To schools and businesses alike: if you ask for my time and input, please use it meaningfully. It's disheartening to be consulted for feedback, only to see it dismissed or ignored entirely.
Customer service expert Shep Hyken, in collaboration with RingCentral, uncovered a telling statistic: 71% of U.S. customers believe that companies won't act on the feedback they receive through customer satisfaction surveys. It’s not difficult to imagine that parents feel similarly about their interactions with public schools.
Recently, while visiting one of my favorite restaurants, Chipotle, in another state, I encountered an unsettling experience. From the moment I entered, it was clear that something was off. As someone who constantly observes customer service, I couldn’t help but notice the uncleanliness of the establishment. Trash cans were overflowing, tables were dirty, and debris littered the floor. Despite several employees appearing idle, none seemed inclined to address the mess. Predictably, the service was lackluster, and several key ingredients, like fajita vegetables, were unavailable.
As a YELP Elite member, I documented my experience, complete with photos, and submitted an honest review. I pointed out that the state of the restaurant likely reflected poor leadership. But as I delved into other reviews, I realized that my complaints echoed those made by numerous other patrons over the years. The restaurant had consistently received criticism for its cleanliness, yet nothing had changed.
Shortly after posting my review, I received an email from Chipotle, thanking me for my feedback and asking me to share my experience again on another platform. Frustrated, I wondered why I should invest more of my time when it was evident that my previous input—and that of countless others—had been disregarded. In my reply, I referenced John Maxwell’s quote: “Everything rises and falls on leadership,” and questioned the leadership at that location.
This experience underscores a broader issue: don’t solicit feedback unless you’re prepared to act on it.
The same principle applies to public schools. Too often, schools solicit input from parents, staff, and the community, only for that feedback to be dismissed or never acknowledged. For instance, I’ve seen committees of dedicated parents and educators spend hours crafting recommendations, only to have their work overridden by decisions that ignore their efforts. In one case, a Board of Education asked a committee to present three school calendar options, only to disregard them and create a different calendar entirely. This devalued the time and effort of everyone involved, leading me to publicly state that I would never participate in such a process again.
Similarly, I’ve witnessed a school board convene a committee to review superintendent applications and recommend candidates, only to hire someone not even on the list. This kind of behavior suggests that decisions were predetermined, rendering the committee’s work a mere formality.
Legally, boards may have the right to make such decisions, but that doesn’t mean it’s ethical or respectful to do so.
As businesses and educational institutions, we must ask ourselves: How do we communicate to stakeholders that their feedback will be used constructively? If you’re going to ask people to give their time—their most valuable resource—then you owe it to them to demonstrate that their contributions matter.
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