Don't Get Mad, Listen

I once visited a kitchen in Virginia to better assess our brand’s operational challenges since our home market was battle weary from executive visits. The Kitchen Manager in VA wasn’t especially pleased to host me and the General Manager told me that everything I’ve ever rolled out was perfect without equivocation. No matter how I asked questions, I gained zero insight into the realities of running our restaurants. Finally, I asked the KM, “why do you think I’m here?”

“You’re here to check up on what we’re doing and tell us everything we’re doing wrong,” she answered. Ah, there’s the rub. I’d clearly outlined the purpose of my visit with the Franchise owners but hadn’t made sure that the message carried to their team.

“Oh no,” I said. “I’m here for you to tell me what I’m doing wrong so that I can do my job better.” The distrust in her eyes gradually gave way to surprise. It seemed for the first time that someone asked this talented and tenured employee what she thought about our innovation and marketing. The floodgates opened as did my eyes. Her team members spent time with me and respectfully shared their thoughts, ideas, and challenges. I observed what was happening on the line during peak hours including seeing shortcuts which clearly compromised quality, but that was the purpose of the visit.

I let these deviations happen. I didn’t intervene because the cooks would then put up their guards and the trust would be over. These shortcuts were happening hundreds of times a day across the county and my job was to stop them all rather than this one shift, this one day, these few guests. I reviewed everything I saw and learned with the KM at the end of the day to give her the opportunity to lead her team. It was my job to head home and lead mine.

Just prior to my leaving however, the kitchen steward sought me out. “I wanted to thank you for coming today,” he said. “You showed us respect and that doesn’t usually happen when we get visitors. They usually walk around with their noses in the air, but you listened.” He shook my hand and its warmth represents one of the best recognitions I’ve ever received in my storied career.

I returned to the office the following Monday with a plan to institute a culinary simplification and training plan which was informed by weeks of research, additional restaurant visits, and punctuation points. It was time to comprehensively tackle the execution issue by addressing its root causes in product, training and leadership. Simple as that.

One of our leaders at the time saw it differently however. What followed was yet another robust discussion about innovation solving our execution issues. Rather than evolve the KM role from managing costs to managing quality or identify minimum smallware pars for all stations, we'd again fascinate on recipes to solve our problems.

I emphasized that we operated in a culture of optionality for standards. One blind eye to a recipe variance creates a domino effect so that every restaurant will operate differently, which negatively impacts consistency as well as accountability because then managers aren’t even versed on what’s standard. I referenced one of the more injurious short cuts witnessed in a recent visit. “We’re operating in an environment where a restaurant can pre-cook burgers and hold them on station in hot water.” Boom. If our brand that was built on burgers and beer can’t execute burgers right, how would we ever get credit for trends and flavor adventure?

Our leader reacted. “Who?!!?!” The jugular rose and pulsed. “Where did you see that?!??” The forest of my statement was lost for a tree.

“That doesn’t matter,” I replied. “It’s the fact that short cuts like this are happening all over the country. Let’s not be naïve to think that I saw the only compromise.”

I stonewalled his repeated demands to reveal the source of my observation by emphasizing how trust can best inform the work we do in order to return the brand to greatness. His puffery called for the employee’s firing followed by assurance to all others in the room that he’d get me to reveal who it was. This man making hundreds of thousands of dollars couldn’t see that he had a role in what was happening in that one kitchen. He was above that. It’s easier to fire one guy making $11/hour than to adjust the plan for a $2.5B company.

Respect isn’t about ambition nor anger nor fear. Respect is about recognizing the humanity of the people around you, especially as a leader. A leader must create an environment built on honesty and respect. People will remember what you make them feel more than whatever you say.

Be open. Be humble. Respect everyone.

[This is a continuation of The Corporate Detox series which filters business attitudes, actions, and impact through a humanist lens.]

Dan Dillon // D.Square Marketing & Hospitality // ddillon@d2hospitality.com