Excellence in Everything

If service were a simple task, there wouldn't be so many scathing Yelp reviews or dissatisfied customers venting online, on their smartphones, or at the nearest restaurant or dry cleaners. Such pique has a cost: One survey found that 94 percent of respondents avoided a purchase after reading a negative online review. Eighty percent changed their mind about a recommended purchase because of a "thumbs down."

Mike Kai has encountered reasons for such reactions, be that botched food orders, unreasonable delays, or service with anything but a smile. The way to overcome such business killers lies in the teaching implicit in a centuries-old story: King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Although details of the queen's visit to the famed, wise leader of Israel are brief, in this creative reflection Mike weaves the details of what we do know into modern-day business principles. In doing so, he shows how it is possible to employ the kind of excellence that turned the heads of royalty years ago-and will still impress others.