow down, take some time to read things fully – twice if necessary and realise that the ‘devil is in the details’ – and especially so, in Hospitality. If you receive a booking from a guest, an order from a hungry patron or any other electronic communication, read it carefully. Let the meanings sink in. Then, read it again. Don’t let Reading become a Lost Art!
Ashraaq Wahab - an automotive journalist, marketer and writer who enjoys penning his thoughts, insights and ideas on a variety of topics.
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