The Restaurant Leadership Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Hi hey and hello!

In this episode we go through a few key things that pertain to a high-operating training program

1. Positive first impressions

2. How people learn and utilize the training tools

3. Individualize training programs

What makes a great certified trainer? What's the importance of Certified Trainers? In part 1 of my 5 part series, we dive into the main characteristics of a great Certified Trainer and attributes to look for when choosing one to develop.

Those are:

• Knows the importance of always being a Trainer on shift

• Projects a positive attitude

• Acts honest and straightforward — sincere

• Motivates

• Solves problems

• Sets the standard

• Gives feedback

• Commits to being trustworthy

• Communicates openly

• Trains Teammembers

• Shows patience

therestaurantleadershippodcast.com

Hi and Hello Evolved Leaders! Your host TK here! Today's episode is all about providing actual tools for success for your team!

Join our community of Evolved Leaders here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution

I have TikTok- @yourhostTK

Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK

Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com

https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/

Show notes here: 

-          Tools for Success – Give them

An important part of restaurant leadership is setting your employees up for success — but what do those tools look like?

 

Provide effective training- Having an effective training program will give your new employees the knowledge they need to succeed and will allow your tenured team members a chance to become Certified Trainers and further their careers.

 

Set goals. Encourage your employees to set goals for themselves and find time to check in with them every so often about those goals. Having SMART Goals are important! Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Set a monthly meeting with the higher performing team members and the lower performing team members to set goals and help them accomplish them.

 

Don't forget to delegate. I get it. It’s easier if I do it myself. But ultimately that doesn’t help anyone. No one gets the chance to improve their skills and you end up burning out. Delegating will empower your team and will help increase their effectiveness.

 

Actual Tools – Don’t skimp out on equipment repairs. They are important for perspective and for actual operation. All equipment is there for a reason. Do not put It off to hit profit lines. Your team not having the appropriate equipment is baseline unacceptable and yet I see it in restaurant all the time. Simple things such as non-broken spatulas to jerry-rigged ovens with no handles. Keeping them unfixed tells your team that you don’t actually care about them or their job. If you did, you would have proper equipment for your team at all times. It’s not their fault you can’t manage the budget to allow for repairs and maintenance. If they are guest experience items such as booth seats being ripped, it’s even more unacceptable.

Hi and Hello Evolved Leaders! Your host TK here! Today's episode is all about how to portray Above and Beyond in your leadership and how it leaks into your team. Join our community of Evolved Leaders here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/ Show notes here: What does above and beyond look like? When it comes to leadership, we all hear above and beyond this, above and beyond that. No one really explains what that looks like in terms of leadership. What is the line in the sand between doing too much, and too little? -          Doing too much for your crew will lead to dependance. -          High performing teams = a self-sustaining operation. -          Doing too little will portray lack of care for the team’s workload. -          As a manager on duty, imagine that you are an octopus trying to prevent a submarine from filling with water. You are consistently using your 8 limbs to ensure all holes in the ship stay plugged. A great leader can anticipate the tape peeling off the leaking hole before it even happens. o   Total store awareness o   Vision on where bottlenecks will occur before they happen. o   Consistently preventing the backups will show the team that you are dedicated to ensuring their shift goes smoothly. o   Ex. – preparing for a soda BIB change, recognizing a cook will create a bottle neck if they have to refill their cold line, servers will have to spend an extra 5 minutes filling up water pitchers, ice is running out in the drink station, etc. o   Delegating – you don’t have to do it yourself. o   Doing these things yourself consistently day after day will create a crutch where the team will rely on you for those things every shift. This is not what you want. o   Delegating will begin teaching your crew to look for those things before they happen, just as you invision them. Why is it important to display above and beyond as a leader? -          Displaying a&b as a leader will show the crew that you do care and you aren’t afraid to do a little extra. -          This attitude and perception will leak onto your crew. -          An above and beyond team can only be cultivated with an above and beyond leader. -          Caring about a team member’s personal life, or perception of, will increase the likelihood of that person going A&B for your business.   What are some other ways to show A & B in my leadership? -          Having those 5 minutes conversations with the team member. No official document or evaluation, just showing interest in them as a person -          Being consistent with how you show up. Many leaders are so volatile it causes uneasiness in the ranks. (what mood is X manager going to be in today?) This doesn’t cultivate an above and beyond culture.

Join us in our first ever interview episode with Siaygnoun Nhamnhouane! Si is just 3 years into his leadership journey and is progressing quickly. In this episode we go over his thoughts on leadership and what the next steps look like for him!

Join our community of Evolved Leaders here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution

Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK

Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com

https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/

Hi and Hello Evolved Leaders! Your host TK here! Today's episode contains 5 tips for New General Managers and Leaders coming into the restaurant industry!

Join our community of Evolved Leaders here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution

Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK

Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com

https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/

Show notes here:

5 Tips for a new General Manager

1.       Approaching a new team

a.       Hold an all-employee meeting to establish the lines in the sand.

b.       Hold and establish a regular manager meeting with all managers.

c.       Have a conversation with every team member one on one.

d.       Understand their past trauma and what they disliked most about previous management

                                                               i.      Think of it as adopting a dog who was beaten by their previous owner. It takes time and care and establishment of boundaries.

e.       Identify your key operators in an ABC list

                                                               i.      What is an ABC list?

2.       Understanding the workload you’re about to face

a.       3-month turnaround period – it can be demotivating at times but the curve begins to peak at the 3 month spot

b.       You will have to analyze and undo some of the bad habits prev. management instilled.

c.       You will be communicating constantly. Don’t stay quiet. Talk, delegate, and establish the norm.

3.       Do an extensive analysis on the current state of the restaurant – be strategic

a.       Establish what “normal” looks like.

b.       Take note of:

                                                               i.      Cleanliness

                                                             ii.      Operations

                                                           iii.      Profitability

                                                           iv.      Staffing and Training

                                                             v.      Systems

                                                           vi.      Repair and Maintenance

                                                          vii.      Current Guest satisfaction

c.       Ensure you have logins to all systems you’ll need

4.       Build a daily routine.

a.       Routines are the backbone of great operations.

b.       Write down what routine you need to do to be successful.

                                                               i.      This can only be done after analysis.

c.       Have 1 week, 2 week, 4 week, and 8 week goals written and broken down into bite-sized chunks

                                                               i.      It can be overwhelming. Taking over a new restaurant is just like eating an elephant. You have to do it one bite at a time.

 

5.       Have Fun

a.       One of the most overlooked tips is to have fun. Whether you are a new leader, or an existing leader, you chose this profession for a reason. Find ways to make your day enjoyable.

b.       Have a contest, pot luck, or even maybe a raffle drawing.

c.       Your team is your new family. Treat them with care and understanding. If you find yourself not having fun, take a step back, analyze, and plan to get out of the funk

Hi and Hello Evolved Leaders! Your host TK here! Today's episode is all about Preshifts and why they are so darn important!

Join our community of Evolved Leaders here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution

Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK

Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com

https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/

Show notes here:

Preshifts- Why they are an integral part to your daily shift

Unexpected things happen in the restaurant every day  - call outs, 86’ed items, specials, equipment  breadowns you name it.

Teams that plan ahead can avoid the stress and hair-pulling kind of chaos that we have all seen.

Having a pre-shift is important for 3 key reasons:

-          Preparation for the day and alignment

-          Directing your crew to a common goal and mindset

-          Setting the tone for the shift

 

Think of a preshift as a huddle before a big game. The study time students use to prepare for a big test. The training session athletes do before competition. Preshifts are in the same ball park. Without that huddle, study time, or training session, people would be left goal-less and not as prepared as they could have been.

-          What to include in your pre-shift?

- This varies from day to day but a good guideline to follow is to ensure your pre-shifts have:

-Praises – choose an MVP from the day prior or give someone a shout out. This starts the meeting out positively and will help motivate employees for being recognized. Be specific and sincere.

- Review any previous goals from the day prior

- Business updates – 86’ed items, any specials, any equipment down, big events in the community, owner visits, weather, anticipated Guest flow etc.

- 1-2 goals. Don’t give your team an expansive 5 goal checklist. Chose the most important ones you have to accomplish today. These should be geared around sales driving, team work, and Guest satisfaction.

 

-          Preparation is key to a pre-shift. Be sure you have a few bullet points ready to discuss which will help you keep on track and not forget any important updates.

-          Delegate the preshift- Delegating to a high performing Team member will help with their development and establishment as a leader in your restaurant. I’ve seen great return on delegating this to a hipo.

-          Be sure to give your notes and bullet points to the team member so they have talking points. Being unprepared and unexperienced in pre-shifts will lead to feelings of being overwhelmed and will negate any future decisions to do preshifts from that team member.

Lastly – keep them consistent and to the point. Keep them less than 5 minutes in length.

Post shifts – Why are they important? – Recap the day, celebrate same-day wins, and solidifying the goals and expectations – more of a likelihood it becomes a long-term memory.

Hi and Hello! Your host TK here! Today's episode is 5 Signs of an Effective Restaurant Leader! Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/ Show notes here: 5 Attributes for Effective Restaurant Leadership Here are 5 attributes effective restaurant managers practice to lead their team successfully 1- Communicate regularly with your team and customers o. Communication is the main problem with conflicts in the workplace. p. When a GM or Leader doesn’t communicate, the whole restaurant fails. q. They are the dam for information from top down. r. Communicate with Guests to learn true feedback on your operations and to get to know your community. 2- Understand the Importance of Teamwork a. You can’t win alone -it takes a village b. You can’t run all positions efficiently 3- Lead by example a. Be the ideal employee. Wash your hands when needed for 20 seconds, show up dressed and ready to go and on time, Always smile and bring positivity. b. How you react to situations is also a form of leading by example. i. To guest incidents and complaints ii. To Employee drama iii. To operations iv. To changes in the systems v. Mishaps that come about – broken equipment, late truck orders, health inspector 4- Planning a. An amazing Leader is always thinking 3 months ahead. b. A good leader is thinking 1 month ahead. c. An Assistant may think 1 week ahead d. A key holder/shift manager thinks 1 day ahead e. An employee thinks 1 shift ahead. f. Being a good planner will alleviate most of the stress as it takes away the need to use some of your finite will power energy source. It is finite. g. Planning is more than just using a calendar. i. You need to forecast events in your community and how they will affect your business ii. Employee changes 1. Seasonal? 2. Graduates 3. Promotions iii. You’ll look like a rock star to your bosses iv. Always leave room for flexibility. Life happens 5- Establish and Represent the Culture a. The culture is the soul b. Set hard lines in the sand on items you wont budge on: i. Attendance and uniforms ii. Disrespect iii. 3rd chances iv. Harassment of any sort v. Creating a hostile work environment c. Be the standard. d. IT takes about 6-12 months to establish a new culture that is self-sustaining – aka will need minimal input from you the leader but will still require some. IF you wish to continue being a culture leader, there is no harm in continuing pounding this door until you become the best culture and employer of choice in your area.

Hi and Hello!

Your host TK here! Today's episode comes from a listener, they asked "What do you look for as signs of growth or leadership potential in your team?"

Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution

Talk to me on Twitter: @YourHostTK

Email me: thailur@evolvedleadershipcoaching.com

https://evolvedleadershipcoaching.com/

Show notes here:

What do you look for as signs of growth or leadership potential?

 

a.    Patience

b.    Commitment to their team

c.     Integrity

d.    Positive outlook.

e.    High Standards

f.     We are in the people business

 

1- attitude trumps skill every time. 

2- Someone who shows they are a leader in their current position already 3– takes the initiative to better the restaurant and/or guest experience, eager to learn and be challenged, enjoys working with others and training, enjoys coming to work…passion for what they do.

4- Someone who actively grows each and every day – They approach you to ask about promotion opportunities and solicit feedback.

5- They help others without being asked

6- They are dependable and reliable

7- They never say no to a challenge

8- They aren’t afraid to fail and correct their mistake and move on.

Providing small steps toward leadership allows us to see them in that role on a smaller scale. Becoming a Trainer, then a Supervisor, then a Manager In Training provides a path to master new skills while demonstrating your leadership potential – Having that Crewmember life cycle

Hi yall! Hope you're all having a great week! This week's episode is about emotional intelligence in specific, two situations and how having emotional intelligence and control helped turn both situations positive. Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/restaurantleadershipevolution/?ref=share Talk to me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/YourHostTK?t=FN5Q1eJF7ivYOBNcvoPCdw&s=09 Email me at thailurk@gmail.com!