Is there job related data to be gathered from your morning latte run? Most of us would say no. We assume our caffeine habits are private. But according to one high profile CEO, the way you behave at the register says everything about your potential as an employee.
Codie Sanchez is a heavy hitter in the world of finance. A best selling author and investor with a massive portfolio ranging from laundromats to cannabis companies, she knows a thing or two about efficiency.
In a viral podcast interview with Chris Williamson, Sanchez argued that she can spot a bad hire just by standing behind them in line at a cafe.
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The "Coffee Test"
Sanchez described a scenario where a person stands at the front of the line and takes a long time to decide between a blueberry or a bran muffin. To most people, this is just a moment of indecision. To Sanchez, it is a character flaw.
She argues that speed of decision making is a key indicator of success.
"People who take forever to order when they stand in line are: one, really comfortable inconveniencing somebody else around them, which means they have limited self awareness, maybe borderline narcissism," she said.
She didn't stop there. She added that these people are also "not very efficient at the things that don't really matter."
The logic is simple. If you waste brain power and time on low stakes decisions like a muffin flavor, you are likely inefficient at work too. It is a modern twist on the old "waiter rule," which suggests you should never hire someone who is rude to service staff.
The Pushback
While Sanchez sees delay as a sign of selfishness, science suggests it might be something else entirely.
A 2019 study published in the National Library of Medicine found that people are actually more likely to procrastinate when a task has a low value outcome. Our brains sometimes short circuit when the stakes are low because there is no clear "winner" between the options.
Furthermore, context is everything.
When the clip circulated on TikTok, the comment section was quick to defend the slow orderers of the world.
"Don't be a people pleaser. Take your time. Enjoy your life," one user wrote.
Others pointed out that what looks like inefficiency to a CEO might be financial anxiety to someone else.
"What if it was someone with little money treating themselves and trying to make a decision on how to get the most out of the few dollars she does have?" another user asked.
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Efficiency vs. Enjoyment
There is also the argument that successful people are actually more deliberate, not less.
"I could argue the exact opposite," one commenter noted. "People who have money are careful about decisions, they want to make the right decision always, even with coffee perhaps."
Whether you agree with Sanchez or not, the takeaway is clear. The next time you are standing in line, maybe have your order ready. You never know who might be hiring behind you.
This article originally appeared last year.
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