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As we celebrate our life liberty and pursuit of happiness on Independence Day I am reflective and grateful for the lessons I have learned about the importance of interdependence this year. Certainly happiness and the pursuit of it comes down to an individuals will and methodology; however, as I look back over the first half of the year every single area of my joy related to work and family life are relational.
One of my 2020 goals was to be more vulnerable in sharing my thoughts and needs with those closest to me. This renewed focus has brought on great reward. The reliance on others inherent to vulnerability has blessed my life with richer relationships. Enhanced vulnerability has been a great step on the road of interdependence and living with less selfish focus.
Reliance on those around me has been a shortcoming of mine in a management realm. I am quick to do yet impatient to develop others to do. This bull in a china shop mentality has driven some decent results but nowhere close to the results or happiness we can achieve when we perform in a highly functional team. I am starting to gain wisdom, patience and greater results in better understanding my strengths, knowing where my time is best spent and situating teammates with collaborative strengths in order to maximize efficiency.
So this Independence Day I am grateful not only for the foundation of this great country and its liberties but also the connectivity of the great people in it and how it is teaching me to be a better person!
What are you pensive about as you celebrate independence and our nation? Share your journey so we can learn from each other.
As we talk all day with restaurant managers, Im often able to determine the Good from the Great Managers by one qualifying factor, WHETHER THEY FEEL THEY ARE IN THE FOOD BUSINESS OR IN THE PEOPLE BUSINESS!
Sure, all restaurant managers are responsible for getting their customers a great product in a timely manager, but the foundation of how to do so consistently over time rests on the team that the manager is building.
This is a particularly hard focus as we are in a rapid paced work environment. Of course , the focal point should always be in guest experience in order to create sales via repeat business; but here is a defining questions that can help determine the truth around creating a people culture in your restaurant business:
Is it better to add a customer for life or multiply customers for life?
There is a philosophical difference between those managers that vest into their team as opposed to those that don’t. The managers that understand the power of their people realize that by vesting into their development they are actually able to multiply the consciousness around guest satisfaction and how to create a culture that will keep guests coming back. Those that are less team driven try to add customers by personal interaction and customer relationships. It certainly takes a level of humility to put the team first and not always be the center of customer relations, but I can say with great confidence those that multiply are bound for GREAT success while those that add will not sustain long term prosperity.
Defining characteristics to take GREAT Managers to be GREAT Leaders
Recently , I was asked the question “what is the difference between management and leadership”. This question got me thinking a lot about how I need to hone in on big picture leadership.
I believe, the character traits that best define a leader are INTUITION, INTENTIONALITY and the ABILITY TO CAST A SHARED VISION
To define the difference between management and leadership I best like Peter Drucker’s definition of leadership with my own twist: Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things, right?
What are other elements that define leadership over management? Please chime in and let us learn from your experience.
A Summation of thoughts from the managers themselves
I recently asked our Linkedin Network “What is the number one most important quality in a GREAT MANAGER?” The responses were very diverse and intuitive. These results were based on real life experience from those that have managed and been managed. Here were the qualities of a GREAT MANAGER that were shared:
So what follows is a summation of my thoughts around what a GREAT MANAGER might look like using these qualities as the guiding force. The hope is that the input from the Subject Matter Experts that contributed can provide insight that can help us all better be the manager we want to be in every aspect of our business, family life and community:
At the highest level a GREAT MANAGER is able to have strong VISION. To have this VISION a manager must be able to see outside themselves, have humility and gather input from all sources around them. The ABILITY TO LISTEN AND LEARN MORE is a key element in being able to discern a best course to set the VISION. Without the ability to be emotionally and practically in tune with the collective desires of your team the VISION you cast will just be yours; however, casting a SHARED VISION can help drive results and motivate beyond any factor. Once a GREAT MANAGER has buy in on a SHARED VISION the ABILITY TO TRAIN will be the critical factor. I find that the most difficult part of developing the ABILITY TO TRAIN is PATIENCE. With almost every definition I looked at for patience there was one common denominator and that is the presence of adversity. Patience is almost always spoken of when the desired outcome or environment is not reality. I would conclude that a GREAT MANAGER must have a strong ABILITY TO ADAPT when the right environment is not present. PATIENCE is a character trait, but the outcome of GREAT PATIENCE and the ability to cast SHARED VISION is the ABILITY to ADAPT.
Some GREAT management strategies are changing because of the influx of technology and the generational diversity amongst our workforce. While some of the GREAT management strategies are still foundational, GREAT managers must be CREATIVE in their approach to casting VISION and motivating towards RESULTS. When the rubber meets the road the effectiveness of a manager will always be determined by the RESULTS they achieve, but let us not be short sighted on RESULTS. The BEST MANAGERS are able to see beyond short term gains and realize that RESULTS are about the PEOPLE they have around them. Sometimes the seeds a GREAT MANAGER plants within their team might take time to fruit. A GREAT MANAGER can have VISION beyond today and PATIENCE for others to develop. Without people you cannot lead, so GREAT MANAGERS are able to determine RESULTS not only by measuring ROI (Return on Investment) but also ROI (Return on Involvement).
Becoming and being a GREAT MANAGER is not by accident. We must all continue to utilize each other’s experiences to adapt our skills. I want to thank all of you who have chimed in and ask that you please continue to chime so we can all learn from the common desire to be a GREAT MANAGER in all aspects of life!
We all make mistakes; however, how we view those mistakes in our career can greatly alter who we become as professionals. We talk with managers almost everyday whom have been terminated from previous positions. It is very common to hear these individuals stumble upon the reasoning as to why they were let go, so in each case we like to coach on best practices on how to market yourself when being terminated. The general question we always ask is “what did you learn from this scenario?” Most candidates then start to realize how that adversity has shaped them to be a stronger manager. It is very marketable to any employer to see a potential manager that has learned from their mistakes and will most likely not repeat the mistake that had previously been made. Owning up to mistakes is also a desired trait that employer seek in employees. You need not dwell on a circumstance that you were terminated for in an interview; however, being able to directly communicate the lesson learned can have a strong impact for marketing yourself.
Remember, we all make mistakes, but I assure you hiring managers love lemonade so be diligent in processing those lemons for a positive career transition!
