Category: leadership

There are so many moving parts in any business that it seems like it can sometimes be a never ending process to get things right. Even in a well run organization, there are inevitable leaks that spout as you are growing and moving forward with momentum. There is a pattern, or a life cycle in all businesses, no matter whether you are a restaurant, a tech company, a real estate group, a construction company…Big and small, we all face similar challenges as we grow. It’s not unlike the lifecycle of a human being, with the intense attention needed when your business is a newborn, to the chaos that ensues during the go-go grow phase, like an out of control teenager. Even when a business hits it prime, then inevitably starts to age, like we see now with brands like Sears, Red Robin, Chili’s, it’s just part of the cycle of life.

In our business we were teenagers for a very long time. I like to think now we have advanced to young adults, but there are still times when I wonder if I am not unlike my little 3 year old niece who insists she’s a big girl. Much of our teenager phase was recognizable by the lack of systems and the issues we faced. We spent a lot of energy and time “putting out fires” and plugging the holes that would happen all the time. It was like trying to hold a handful of goo. No matter how close I held my fingers together, there would inevitably be a leak, then another and another as I addressed each one. Teenagers are fearless. You can caution them and warn them about the perils of driving fast, but they want to learn by their own mistakes. We were in crisis mode all the time.

So how did we grow up? I made the decision. I got tired of the chaos and realized that I was the leader. It was time for me to grow up and take responsibility for the challenges we faced. We decided to stop hiring from desperation. We stopped assuming our people knew what to do just because they were experienced or well paid. We limited what we were focusing on, and changed that focus to leadership. We changed our inner circle and listened to different voices. We put new leaders in charge. This all gave momentum to the next phase in our growth. By focusing on our people and developing their leadership we are growing from the inside out. Instead of the pedal to the metal method of our adolescence, we have transformed into gardeners, planting seeds that are pushing from the bottom up towards the light. The process of developing leaders takes time. The seeds of greatness lay dormant until the conditions are right for them to germinate and grow. It is our mission now as leaders to find those seeds in our people and help them grow.

The decision to change the course of my organization, from the toddler stage when I was so in love with what we were selling, to the teenager stage when I was so in love with our guests, to the stage we are in now, where we are in love with our tribe, has brought me so much energy and keeps me motivated and loving what I do. I needed to redefine what we are here to do. I believe I am here on this earth still because my work is not done. I am here to help and serve the people in our tribe, which includes the employees, the clients, the vendors, and our communities. This is what gets me up early every day and keeps me smiling no matter what.

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” E.E. Cummings

If you are trying to be everything to everybody you will be nothing to no one. There is always going to be a percentage of the population who loves you, a percentage who can’t stand you, and those who don’t care. Your primary focus must remain on your authentic voice and your vision.

This means not taking it personally when you have critics. In actuality, embrace it. Take the feedback and grow from it if you can. Ignore the haters and nay-sayers, they are not your tribe. Live with integrity and focus your energy and attention on the ones who love you. They are the ones who need to hear your message, the ones who want what you are providing, who can propel your brand.

There is tremendous power in the tribe of people who love and support you. Exceed their expectations and always ask yourself how you can add more value to them. Listen to them, always, but especially when they give you feedback. Feedback is the most valuable opportunity to make things better for your tribe, team, clients, followers, organization.

When you are on the inside looking out your view is very one dimensional, depending on your personality you may be focusing on all the little details that are not perfect, or turning a blind eye to potentially damaging issues that can be percolating in your group. Feedback from your tribe is the way to look from the outside in. This view is the perception you are projecting. Checking often with your tribe helps to ensure you are staying true to your values.

When building your brand never compromise on your standards, always be open to new and better ways, and know that your people are your biggest asset.

What IS the culture in my business? How do I start defining it? These questions and more went through my mind when I first began to hear the word culture. Until that point I thought culture was going to the ballet, or museums, or playing a musical instrument. The idea of creating a culture in my business was foreign. I knew that we had amazing, kind people working in our restaurants, people I had hand selected and liked working with. But I wanted to know more about this word I kept hearing, and how to create it intentionally.

When I stepped out of the daily operations role in our first location to open locations 2 and 3, it was the real test on what we had built in Dublin for our brand, our culture, and the people that worked with us there. We hit some stumbling blocks, because we were in unknown territory. Thankfully we have a strong and loyal client base and core team that rallied around us and gave us the support and the critical feedback along the way to let me know in real time how things were operating without my daily presence. Many of my fears about growing our company were unfounded, but just as many proved true. I found it challenging to continue to improve our standards, and maintaining alone was difficult at times! Too much of the first 3 years after opening our second and third locations was spent putting out fires and plugging holes.

The shift began with a final straw. I’ve said it before, I have been a slow learner. But that’s changing. For me, the most difficult thing to do as a business owner is to make the hard decision to transition someone off the team. It is hard to make the call that there is nothing more that you can do to coach someone into the position or level of performance that you must require to operate your business successfully. I get a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when I know I need to do this, and I remind myself that I have a responsibility to my team to make the best decisions for them. Sometimes people get stuck in a job they don’t like or that they cannot do with success, and if they don’t make the move on their own to improve or move on, it becomes up to me.

The final straw was when I decided to stop looking for solutions outside of myself. I made a decision to change my mindset about how we hire, who we need on the team, and to invest my energy with the people already on board. We began intentionally coaching, mentoring, training and developing people already in our organization to help them grow. I took off the blinders and saw that we had so many diamonds just waiting for someone to notice them, give them tools and to believe in them. These people are teaching ME about the culture we are building.

What is a culture? Its a shared belief, a shared vision. It is people like us who do things like us. A culture based on LOVE. What that means is that the people in our tribe, our family, know that we care about them. It means that we respect each other and want to help each other out. We say please and thank you, and believe in empowering people to do what it takes to brighten someone’s day. We believe that growth is mandatory and its always a process. Success is defined by the fact that we are headed in the right direction, even if we have not arrived. We believe that one person can make a huge impact, and we are working towards creating a kinder, more loving world. This is our culture.