70% Right / 110% Sure – Intriguing, right?

Michael Goldberg, CEO of Zimmerman Advertising and former CMO of mega-agency Deutsch gave the Restaurant Leadership Conference attendees something to think about with his “70% Right/110% Sure” presentation a couple years back – it still resonates today for me! Goldberg challenged industry leaders to be willing to accept more risk and to go on the offensive instead of playing defense.

 Five Guys Burger & Fries is sometimes criticized for the narrowness of their menu, but COO Sam Chamberlain said he was 110 percent sure they would still be focused on burgers and fries ten years from now. He and the Five Guys team are sure they do not need to offer a chicken sandwich to meet every customer’s needs.

Starbucks’ Howard Schultz was 110 percent sure that we would buy a better cup of coffee… did he know we’d pay nearly $5 per cup? Probably not. When we are 110 percent sure of what we stand for, we don’t need to wait until our plans are perfected. A good idea, one that’s 70 percent right, should be right-enough for success! Great advice, especially given the increasing competitive challenges of our business.