3 Steps to Developing Powerful Restaurant Managers Now

Expecting managers to perform because, 1) You told them to, and 2) You pay them a lot, identifies as disappointing fantasy.

Instead, stick to reality.

And in reality, the management shortage actually looks worse this year.

People have landed in their post-COVID-crisis spots in and out of the industry and don’t want to budge.

And pay scale? We don’t even blink at paying more for less in a job-seekers’ market.

Meanwhile, no one I know wants to relax standards – realizing that, if they do, constantly evolving competition will make their restaurant drop in the standings and lose their edge.

Do This in Real Time

When their management gets stronger, restaurants operate as respected segment leaders that attract guests and talent.

My clients activate my three-pronged approach to management development in real time, not in a management academy, classroom, discussion group or manual. 

Without taking these steps into reality, you only have theory. 

My Holy Trinity of Management Development

The three aspects of my simple approach connect to each other.

Harness the power of your evolving management team through… 

1. Behavior: Identify behavioral changes that will make each manager more powerful, more influential, more successful, and happier. Coach them on these behaviors and hold them accountable for improvement. 
2. Initiatives: Apply those behaviors to specific initiatives – creating energy with identifiable results. Small initiatives lead to bigger initiatives. People learn their power, understand how to identify a problem, and develop a solution that sticks. 
3. Process: Establish specific times to make good on commitments and be accountable. These times occur every shift, day, week, accounting period, quarter, and year. Measure, celebrate success, make adjustments, and – like your phone’s streaming music player – set it on repeat.

Everybody improves every year. Results, even in areas that have traditionally been weak, become easier to achieve.  

Sales, revenue, profit, cost management, culture, guest experience, employee engagement, education, cleanliness, and sanitation all improve.

Owners and co-workers develop confidence that, when they create strategy, action and outcomes will attach.  

Top operators get organized with behavior, initiatives, and process, and build the company of their dreams.

I think of a day with plenty of management candidates: qualified, experienced, innovative hard workers who are available to join your company. A day when there are always more candidates when you need them.

That day exists in my imagination.

In the meantime, use this approach to make things happen today.