I like to think of it this way, leadership is like ice cream, and the specific business, industry or circumstances are the flavors. It is impossible to use chocolate chip and make it work when pistachio swirl is required, unless you only care about the fact that you used “leadership ice cream” and not about the outcome or how it tastes. Now you know why poor leadership leaves such a bad taste in everyone’s mouth.

The mixing of flavors (or leadership styles/skills) is a creative endeavor, because it has to be. The quest of all leaders, doing the right thing – at the right time – time after time – is not a science; it’s the repetitive capture of quicksilver. An enlightened/contemporary approach demands different leadership tactics for ever-changing circumstances and roles. You can be a lead cook, server or busser (out in-front-modeling the job in a stellar fashion) but that is different than a General Manager, battlefield leader or neighborhood political leader. Hone in on what will work best for your situation, circumstance, and timeframe.

Leadership (at any level) is simply a role. It can be definitive or derivative, but still just one of many roles that are played out within any human enterprise. Management is, in most situations, a job, with an accompanying job description. (Try to find a formal company job description for “leader.”)  Leadership and Management are properly awesome together — like ice cream and a cone but they aren’t the same thing!

In the hospitality industry leadership is sought, recognized and cultivated at all levels. If someone is the best busser/cook/server/bartender they can become a “lead” and leaders at all levels are the lifeblood of any hospitality organization. I am not a top–down leadership school-of-thought adherent, although it has had its place in history.  Enlightened organizations currently seek bottom-up/sideways/criss-cross leadership involvement and engagement. They rotate and align the best people, ideas, practices and future “potentials” to positions out in front.

Present day business environments are shockingly fluid and demanding of skills that previously were not essential requirements. At the top of this skills list is learning on-the-fly and adapting to ever-changing conditions.

How do you develop adroitness, awareness and capacity? With seasoning! How do you accelerate seasoning? Hopefully, with the complete backing of the entire organization toward leadership development, and by accepting that “mistakes” are part of the process. As many have stated before, not pushing your limits to the point of making some mistakes is a mistake, especially when you’re attempting to create engaged leaders at all levels of your organization. Please keep this seasoning logic at the forefront of your mind as you attempt to accomplish one of the major components of any leadership role – identifying and developing future leaders.

 A Quick Sidebar on Seasoning –

Some ol’ school professionals will remember a time when cast-iron cookware was the tool of choice, and all of those pans needed to be seasoned prior to use. There were formal steps that had to be undertaken prior to actually using the pan — a thorough cleaning, heavy coating of the proper oil, and measured heating. Seasoning is/was required in order to make the pans less sticky and to stave off rust.

In other words, formal steps are taken to make them work better and last longer. Might there be an equivalent body/mind/spirit process to accelerate the seasoning of your leaders? Perhaps, accelerated seasoning methodology is something to think about/act upon in your near future. It is, after all, the element most missing in the newly anointed at any level.

Individuals who use their “all,” and use it correctly, have accomplished many a success in business, athletics, and warfare. This, by the way, is the foundational reasoning smart folks use for hiring and promoting people who can draw from demonstrable military, sports, or previous business success.

All business owners/leaders attempt to develop a “strategy” for their business, which simply comes down to the decisions they make to maximize all available resources to gain success, however they define it. If working leaders have had limited life experience, their strategies are usually limited in scope. If you get the chance in life to participate in something that fully challenges you and demands physical and/or maximum mental effort, sign up. This life “seasoning” directly adds value in a business environment.

Leaders, you must try to create the most impactful flavor of leadership (ice cream) that works best for your situation/team and you’re going to have some bad batches along the way. Many of you already have faced the fact that some folks on your team will come up with a “dirt” flavor of team leadership when you asked them for cool-mint. However, you will be pleasantly surprised at the number of positive outcomes if you embrace the quest for engaged leadership at all levels as if it were both a business necessity and a creative flavor endeavor.

If only training were like climbing Mt.Everest. Once you accomplished it, you’d never have to do it again. Unfortunately, restaurant training is more like exercise. If you don’t do it regularly, it’s difficult to stay in top shape. We all know that, but in our fast-paced restaurant environment, it’s easy to let things that aren’t “on fire” slide. But if you follow a successful waitstaff training routine, you’ll reduce those fires and create a more proactive and productive work environment. In the end, your restaurant team—and your customers—will thank you. Here are a few tips that can make your training more successful:

• Begin at the beginning. It sounds simple, but most new hires learn how to work the cash register long before they’re ever told about the corporate concept or mission statements. If your operation is committed to ideals, it’s important that your new employees get that information first and are tested on it and its importance. It’s the only way they’ll grow to fit into the environment and team you’ve created.
• Just do it. Effective restaurant training doesn’t just include structured training sessions or pre-shift meetings. It also includes managers getting in the trenches and improving their knowledge. If you really believe that every team member should help the other—and that every position is important—assign yourself a shift working in an area that’s suffering from turnover, lower morale or just added stress. Come dressed to work and have an assistant manager take care of your regular duties. By actually doing the job—and not just observing it—you’ll show the staff that you understand firsthand their challenges. You’ll also learn what’s not being done properly and after the shift, and you can tailor your training sessions accordingly.
• Talk the talk. In this business, service and sales go hand-in-hand. In the long run, you can’t accomplish one without the other. It stands to reason, then, that any good restaurant training program will focus on both improving service and increasing sales. If you want to effectively communicate that “everyone is in sales,” then you should be selling yourself. Pass out samples of appetizers to waiting guests, tell them about specials, offer to carry around the dessert tray for busy servers and present the items like they were presented in training. Whatever you’d like your servers and other team members to do, do it yourself and do it well.
• Reward success. The old adage is true: what gets rewarded gets done. Sure, servers who put their training into action will be rewarded by higher tips and a more enjoyable work experience. But it’s up to you to give all your servers the extra motivation they need to apply what you’ve taught them. If you’re focusing on sales increases of a particular item, or a general improvement in average sales, set clear and attainable goals, recognize achievements, and reward winners. 

Remember, training is a process, not an event. Train every day, and recognize and reward expected behavior every day, too. 

© Pencom International, used with permission. Pencom International is a leader in restaurant management and waitstaff training solutions and publisher of Service That Sells! The Art of Profitable Hospitality, the best-selling book in foodservice history! Developed by successful restaurant owners and managers, the Service That Sells! product line of books, DVDs and workbooks has been helping restaurants improve service and increase sales for decades.

Unless you have been living in a cave or immersed in the opening of a new international property, you have heard about the polarizing and perplexing story of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. Now, you may not follow the NFL or even like sports, but most anyone in our/any business can appreciate the turnaround of a brand name franchise and creating “fandemonium.” I thought I’d pass along a quick note from the eye of the Timmy-Typhoon.

The NFL’s Denver Broncos turnaround story (worst to first – in the same season – after years of irrelevance) is being written by many contributors. There have been clutch stops, picks, runs, throws, catches, kicks and fumble recoveries. As is almost always the case in a team sport, (read as your business) it takes a united team effort (“running on all cylinders – in the zone”) to win.

As the early season losses mounted and the Bronco “brain-trust” was feeling as if there was nothing left to lose – they unleashed Tim Tebow. What was initially significant about this “strategic” move was that the seemingly 3^rd string quarterback leapfrogged over the 2^nd string quarterback to become the starter. It was the harbinger of many strange and wonderful (if you bleed orange and blue) things to come such as – downgrading the playbook to a High School level and trading last year’s leading receiver and starting QB mid-season.  Now, we have the incredibly fashioned string of wins, and a self described “higher-calling” individual playing his position in an unorthodox manner – a truly compelling drama for fans and non-fans of all persuasions.

I have no idea how many more rabbits will be pulled out of the hat by Tebow & Co, but up to this point, there are a few practical turnaround-takeaways & leadership affirmations worth sharing –

1. Attention leaders: it never hurts to have created a multitude of rabid fans in your last position
2. Past behaviors/come-through-in-the-clutch-success – by an individual – should never be overlooked when attempting to predict future behaviors/come-through-in-the-clutch-success
3. Great leadership is the dynamic influence/impact on others – and what you do & who you are (together) are more powerful than either alone
4. A new way (read as a new right way) hardly ever comes from re-doing the same things, unless you dust off a playbook so old that everyone has forgotten how to defend it
5. If you hope to be successful as a leader, you’ll need to rely on more than yourself to pull it off
6. If you wish to have a widely accepted & rapid leadership transition – “selfless” leadership (serving others, accepting personal responsibility for failures, spreading credit for accomplishments, humble in victory and defeat) lies in stark contrast to “selfish” leadership
7. Talent, hard work, unity and faith (a potent team combination) – can create more than your fair share of luck – AKA  culture & chemistry matter much
8. Just one “right” person – at the right time – can make all the difference in the world, but then… you knew that already…

Chase LeBlanc

There was also a code, an unwritten agreement that bracketed your conduct. Lying, cheating or stealing were absolute no-fly zones, and you had to offer the other guy a “fair chance” in just about everything you did. I know some people will pass off my code recollections as myth, but I was not hanging out in Hollywood with A. Ladd, G. Cooper or J. Wayne – just with real people living real lives. In fact, responsible conduct was a major contributing factor to their sense of community and stewardship of the land. And, there was a word woven into their daily lives that is so old fashioned — I feel compelled to dust it off just to use it in this sentence — RECIPROCITY — the “soul-coal” that stoked many barn raisings, harvests and roundups.

In light of the recent news of a MAJOR FAILURE of institutional leadership @ Football U (or u name it) that dominated last week’s headlines and Sunday’s news programs, I thought it might be timely to share a few relevant “rules of the trail” that I know have been valuable to myself and others who aspire to become respectable, responsible citizens and leaders in their own right.

Be kind to kids and your horse

Don’t take any wooden nickels

Own a sharp knife and a sharper set of eyes

If you have some… share some with them that ain’t got none

If your best dog bites you more’n once… he ain’t your best dog

Doing the right thing ain’t courage… it’s just doing the right thing

Don’t make friends with rattlers… them that ain’t got feet…or them that do

A “howdy” and a smile cost you nuthin’… don’t make nobody pay to git one

If you Rodeo… 8 seconds can change your life and if you don’t… they still can

An honest day’s work for an honest day’s dollar means a lot, but your honest word means more

I still remember the first time I heard my Grandfather deliver his ultimate displeasure with another human being.  It was his considered opinion that you could be “good at” something and still be “good for nothing.”  As he saw it there were people who were darn fine farmers, welders, mechanics, truck drivers, hunters, and so on, but if your positive-character flag wasn’t flying high, he’d keep his distance.

When it comes right down to it, leadership is influence. Yes, most organizations hold high the tangible metric “results” of the system/process/push and pull, but when it comes to people, the influencers at every level are the true leaders.

For generations there have been debates about the concise definition of leadership. The truth is, it depends. Leadership definitions are dependent on the team, situation, fate, timing, and most certainly upon the width or height of your travails. Additionally, it depends if you are speaking of leadership in the arena of business, military, science, religion or politics. And, it depends on whether you’re seeking a descriptor of leaders who are edgy or plain-Jane, powerful or powerless, figureheads or headless figures.

You can spend a lifetime learning a skill(s) that will earn you more money, and that is notable. You can spend a minute or two on a dark path and ruin a lifetime of goodwill, and that too is notable. In the midst of those who view the world as clear-cut, black or white, good or evil – there exists some grey areas.

In this blurry arena of grey is where true leaders dwell. There are realities that challenge best-hatched plans, self control, vision and values; situations where you face hard choices, tough luck and tough decisions. In these circumstances it is better to be good at something and good for something, as it has been shown time and again that working for the greater good is the most sustaining, gratifying, and dare we say, fulfilling. Perhaps simply it is best described as the “greater of the goods.” During your next leadership performance assessment (on yourself or others), stop for a moment and ponder – @ and 4 – are you and your team working hard at being both?

 It is — and has always been — the right leadership flag to fly.

In the mind’s eye of your guests, an “event” may still be a wedding, anniversary, birthday or celebration of a child’s rite of passage, but for operators the daily pressure of creating a lasting memory of differentiation at each visit through a strong value proposition, seamless hospitality, ease of interface, or authentic-ness is monumental.

This brings me to Las Vegas, where last week had a chance to use my “guest-eyes” over a four day period. In that city of iridescence, as I watched all players compete to over-stimulate their guests, it becomes obvious that they have brought the definition of an “event” down to the level of menu offerings. At every ordering opportunity the biggest, freshest, zaniest, or most unusual is available and will smack you right between your eyes/lips upon arrival. Yes, in most cases you have to pay a premium for this experience extraordinaire and it would not “go over” everywhere, but it is difficult to deny the “bang” that well crafted design can bring to a menu item. This, of course, is merely a reflection of a significant trend in business where outstanding design is soundly trumping all other business levers.

The above brings me to your in-house Training/Development/Learning Team. Is there a chance that they would be better served by thinking about a new educational design paradigm, i.e., they are actually in the “brain-food” business?

You already know that they/you make internal products for mental consumption, right? Do you take any cues from your industry surroundings? Do you set the table, provide appetizers or salad, main-course, beer or wine pairing and dessert? Do you create memorable mental meals or knowledge crave-ables? Are they snack-size, shareable or handheld? Are they full-service, fast-casual or fast-fine? Do you have a T/D equivalent gesture for chocolate on the pillow at turndown?

These are time-tested formulas for delivering products for human consumption. Are you leveraging your expertise in one area of your business – to another?

Is there a methodology that is intended to drive traffic to your business… that you can transfer to internal learning?

Do you have developmental LTO’s, curbside pick-up, seasonal specials, discount coupons or frequency programs?

I’m asking because nowadays, design matters for everyone in our industry. Your internal customers are seeking the same things that your external customers are seeking – convenience, choice, value, and satisfaction. You’re also trying to overcome learning conditioning. If you can breakthrough to the brain receptors in charge of (insert your own air quotes here) “Tasty” I can guarantee that you’ll stand out and enjoy more success than if you are serving from a standard training and development smorgasbord.

“Better by design” is the sign of the times and not all of it should face outward.

The learning activities were full of valuable content and the peer relationship-building opportunities are unmatched. The guest speakers were phenomenal, including Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, Kat Cole, President of Cinnabon, Amanda Hite, Founder, CEO and Change Agent of Talent Revolution, Inc., Kathleen Wood, Founder, Kathleen Wood Partners, LLC and many more!

I would like to thank Mike “Famous” Amos, Jennifer Michaud, Tara Davey, Lisa Marovec, Jennifer Johnston and all of the other great CHART folks for allowing me to present at CHART’s 82nd Hospitality Training Conference and next time – Don’t You Miss It!

R.L. IN MONTANA ASKS …
My least favorite management duty is dealing with time-off requests and making sure the posts of those off are covered. I have some employees who are workaholics, some who take time off appropriately, and some who call in with suspicious sick days for which I have to take their word. Appropriate time off is great for morale and avoiding burnout, but do you have any advice for juggling it all, especially when a sick employee’s absence throws a monkey wrench into my flow?

THE STAFFING DOCTOR ANSWERS …
Justified versus unjustified time off is a sandin- the-gears conflict causing strife within many companies. Regulations exist at both the federal and state levels to govern time-off standards, but they do not cover all situations, because the truth of that lies in the perspective of the beholder. On top of that for some operators is the newly daunting task of providing employees with paid sick days.

Attendance used to be mandatory. Remember the days when you had tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime concert, and your supervisor at work uttered those famous words, “A time off request is just that—a request, not an automatic fulfillment program?” You would sulk off trying to find someone to cover your shift—or sell the tickets.

Those days are gone. If you tell someone they “might” not get a day off that they requested, they might quit on the spot. You used to cajole people to come into work on their day off to help cover a “broken shift,” and now you practically beg some of your best and brightest to stay home if there is even a slight chance they are awaiting proof of an airborne contagion. Employees are now arriving with a lack of communal work ethic, language barriers, cultural hurdles, and with a noticeably absent knowledge of shared values.

When viewed as originally intended, time off is part of the employee benefits package: a perq. But when is time off too much? The easy answer is when it has a negative effect on the employee’s performance or is dragging the business down. If someone is taking their accrued time, vacation, flex, charity, or bonus time, you can’t really argue, can you?

It seems to be a pretty universal experience that time off is all well and good if we’re talking about your days off, not so much if you’re covering for someone who has gone off to Bora Bora. The understanding and agreement lie in your perspective and alignment with policies and norms. You might never be able to get buyin from someone who does not have children to understand how being a parent seriously requires previously untapped scheduling flexibility. A person who has never faced death or serious illness in their family may not relate to the accompanying demands and blue notes.

Some companies who provide working remotely as an option have simply “punted” on attempting to manage employee time off. These companies allow that anything goes, as long as you get your work done.

The best approach to meet the rising demands from employees whose time-off needs have skyrocketed over the years is not to grab it by the neck and throttle down the incoming request pipeline or solely attempt to cover everything by adding new policies, but to build more flexibility into your system.

Work the part of this challenge that you actually have some control over. The help you can give yourself is cross-training. There has been a lot of belt-tightening over recent years, and maybe your training budgets took a hit, so do yourself a favor: cross-train, station to station, front to back, and back to front. Time-off arm-wrestling will never improve your guest satisfaction scores. The more jobs your employees know how to perform, well, the less time-off stress you will have—when it’s your time off.

Chase LeBlanc is the founder and CEO of Leadagers, LLC, and is a hospitality management performance coach. He is also the author of High Impact Hospitality: Upgrade Your Purpose, Performance and Profits!