Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1511997
30 Worcester Business Journal | November 27, 2023 | wbjournal.com W G rowing up, patience was never my virtue, but I have always been honest to a fault. I loved immediate gratification, hated waiting for an answer, and when I wanted some- thing done, I wanted it done right away. When I brought this up to my husband, he laughed, because he still thinks my patience is not at an all-time high, but he definitely knows I can be honest, and blunt. But, since becoming a mom and now a business owner for 11 years, pa- tience has been a new part of my life. I have noticed more lately when I hear my employees talk, they are their own worst critics. ey oen second guess themselves, not trusting the skills they have honed through years of experience. ey fixate on the small things, and while I do believe the small things matter, I do not think they should overtake their minds when it hinders the end goal. I was joking around with a few of them in the kitchen, and asked if I was a scary monster in their minds. ey laughed but ex- plained they are always nervous to make mistakes. I have more confidence in them than they do in themselves! In the past, I was way more of a micro- manager and didn't have the same type of patience I have now, and it makes me wonder if I instilled fear and timidness in past employees. I hope not, but it is almost inevitable. All I can do is build my employees' confidence by pointing out the great things they do and offer constructive criticism in a way that is not belittling, but empowering. Patience is key; so is honesty. Besides having patience, when I reflect on my world, I wonder how we can estab- lish better coping skills. Mistakes happen Nearly ruined wedding cookies & the value of patience every day. As much as I would like my bakery to be perfect, we aren't. But how we deal with the imperfections is what matters the most. When an employee makes a mistake, how are we going to cope with it? Are we going to treat it as if the world is ending? Or will we band together as a team, come up with a solu- tion, and then deal with the aermath? We can fix our mistakes, and if an issue arises, we must think on our feet rather than dwell on what happened. A few weeks ago, I tried a new tech- nique on wedding cookies for a custom- er. It had worked for me in the past, but this time around, the gold writing I tried stayed tacky and did not fully dry. I dust- ed it with cornstarch, a hack I saw online. When I started to package the order, I realized the cookies were being ruined. I had a few options. e first one was to continue packaging the cookies and send them on their way. Obviously, I would never do that. Second was to remake the cookies and deliver them myself the next day to the wedding venue. ird would be to smudge the gold all over the cookie and then write on top of it. e second and third options were best, but I knew I had to be honest and call the bride. I was completely honest with her. She could not have been nicer, more consider- ate, or patient with me. She said it was totally fine; but the wedding venue was in Maine, and she was not going to have me drive the cookies to her. She said she would take whatever we had on hand. I was so thankful for her grace and told her I was going to go with option three. I texted her photos, she was thrilled, and we baked fresh cookies for her as a thank you. I handled the situa- tion, though not ideal, with honesty, and she met me with patience and under- standing. If I went with the first option, or let this scenario ruin my day, it would have thrown off everything else. I was able to work through that much differ- ently than I would have in the past. My main goal has always been to help create strong, confident people. I will continue to do so until e Queen's Cups is no longer. Being a boss, employer, and/or business owner is a marathon, not a sprint. We all evolve over time and hopefully reflect back on what works and what doesn't. What works for me is pa- tience and honesty. I can only hope these traits are being passed on to those who I work side by side with every day. Renee Diaz is the owner of Worcester bakery e Queen's Cups. WBJ Ensure your team has ALL ACCESS to WBJ. We offer discounted group subscriptions starting at 5 users. Reach out to us at circulation@wbjournal.com for a quote. The Hustle is Real BY RENEE DIAZ Warehouse Storage For Rent Asset Management Program Office and Lab Moving WE KNOW STORAGE!!!! thestoragecompany.com