God, Family, and Ohio State Football

“There's nothing that cleanses your soul like getting the hell kicked out of you.”? - Woody Hayes

?? If you were Roman Catholic for the requisite 5 minutes to become a ND fan, or a fan of any other team that might cloud this message… don’t read this ??

Spending the better part of the last 25 years of my life in restaurants and restaurant leadership, as well as being a life-long football fan, player, and now youth coach; it’s hard to miss the eerie similarities between the two. I mean, I could have attributed the quote above to some famous restaurateur rather than the great Woody Hayes and it would be just as applicable in the restaurant space as it is on the football field. If you have a friend or spouse who works in any position in a restaurant, ask how their day at work was and you’re very likely to hear “we got our ass kicked today” (amongst other more vulgar expressions.. if you DM me and ask, I'll tell you my go-to phrase).?

Why though? Well, to skip right to the end… if your employee's goal at work is to just “survive the day”; it’s because you don’t have clear, inspirational, employee-centric (or player-centric) Mission Vision or Values in place. If it’s all about customers first and no concern for the effect on the team, they’re gonna feel like they got their ass kicked more often than not. If it’s too vague, or only about profits, they have no motivation to show up every day, and come to work to let themselves get steamrolled day after day until they leave to work(play) somewhere else.

I fully admit, I’ve been one of the vocal fans, calling for Ryan Day’s head after his continued failure against TTUN (That Team Up North). BUT I was watching the post-game after the national championship last night and was completely struck by something that caught my attention. Almost every player interviewed (I saw at least 5) thanked in order: God, their families, and coach Ryan Day for giving them the vision and leadership they needed when everyone counted them out after the TTUN loss. Then when they got to Coach Day, he did the same and focused the entirety of the credit for a national championship to his players, their stories, and that they were all able to come together for a common purpose… to win a national championship. Kinda made me a believer.

So that got me wondering, and I looked up OSU Athletics Mission Vision and Values and found this:

OUR MISSION

The People. The Tradition. The Excellence. We are dedicated to the people we serve whether student-athletes, staff or guests. We will represent the University and its proud heritage with our commitment to achieving excellence in all we do.

Their Core Values are action driven, inspirational, motivating to the players, recruits, fans, and anyone else ties to their programs:

• Integrity: We will act with integrity and personal accountability.
• Education: We will instill in our student-athletes and staff a sense of social responsibility and an appreciation for lifelong learning through quality academic, competitive, leadership and social experiences.
• People: We will keep the well-being of our student-athletes, staff and guests at the core of every decision.
• Excellence: We will strive for excellence in all we do.
• Respect: We will celebrate a climate of mutual respect and inclusion by recognizing each individual’s contribution to the team. We will promote a culture of openness where voices are heard.
• Innovation: We will encourage innovation, celebrate diversity of thought and embrace change.
• Community: We will value the support of and be active leaders in the community by paying forward to others.
• Tradition: We will build upon the traditions that have guided us throughout our proud history.

Doesn't that make you want to be a damn Buckeye!?!

If you find your restaurant struggling, and your people saying things like “I got my ass kicked today”, time to look in the mirror of your own Mission Vision and Values. If your Values are things like “Radical Hospitality” (EASILY the dumbest Core Value EVER.. don’t worry there’s a post coming for that) or “Customer First” (or worse is always right), or “Profit Driven”. I can tell you exactly why your team feels that way.?

If you need help making your core values relevant, inspirational, and “shirt-worthy” call me, or find a restaurant coach. I know several and would be happy to point you in that direction. But if you’re ready to stop the bleeding, and stop letting your team feel like they’re the Penn States or Notre Dames of the world… or Indiana, or now any SEC team… Call me. It’s time your team felt like they won a national championship. It’s time for you to have a national champion-caliber team and restaurant!

#culture #restaurantculture #leadership #OSU #ohioagainsttheworld #corevalues