Good Morning Friends! Here are my 5 Things to Consider this week!
Culture – If you see something below the standard and do nothing, then you set the new standard. Our actions speak louder than any words we’ve ever hung on a wall. They speak louder than anything we’ve ever said out loud and they are more impactful than any teachings we’ve ever tried to convey. The way we act, or more importantly, what people see us do is the most impactful part of our jobs. It’s more important than any mission statement or values we’ve ever come up with. How we act is our culture. Our people look up to and emulate what we do. When we say nothing about letting a less-than-perfect pie be sold or we don’t say anything about a shitty close, then it becomes the new standard. There’s an old saying that goes, you teach people how to treat you. Your actions, or inactions, set the standard every single day. To have a culture that values performance, we must stand up for the standards we set. Don’t let inaction set the new standard. You entire shop’s, and the entire company’s culture depends on it.
Leadership – Leadership is lonely. Loneliness and leadership have a tendency to go hand in hand. As the person in charge, it’s inevitable that at some point you’ll get treated differently than the people you lead. Especially if you’re in a leadership position as the result of being promoted, no longer being part of “the group” can be hard for some. Having feelings of being “left out” often means you’re doing things right. Where you once were a member of a group, now you’re one of “them.” So why do we accept, and some of the time even actively peruse this lonely road? In the name of challenging ourselves and personal growth, we tend to seek the next challenge, not for the loneliness, but for the potential reward and payoff. We desire to be the person in charge for a variety of reasons; prestige, respect, influence, money, and many more things that become available as you ascend in your career. But will you be prepared for the other side of the coin? This is why they say it’s hard to have friends that you’re in charge of. It’s just plain hard to reprimand people you’re friends with. Keeping people at arm’s length is difficult too though. As a leader, you’re already under a lot of pressure and being friends with the people you work with only makes things harder…especially when you have to do the hard parts of your job, like writing someone up or having a difficult conversation. Another lonely aspect of leadership is that your feelings will have to come second. Especially during times where emotions run high, being an emotional rock for your team is a must. Leadership can be lonely sometimes and that can make it hard, but that also means you’re doing it right. The goal is to run a tight ship and earn the respect of your team by being a great leader, not a best friend. And remember, if it were easy, everyone would do it.
History – Bunbury. This last week we would have been in Cincinnati for our 5th Bunbury Music Festival. I know there are a lot of events that have been canceled this year, but Bunbury I find myself really missing. I miss the Embassy Suites hotel where we all stay; the “Free” happy hours, the room parties and the breakfasts where you inevitably run into someone who looks like they just woke up and ran down to the atrium with 10 minutes left before breakfast ends. I miss hanging out at Molly Malone’s and how much a hard day of work makes you feel like you not only earned the drinks and shots, but you deserve them! I miss the set up on Wednesday and the teardown on the following Monday. I miss the feeling we all get when we sell 20k worth of pizza and drinks in one day. I miss pausing for a moment to watch the barges moving up and down the Ohio River. I miss the familiar faces. I miss the teamwork. Next year we’ll be back at Bunbury and hopefully, just like many of the events that we have to forego this year, it’ll be back and better than ever. The drinks at Molly Malone’s will taste that much better.
Motivation – “Every restaurant needs to have a point of view.” – Danny Meyer
The 5th Thing (something I’m reading, watching or inspired by) – If you’ve taken a walk around the Short North and downtown lately, you’ll notice a lot a storefronts are still boarded up. One thing I noticed is that most of the places that are still hiding behind their boards are businesses that aren’t from Columbus. Those of us who we’re born in and grew up in this area were the first ones to remove their boards. I have a lot of pride in our decision to remove our boards as early as we did. It says in our mission statement “that we’ll be loyal partners to our communities and a fierce defender of what’s right.” Never since the moment we wrote those words on paper have they rang truer to our cause.
Baby Update – Our little dude is nine months this week. He has officially crosses the line from cute baby to a 20-some-pound-sticky-germy-gross-kid-like wrecking ball…who likes to climb stairs. A couple days ago was the first time we actually lost him for a second. We found him upstairs in our closet playing with Rachael’s shoes. I think it’s time to order the gates…or a leash.
Thanks for reading! Like or hate any part of this? Let me know! I really value your feedback.
Have a great week!
5 Things to Consider Archive 