9 / 30
Culture
Set the Standards
Human beings are great mimics. Maybe
it’s because our brains are wired
that way in order to survive. In your
restaurant, your team looks to you as
the example. You set the tone every
day by the actions you take. Remember,
talk is cheap. You get more respect and
loyalty from your team by doing what
you say you’re going to do, when you’re
going to do it, and how you said you
would do it. That’s a little core value
called “integrity.”
Once you set the standards for your
restaurant, it is your duty to live them
and demonstrate them.
If you truly
want to create a culture that
exceeds ordinary, then you need
to expect more from yourself than
others do from you.
You have to be
the first to drink the Kool-Aid before your
team will drink from the culture cocktail.
Be the leader they want.
Herding Cats
When you talk about the restaurant
industry, sometimes the word “chaotic”
arises. Others might describe trying to
get their team to follow directions as
being a lot like herding cats. The easiest
way to get the team to fall in line is to
hold them accountable for their actions.
If you’ve set the standards and are being
a prime example, then you have to hold
people accountable.
Clarify roles. Talk to your team about your
expectations. Don’t assume that they
get it. Also, have very clear and defined
performance metrics in place that you
actually can measure.
If you can’t
measure it, you can’t manage it.
If someone on the team strays too
far from the standards and cannot
deliver on the expectations, it’s your
responsibility to replace them. That’s
why it’s so important to constantly
be recruiting. You’ll need a good
bench of talent if you want to have
lasting success in this industry. Great
restaurants are always recruiting and
adding top talent to their roster.
2
3