Deliver on your promise

We all read a lot of stuff on line, visit our competitors, travel and get inspiration for what's next. But lately I feel we are doing a bit too much of this. Remember the Ipad's came out at airports for self ordering and you couldn't talk to the bartender anymore? That was the new thing and was going to take over the industry. I don't see many left of those. Then many started to move away from tipping in the restaurants and countless jumped on that wagon. How is that going? Now we hear about robots in food service and you see Kiosks popping up everywhere! Nah, I will wait that one out as well. I already see many of those broken, dusty and unused. You see, here is the issue: innovation is necessary, but for most of us I would say spend less time focusing on what is out there and more time on and in your stores. More time with your customers and more time with your employees. The key is execution and delivering on your promise and most importantly: differentiate yourself from your competition. Focus on what YOU do and do it really well. Do something that others can't do. How? Here are some pointers...

1. First, hire the right people. After your brand is established, assemble an amazing team. Then figure out together what to do and how to achieve your goals through execution. Empower them! Hire people with high standards and low ego. Take real good care of them, pay them well, reward them. Share good thoughts when you think them and also hold them accountable. Have real conversations with your team and truly listen to them without the need to respond. They are people and people like to keep it real. So don't fake it and show interest in your team.
2. Set goals. Set measurable goals that are achievable (with a stretch). From X to Y by When. Constant gentle pressure should be applied on all departments and their goals that form a cohesive set of actions. Those actions form the strategy. Just having a goal doesn't work - you need supporting actions and mile stones. You also need to be evangelical about your mission, the "why" and repeat it so often that when you're tired of hearing yourself speaking about it you know the message is getting across. Focus, finish, celebrate a wise person told me once. Remove road blocks for your people and give them razor sharp tools to do the job.
3. Work closely with your HR team and focus on the employee experience. How does it feel to work in your company? Do you have a mission and vision? I don't mean you should come up with 7 words and print on a pocket card - no I mean do you have real conversations about what it is like to work for your company? Why do you do what you do? How can we hire the best and keep them here? What is day 1 like for new hires? We are not perfect, but we do care and will do everything we can to be better every day so our people feel heard, cared for and appreciated. So figure out what attributes you want and need for your organization and select your crew against those criteria.
4. You need IT infrastructure. I have worked for several really successful companies in leadership roles. No one is the same. So here too do not focus on what others are doing and copy that - rather come up with business solutions that help your cause and make your process better, more seamless. Having a business analysis done is good if you do not know where to start. But begin with the end in mind and solve your problems now by having a solid IT infrastructure in place. Sharp tools. Consider cost yes, but also ROI. If you have to spend money at store # 20 or #30 and you are at store #7 - if then, why not now? I have been there - the longer you wait, the harder it gets. And if you can't measure something, you can't improve it. Think about the ROI on that!
5. Very important to me has always been having high standards. Never settle with where you are. Stores can always be cleaner. Service can always be faster. Hospitality can always be warmer. Food can always improve - and so can food cost BTW. Question everything and what helps me from time to time is ask myself the question: "If today was my first day in this company - what would I do?". This question could give you some really eye opening answers... You can also ask some around you the same question and their answer may surprise you as well.
6. Food, service, facility... I have written about this before. At the end of the day your guests come to your restaurant first and foremost to eat. For the food! Your service can make or break that experience, so service is the difference maker. But most would still chose to go to a place for food first. Then there are your facilities - they should be noticeably clean. If you focus as an operator on those three things you will succeed. Forget about Yelp and spend time on the floor as an operator. Taste food, observe your team, inspect your facilities and equipment. Be critical and show your standards are high and when it is not being met, make a huge deal about it. That should be non negotiable.
7. Lastly leadership. Every organization rises and falls on leadership. Every church, every business, every house hold and institution. Leadership can be learned and taught. The right to lead must be earned! So educate yourself on the art of influence so you can influence the ones around you to be their best! Read books, exercise, eat well, speak with like minded people. Feed your head with inspiring and thought provoking philosophies. Schedule time to do nothing. Develop your own leadership voice. Stay focused on your goals, do not get sucked into the trenches. Stay ahead of the game and your competition by focusing on execution and delivering on your promise.

So there are some things that I think of daily. These disciplines help me stay on track and I surely did not invent these. I learned from reading and by making mistakes, but was fortunate enough to also have help from mentors along the way. Making mistakes are the best teachers because you experience what happens when you mess up - so know it is OK to mess up. But know in order to succeed in business, you have to deliver on your promise to your people and your customers and most importantly - yourself.

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