Table Number 12

Last week, while having breakfast at a hotel in Mumbai, as usual, I gave my table number at the live counter.

The counter had a little sign encouraging guests to do exactly this — so that the server could bring your order directly to your table. Simple idea. Good process. I've always liked it.

So when I placed my order, I told the counter staff: "Table 12."

The staff member noted it down, smiled, and placed my order with the chef.

A couple of minutes later, I spotted a server carrying what I was fairly sure was my order — wandering around the room, looking uncertain. I waited a moment, then walked up to him.

"Why didn't you come directly to Table 12?"

He apologized and explained. The counter staff had noted my table number in the register — but when he asked where the guest was seated, instead of checking the register, they simply pointed in the general direction. The usual practice, apparently, since 95% of guests don't give a table number.

The table number I had given — the entire point of the process — had been quietly ignored.

It made me smile. Not because it ruined my breakfast — it didn't. But because it was such a perfect example of something I see at work all the time.

A process is only as strong as its weakest link.

The restaurant had clearly thought this through. Collect the table number, pass it to the server, deliver to the exact table. Clean, efficient, personal. But one small step was skipped, and the whole experience quietly unravelled.

Nobody set out to break the process. The counter staff was friendly. The server was helpful. But neither of them fully understood why their link in the chain mattered — and that made all the difference.

So the next time you roll out something new at work — a system, a workflow, a customer touchpoint — don't just explain what each person needs to do. Make sure they understand why their step matters. Help them see the full picture, not just their part of it.

The table number is a small thing. But it was the whole point.

I hope this helps you Shoot to the Top!