No Toilet for Three and a Half Days!!!

As a lot of you know, I often use the toilet as a metaphor for customer service and now I have another story to share with you about the toilet...

I own a rental unit at an older downtown condominium development.  On Sunday night, my tenant informed me that they had to call a plumber, because the toilet was plugged and inoperable. Unfortunately, the plumber was unable to fix the problem and the toilet was shut down for the night.  (Day 1)

On Monday morning, we called our own plumber to take a look at it, who said he would need to shut-off the water for 15 minutes to do the fix.  So, we contacted the building management with our request.  We were told, in no uncertain terms from several managers and employees, that there is a “48-hour rule,” which requires a 2-day lead time before water can be shut off.  The problem is that the entire 30-plus story “stack” of the building must be brought down to shut off the water.  Which meant that the earliest they could do the shutoff would be Thursday!  Translation... no toilet on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  (Day 2, 3 & 4)

To make matters worse, the building was constructed so that the plumbing in the bathroom of one unit is shared with the next unit, so now there are two units with non-working toilets!

Given that we have two parties, with potentially no bathroom for four days, we ask the builiding to approve an emergency water shut-off or, at a minimum, a 24-hour shut-off.  Again, the answer is " we must adhere to “policy.” 

Recalling that our own condo does emergency water shut-offs from time to time, I asked if they have such a procedure for emergencies.  The response was “no.”  One manager suggested that the tenant use the public restroom in the common area, which would only be accessible until 10:00 pm!  Great, but what happens if nature calls at midnight?

I checked with my building manager, who does an outstanding job, and he told me that his approach would be to work to resolve the problem immediately, given that health and sanitation issues involved for each party. To him, it was a “no-brainer.”

Later, I call the Maintenance Manager for this development to get his help, but he never returned my call.  

So, we're stuck and my tenant and the neighboring unit are without a bathroom for four days.

The Leadership Lesson

This situation is a classic example of process-obsession, with little regard for outcomes, coupled with a total lack of common sense and humane consideration for others.

The “outcome” of any reputable building management company is to create a clean, safe and comfortable living environment for its residents.  In your business, your leaders must also always consider the health and welfare of your employees, customers and vendors.  

Be careful that team members don’t get caught up in the enforcement of rules and policy without consideration of outcomes.  Minimization of variation is critical to success, but not to the extent where the health and well-being of others is compromised.

Talk to me... what do you think?