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I think if we don’t start looking at ourselves and start saying, “Do I
feel great mentally? Do I feel good about what I’m doing? Do I feel
good physically?” –
This is an industry where we work our bodies really hard, and that
takes a toll on us. So are we taking care of ourselves physically?
Are we in a good spot emotionally? Do I know who I want to be
as a leader? Have I taken the time to think about if someone talks
about me in five years from now, what it was like to work with me?
What do I hope they say? A lot of people in our industry don’t stop
to think about that. A lot of people were bartenders or servers and
they got promoted and promoted and promoted, and they never
really thought about themselves as a leader or manager. They just
kind of stumbled into it. And I think that leaders of great brands,
leaders of great experiences, kind of stop and say, “Let me make
sure I’m doing a good job of managing myself, that I understand my
own energy, that I know what I’m contributing to the team, and that
I’m really checking in on my own stuff.”
Nick:
That makes a lot of sense. The other question I want to ask you is what
are the benefits of focusing on culture? Obviously, you have a great
culture. People are going to love your brand, they’re going to come
back, and you’re going to be busier. But what else? What other benefits
would you say besides growth in business would be beneficial to a great
culture?
the climate, and the climate controls the customer experience and
the employee experience really more than anything.” Mike:
I mean, I think if you look at some of the great cultures out there
Even in a franchise, if someone was part of a franchise with a huge – everyone lately has been talking about Shake Shack or different
corporate entity above them, they don’t have a whole lot of say places like this. Outside of having a culture that everyone envies and
about the brand itself or the messaging or what the core values are, talks about, it gets you a lot of press. That’s a good thing. Even if
but every single day in the location that they run, they have a lot of you’re local, if everyone talks about it, it gets you free press. You get
control over the climate, how it feels to just be in that space. And invited to the media.
those are the two things that great brands do. They’re really clear
about what they’re trying to create from the guest experience side Nick:
of things, and then they’re really, really thoughtful and specific every How does it do that? If you’ve got a great culture, what’s going to make
single day about the climate that’s going on inside. the media reach out to you for having great culture?
Nick: Mike:
Let me ask you this. What do you think leaders and great brands, bars Let’s take the example of a business in Rockford. If everyone talks
and restaurants, pay attention to more of than others, would you say? about Rockford Ricky’s Bar and that’s what everyone is talking
about, the buzz, say that they’re doing a news piece on the Rockford
Mike: News and they’re going to do a piece about cocktails. They’re going
This is always the shocking thing when I speak about this onstage or to call the place that’s known as being the best, because the media
I lead a workshop or I’m coaching a group. At first it sounds a little wants experts. They want people who are great, so they’re going
hippy dippy, a little new age, but the thing that great leaders and to think, we don’t want to call the guy down the street, because
great brands do is pay attention to themselves first. They manage nobody’s talking about them. But everyone talks about Rockford
themselves better than people in other places. All great leaders, if Ricky’s. Everybody knows that that’s the place to go, so we’ve got
you would ask them, “Hey, what do you want for your people?” they to see if they’ll come on and show us how to make a cocktail for
would say, “I want them to be in touch with themselves. I want them 4th of July or Memorial Day. By being known as a place that’s great,
to have a clear vision of what great looks like and go towards it. I other businesses like the news or media or PR are going to want to
want them to have passion and excitement about what they do.” talk to you because they want the best. We want to talk to the best
But a lot of times, we’re really bad at turning that and saying, “Don’t people. We don’t want to just talk to any bar. We want the guy that
I deserve that as a manager? Don’t I deserve that as a leader?” And everyone is talking about.
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