It isn’t gospel, but it’s something I try to live by. Defensiveness is the mark of a person who thinks a little too highly of himself.
Be proactive and then humble about what you did by making others feel like you value their input and their ideas. Think of it as a sort of reverse know-it-all attitude.
Take this scenario: Your customer orders two tacos. One pork and one chicken with cilantro. You make both tacos and wrap them individually. Because, of course, some people hate cilantro (because it tastes like soap.)
Then the customer comes back to the counter as the order is nearly complete and asks that both tacos be wrapped separately.
You can respond by saying, “Oh yeah, I already did that.” That’s perfectly acceptable and nobody would mind it.
But I think that the best answer is to say, “No problem! I’ll make sure that happens.” –That’s right, even if you’ve already done it. The customer feels in control and that you’re listening. All you lose is the minuscule bit of ego-boosting that comes from letting them know that “you already got that taken care of.”
The devil is in the details, and I don’t know why I think about these things, but I clear the thoughts from my mind by writing them down.