Warning Signs

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Published by Brent Murton, Founder, Epik Consulting

The signs appear long before the failure does.

During a Chef in Residence luncheon at Ernest's, we began noticing the first signs of water coming through the ceiling.

At first, it appeared minor.

A small stain.

Then a drip.

Then another.

What guests did not know was that earlier that morning, a building maintenance team had been cleaning rooftop HVAC units as part of seasonal spring maintenance. Around the same time our luncheon began, the crew broke for lunch and unknowingly left a water hose running.

For more than an hour, water continued to pool on the roof.

Eventually, it found the path of least resistance.

The first warning signs appeared inside the dining room.

As the situation developed, our team began moving tables away from the affected area and positioning containers beneath the leak. Service continued. Guests remained focused on the luncheon while we quietly managed the growing problem.

Moments later, the ceiling gave way.

Several suspended ceiling tiles collapsed into the containment bin we had placed beneath the leak, along with a significant amount of water.

Fortunately, nobody was injured.

The luncheon continued.

Guests were served.

The event was successful.

Looking back, there is one thing I would do differently.

As soon as the first warning signs appeared, I should have immediately contacted the Facilities Supervisor.

We responded effectively and protected the guest experience, but experience has taught me that recognizing a problem and escalating a problem are not always the same thing.

That lesson stayed with me.

The ceiling collapse was not the first sign of trouble.

It was the final sign.

The real warning had appeared much earlier.

In hospitality, events, leadership, and business, major failures rarely arrive without warning.

Service breakdowns.

Culture issues.

Safety incidents.

Operational failures.

They almost always begin with small indicators that seem easy to dismiss.

The challenge is that warning signs rarely announce themselves as emergencies.

They appear as small inconveniences.

Small irregularities.

Small observations.

Small concerns.

The leaders who consistently protect outcomes are not necessarily the smartest people in the room.

They are often the people who pay attention earliest.

The people who recognize weak signals before they become major disruptions.

The people who act before everyone else realizes there is a problem.

The ceiling collapse taught me an important lesson.

Small problems rarely stay small.

And the first sign is rarely the last sign.